Some of my favorite Rumi quatrains…

These quatrains are from the book Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved… by Maryam Mafi

“If you have illusions about heaven, lose them.

The soul heard of one attribute of Love, and came to earth.

A hundred attributes of heaven, could never charm her back.

It is here the soul discovers, the reality of Love.”

“Imitating other, I failed to find myself.

I looked insider and discovered, I only knew my name.

When I stepped outside, I found my real Self.”

“You know what love is? It is all kindness, generosity.

Disharmony prevails when, you confuse lust with love, while

the distance between the two is endless.”

“I said to the night, “If you are in love with the moon,

it is because you never stay for long.”

The night turned to me and said, “It is not my fault.

I never see the Sun, how can I know that love is endless?”

“It’s good to leave each day behind,

like flowing water, free of sadness.

Yesterday is gone and its tale told.

Today new seeds are growing.”

“Last night, I begged the Wise One

to tell me the secret of the world.

Gently, gently he whispered,

“Be quiet, the secret cannot be spoken,

it is wrapped in silence.”"

“Be motivated like the falcon, hunt gloriously.

Be magnificent as the leopard, fight to win.

Spend less time with nightingales and peacocks.

One is all talk, the other only color.”

“There are no signposts in the desert,

caravans are guided by the stars.

In the darkness of despair, hope is the only light.

But in the garden of your life, my dear, never hope that

a weeping willow will give you dates.”