The Ineffable 1
By Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi Rumi
English rendition by Zaman Stanizai
I am a form giver,
sculpting idols into shapes every moment,
but before you, I melt them all down.
I invoke a hundred phantoms imbued with your spirit,
but when I see your image, I set them all afire.
Are you a jug of wine to quench my thirst
or a foe of sober intellect
bringing ruin to every house I build?
My soul pours into yours in a blending,
as I cherish it, absorbing your fragrance.
Every drop of my blood blooms where it falls,
perpetually proclaiming the one truth:
With you — I am immersed in the color of love. 2
This heart of mine is desolate without you
in this dwelling of water and earth,
Enter this house, O soul,
or I too shall abandon it in emptiness.
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1. Rumi envisages the Ineffable in the imaginal realm; first through the mind, then through the heart. As he fails in both attempts, he accepts Him as the Ineffable and draws to Him in supplication.
2. Reference is made to Hallaj. Legend has it that as each drop of Hallaj’s blood fell from the gallows to the ground below, it echoed Hallaj’s claim, ‘I am the Truth.’ These blood drops, absorbed by the earth, eventually bloomed as tulips, bearing the stigmata in their hearts—a testimonial to Hallaj’s martyrdom, literally, ‘witness to the Truth’—broken hearted in the love of God.