Carpe Diem #1182 drop of rain

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Here it is the last regular episode of CDHK's exploration of Persian poetry "praise to the emptiness" in which we explored wonderful poems by three very renown Persian poets, Rumi, Hafiz and Saadi. In this last episode I have a nice poem by Saadi for you, maybe it's not a poem more a kind of parable (as Jesus Christ for example told), but I think it's a nice way to conclude this beautiful spiritual month full of poems ...

Ocean

Well ... I will again make it myself easy and give you only the poem without my thoughts on it. Just enjoy the read and become inspired.

The Pearl and the Ocean

A drop of rain trickled from a cloud into the ocean. When it beheld the breadth of its waters it was utterly confounded:

"What a place is this Sea, and what am I? If it is existent, verily I am non-existent."

Whilst it was thus regarding itself with the eye of contempt, an oyster received and cherished it in its bosom.

Fortune preferred it to a place of honor; for it became a renowned royal Pearl.

Because it was humble, it found exaltation: it knocked at the door of Nonentity that it might arise into Being.

© Saadi (c. 1213-1291) (From The Bustan; translated by Samuel Robinson)

I hope you all did like this month of CDHK in its new "environment". As I look back on this month I know that you did like it and I also know that the way I have "re-done" CDHK has become awesome. I like my weekends off and that gave me more peace, a better health and for sure more energy.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 3rd at noon (CET). I will publish our "weekend meditation", a new Namasté episode, later on. For now ... have fun!

PS. I hope to publish our new promptlist before the weekend.

Carpe Diem #1174 silence

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. This month we are exploring the beauty of Persian poetry through reading poems of Rumi, Hafez (or Hafiz) and Saadi. We have read already wonderful poems, but the one for today is ... well I think this is a difficult poem to understand by Saadi, but maybe I just have to share it already now ...

Silence

Nothing is better for an ignorant man than silence, and if he were to consider it to be suitable, he would not be ignorant.

If thou possessest not the perfection of excellence
It is best to keep thy tongue within thy mouth.
Disgrace is brought on a man by his tongue.
A walnut, having no kernel, will be light.

A fool was trying to teach a donkey,
Spending all his time and efforts in the task.
A sage observed: "O ignorant man, what sayest thou?
Fear blame from the censorious in this vain attempt.
A brute cannot learn speech from thee.
Learn thou silence from a brute".

Who does not reflect what he is to answer
Will mostly speak improperly.
Come. Either arrange thy words like a wise man
Or remain sitting silent like a brute.

© Saadi (From: The Gulistan - Chapter 8 – Tr. Omar Ali-Shah (?))

Saadi in the Rose Garden (Gulistan)

After some research I found a complete translation of Saadi's "The Gulistan", I couldn't find a name of the translator (I think it is the translation done by Omar Ali-Shah), but it was a beautiful translation and a very rich book to read. Let me tell you a little bit background of "The Gulistan".

The Gulistan ("The Rose Garden") is a landmark of Persian literature, perhaps its single most influential work of prose. Written in 1258 CE, it is one of two major works of the Persian poet Saadi, considered one of the greatest medieval Persian poets. It is also one of his most popular books, and has proved deeply influential in the West as well as the East. The Gulistan is a collection of poems and stories, just as a rose-garden is a collection of roses. It is widely quoted as a source of wisdom. The well-known aphorism still frequently repeated in the western world, about being sad because one has no shoes until one meets the man who has no feet "whereupon I thanked Providence for its bounty to myself" is from the Gulistan.

The minimalist plots of the Gulistan's stories are expressed with precise language and psychological insight, creating a "poetry of ideas" with the concision of mathematical formulas. The book explores virtually every major issue faced by humankind, with both an optimistic and a subtly satirical tone. There is much advice for rulers, in this way coming within the mirror for princes genre. But as Eastwick comments in his introduction to the work,  there is a common saying in Persian, "Each word of Saadi has seventy-two meanings", and the stories, alongside their entertainment value and practical and moral dimension, frequently focus on the conduct of dervishes and are said to contain sufi teachings.

What to say about this poem? I think, after reading and re-reading, I think the essence of the poem is in the last lines:

"Who does not reflect what he is to answer / Will mostly speak improperly. / Come. Either arrange thy words like a wise man / Or remain sitting silent like a brute."

Or as we say here in The Netherlands "Bezint eer ge begint" (English: Think twice before you start)

I think this is the lesson of Saadi in this poem ... think twice before you react ... and I know what that means. I certainly know that I am not always that wise man ... there are situations in which I respond immediately and than afterwards I regret what I have said or done. But ... I think that's what makes me (us) human ... we are humans responding from our heart and not from our mind. That by the way makes us haiku poets too. We are in the moment, we are one with all and everything and we create our poems right from our heart.

I wasn't inspired enough, but I created the following haiku:

deep silence
sunbeams breaking through the water -
shadow of a willow

in deep silence
thoughts tumbling through my mind
awakening

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 20th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, our "weekend-meditation", a new "Namasté:, later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1170 fountain

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Maybe you know that I host on Mind Love Misery's Menagerie also a weekly feature. That feature is titled "Heeding Haiku With Chèvrefeuille" and today I posted there a new episode of that feature with a wonderful poem by Hafiz to inspire. So if you are interested in that poem by Hafiz, than feel free to visit Mind Love Misery's Menagerie.

This month is already one week old and I think I have inspired you with beautiful poems from Persian poets. I have visited and read all your wonderful blogs and websites and I am glad that I had the time to visit you all. Of course I will try to do that but as you all know ... time is not always at my side.

Today I love to share a wonderful poem by Saadi. This poem is also extracted from "The Bustan" (The Orchard) Saadi's first book of poems. It's about an inscription on a fountain ... I think it is a beauty, but that's just my humble opinion.

Ruins of Shahnameh or Jamshid's Kingdom

This poem is titled: "Inscription on the fountain of Jemshid (or Jamshid) and I think it needs a little bit explanation. We have to dive into Persian history to find more about Jamshid. So here it goes.

Jamshid is a mythical King in Iranian traditions and culture and there is a long history behind him. In Avestan scripts and Pahlavi scripts and ancient literatures, there are a lot of aptitudes and magnificent figures which allocated to him. In Shahnameh, Jamshid is the son of Tahmouras and he was a charismatic king, who lost his divine charisma due to his arrogance and vanity and finally he was killed by Zahhak.

Jamshid was the prototype model ruler, he was a legendary figure like king Solomon, his wisdom knew no bounds and he had demons and beasts and birds under his control, he could see the future and had total dominion over the entire world, yet, exactly like Solomon he grew arrogant and considered himself to b divine, as a result, his kingdom was invaded and he himself cut in two using a saw by Zahhak or Azhidahak. Interestingly, after the Islamic conquest of Persia, the similarities between the story of Jamshid and Solomon were not missed and for a long time Persepolis which is called Takht-e-Jamshid or throne of Jamshid was also known as the throne of Solomon.

In Avesta, Jamshid is the son of Viunghant, and he has called Yima. Jamshid name is constructed from two parts, Jam and Shid. In Avestan Jam means "equal and twin" and Shid means "Sun", and Jamshid means "Sun's twin". In the second chapter of the Vendidad of the Avesta, Ahura Mazda asks Yima (Jamshid), to receive his law and bring it to men. However, Yima refuses, and so Ahura Mazda charges him with a different mission: to rule over and nourish the earth, to see that the living things prosper. This Yima accepts, and Ahura Mazda presents him with a golden seal and a dagger inlaid with gold.

King Jamshid

In Iranian Literature, especially in poetry, he is mentioned with some mythical characteristics. The most well-known metaphor of Jamshid's characteristics in ancient Iranian literature is "Jame Jam"_ Jam Chalice_. which mentions to immortality . This metaphor frequently has been used in great Persian poetries' Divanes (Poetry Collection Books), such as Hafez, Movlana, Sa'adi, etc. Jamshid was said to have had a magical seven-ringed cup, the Jām-e Jam which was filled with the elixir of immortality and allowed him to observe the universe. Also Jamshid's capital was erroneously believed to be at the site of the ruins of Persepolis, which for centuries was called Takht-i Jamshēd, the "Throne of Jamshid". (Sources: quora and wikipedia)

Now we know a little bit more about Jamshid and I think this will help to understand and become inspired by the poem of Saadi.

Fountain in one of Jamshid's palaces

Inscription on the Fountain of Jamshid

I have heard that Jamshid, of happy disposition, inscribed on a tablet at the head of a fountain:

"Many, like ourselves, have breathed at this fountain, and departed, and closed their eyes upon it.

"They captured the world by courage, or violence, but carried away with them nothing to the grave.

"They departed each one, and of that which they had tilled nothing remained to them, save a good or an evil name.

"When thine enemy hath fallen into thy hands, grieve him not further; he hath already tasted enough of sorrow.

"Better hold in thy keeping a discomfited enemy alive, than to have on thy neck the stain of his blood."

© Saadi (13th century)

Taken from “The Bustan” and translated by Samuel Robinson

Not an easy poem to become inspired by I think, but I have given it a try:

fountain of life
your heartbeat against mine
for an eternity
early sunrays cherish your body
in despair I flee away from you 

© Chèvrefeuille

Awesome ... sorry that sounds very immodest, but this is one of my best tanka ever I think.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 13th at noon (CET). I will try to post our new episode, a new Universal Jane (for the weekend), later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1167 The Dancer

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of CDHK. As you all have noticed I didn't publish this weekend. That's my own choice to find some time for myself. I however had a difficult weekend, because I like creating CDHK and it felt like I was amputated this weekend, but ... I know it's better for me to take the weekends off. I hope you will understand that. After all ... I just have to say ... I liked having a weekend off. Please let me know if you are okay with this new structure of CDHK.

Today I have a wonderful poem by one of Persia's best poets ever. He lived in the medieval times and was not only a great poet, but also a great philosopher. Today I love to share a poem by Saadi (1203-1292).

Saadi

Let me tell you a little bit more about Saadi:

Abū-Muhammad Muslih al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī, better known by his pen-name Saadi, also known as Saadi of Shiraz, was one of the major Persian poets and literary men of the medieval period. He is not only famous in Persian-speaking countries, but has been quoted in western sources as well. He is recognized for the quality of his writings and for the depth of his social and moral thoughts. Saadi is widely recognized as one of the greatest poets of the classical literary tradition, earning him the nickname "Master of Speech" or "The Master" among Persian scholars..

The poem of today is extracted from the first book of poetry written by Saadi, Bustan, the orchard. Bustan is a book of poetry by the Persian poet Saadi, completed in 1257 and dedicated to the Salghurid Atabeg Sa'd I or Sa'd II. It was Saadi's first work, and its title means "the orchard". The book contains the fruits of Saadi's long experience and his judgments upon life, and is illustrated by a vast collection of anecdotes. It includes accounts of Saadi's travels and his analysis of human psychology. He often mentions his accounts with fervor and advice similar to Aesop's fables.

As I was preparing this episode and saw the title of this poem by Saadi I first thought it was about the swirling Sufi dancers, but it turned out that it was about just a pair of youngsters dancing.

Persian dancers

Dancing is a joy and its origins are found on several places, but the most beautiful origin I think is that humankind watched at nature and saw how animals and especially birds were courting. 

The poem of today describes that "courting" in a particular way.

The Dancer

I heard how, to the beat of some quick tune,

There rose and danced a Damsel like the moon,

Flower-mouthed and Pâri-faced; and all around her

Neck-stretching Lovers gathered close; but, soon

A flickering lamp-flame caught her skirt, and set

Fire to the flying gauze. Fear did beget

Trouble in that light heart! She cried amain.

Quoth one among her worshipers, "Why fret,

Tulip of Love? Th' extinguished fire hath burned

Only one leaf of thee; but I am turned

To ashes--leaf and stalk, and flower and root--

By lamp-flash of thine eyes!"--"Ah, Soul concerned

"Solely with self!"--she answered, laughing low,

"If thou wert Lover thou hadst not said so.

Who speaks of the Belov'd's woe is not his

Speaks infidelity, true Lovers know!"

© Saadi (c. 1213-1291)(Tr. Edwin Arnold)

courting swans (photo found on Pinterest)

I think is a wonderful poem and it can be a source of inspiration, maybe for this specific poem a tanka will fit, because tanka is known as the love poem. So maybe I can challenge you to create a tanka inspired from this poem.

shadows on the wall
her skirt as thin as silk
moves by itself
she teases him to come and play
arouses his senses and flies away

© Chèvrefeuille

I hope you did like this wonderful poem by Saadi and I hope it will inspire you to create tanka (or haiku).

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 10th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, flute, later on.