That which is of nature shall not be denied. Much of what is natural in humanity is deemed unsanctified, if not abominated, bastardized and incriminated. Civilization as we have come to know it, is the wardrobe the cloak of shame hangs in when we are not clutching it about our shoulders; the design of which promises to shield us from something we have long lost identifying with as a danger. Natural law never was a danger in this way, of course. Shame was a device we bought to allow ourselves to be managed. We feed a hope that devours our presence for the sake of a future of promises that have proven, over time, to be empty. This is how we learn; by trying on a concept that we think will give us something we might need. And it DOES...to a point and then we must rethink and realign ourselves with new knowledge and understanding after living out that experience. This is called evolving.
In this translation of Hafiz' poem, the poet takes us and himself to an unabashed state of arousal over the heightened experience of being aligned with god and nature. This posture suggests that we are seriously displaced from what we think is in keeping with spirituality. Allowing the stars to align with the blessing of the abundance of this fertile and bountiful life that we are living in our skin creates even more miraculous activity. Miracles as sensual experiences. This opening and vulnerability - this blossoming - is what we are deeply desiring and it does not exist within religion or dogma or civilization. It is seeded in our hearts and fed by our presence in the moment in alignment with the elemental earth and the great sweep of the universal light as both of these energies are channeled through our experience. This is called living.
Thank you for listening.
https://pixabay.com/music/world-sufi-dance-109190/
Music: The gravitational pull towards Prince's music is too much to deny in keeping with this poem. Prince took human sexuality through his art and his presence to another level for generations in the 1980s. In truth it was a movement involving multitudes of people but he captured the essence of the zeitgeist in a spectacular way. I thought of him and this song while reading this poem.
...Dream if you can a courtyard
An ocean of violets in bloom
Animals strike curious poses
They feel the heat
The heat between me and you...
So here we go.
The original post in this series of poems by Hafiz (including an addendum regarding the authenticity of these poems) can be found here.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz and translated by Daniel Ladinsky can be purchased here.