There is a source like a great river that sustains us all in individual ways. At some juncture our ideas and identities - our brilliance and our talent - fall away and we become at one with this source. Hafiz is reminding us of this. All of what is filtered through the human experience...art, music, innovation...has its origin in this rich, benevolent source and it doesn't matter whose gift is whose. It only matters that we do not hold what arrives too tightly and enjoy it respectfully and share it for what it is.
Thank you for listening.
Music: This song has been one my favorites for many years. It seems to pour down from the stars into Nils Lofgren and into our lives like a phenomena. The guitar work on this piece never fails to reverberate through my heart. It shatters me every time. It is important to us all to protect and adore those who open up, study their craft; those who reach for and channel what is beyond words. They do this for us. It is done for everyone. This is why we call them stars.
The original post in this series of poems by Hafiz can be found here.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz and translated by Daniel Ladinsky can be purchased here.