Downfall, decay and destruction. Who yearns for such a thing? Only those who understand the inevitability of endings and who know that from this rises something far superior than what fell.
Sadly we rarely die in ruin. We survive and are left to excavate, assess whatever is left of the action and carry on. We do not like to survive ruin because we know in our heart of hearts what kind of grief is in store afterward. Yet our ruin is our salvation more often than not, as the once magnificent experience or structure must be laid to waste to make room for whatever growth wants to become a reality for us.
Hafiz here is ruined by love and he finds the pain to be so sweet that he wants to die feeling it. Hafiz loves with the entirety of his being and, in the moment, he cannot even imagine a more exquisite experience than the one he's having.
We need to live each moment of our lives in full appreciation though our natures do not enjoy ruin and death. We must live our lives fully even knowing all things end and this is inevitable.
Thank you for listening.
Music: I was in ruin once. Well, actually more than once but one time this song saved me with the truth of it and this poem reminds me of that. Steely Dan, Any Major Dude from the album Pretzel Logic.
Photo: the ruins of Ta Prohm, Cambodia.
The original post in this series of poems by Hafiz (including an addendum regarding the authenticity of these poems) can be found here. Also, my thoughts on this series a year into these poems, HERE.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz and translated by Daniel Ladinsky can be purchased here.
My book can be purchased HERE. E-book HERE. The Season Two blogcasts with audio excerpts from my book begin HERE: in Behind The Lines. This reading of the book excerpts in a mixed media format is Season Two of this blog. These recorded excerpts are outside the chronological order in which the book was written. Podcasts with audio only beginning with episode 22 can be found HERE.
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