Wednesday Wonder
April 4, 2012
Wisdom comes from unlikely places. Not only unlikely places, but applicable for different purposes.
When the 14th century Sufi poet Hafiz penned the following lines he was contemplating the absolute spirit of the universe. What is it like to catch a fleeting glimpse of the eternal and see your own reflection at the same time? I like this for what it is, what Hafiz intended.
True things transfer, however, like the parables of Jesus used for different purposes by the Gospel writers. When I walk through the middle of Holy Week and watch Jesus doing what Jesus does, and then read Hafiz, I can’t help but make a connection. Sorry Hafiz, it’s not what you originally intended. But then again, it’s the highest compliment I can pay you. Your wisdom travels easily everywhere. The best things become universal, transcend their original intent.
You are a shy divine deer
that I cannot cease tracking.
Though only once of late did I get so close to see
my own face and heart reflected
in your wondrous soft eyes
Only once of late, Beloved,
when I thought that I had you at last cornered
did I come to know the sublime beauty of God’s body
against my own hand.
