Not Every Sea Has Pearls

Not Every Sea Has Pearls

O my heart, sit with someone who is enlightened with the matters of the heart.
Sit in the shade of a tree that is alive with the blossoms of spring.

Don't go around aimlessly in the market, like those who are lost.
If you are after sugar, go to the one who sells sugar.

If you don't possess a scale to weigh the merchandise, the shopkeeper will cheat you.
Someone will produce a fake piece and you will mistake it for gold.

You sit by the front of the house, waiting for one who goes inside and cleverly tell you to wait there.
Don't sit there waiting for him. This house has another door, and he is already gone.

Don't take your bowl and sit by every pot that's boiling with some brew.
Every pot is cooking something different. Know what's inside.

Not every cane contains sugar, not every down has an up.
Not every eye has vision, not every sea has pearls.

Cry out, O soulful nightingale,
For prayers said in the wilderness of suffering are answered.

Your enlightened hear is like a lamp; protect it under your robe.
Pass through these storms, for the winds are blowing hard.

When you pass through these storms, you will discover a spring of living waters.
You will find a companion who is enlightened.

When your heart becomes enlightened, you will be like a verdant tree,
whose branches continually bear fruits, and you reflect the light of the universe.

--Rumi, Translated by Jahan Tavangar.
Recited by Jahan Tavangar at One Book, One Philadelphia concluding event on March 17th, 2010 conducted by Free Library of Philadelphia.