Sunday, May 27, 2007

Sufi Poetry Carnival: The Growing Garden of Love

Bismillah ir-rahman ir-rahim. Welcome to the Sufi Poetry Carnival, hosted by me and Sadiq Alam at Mystic Saint.

Thanks to all our contributors, and thanks to Allah and all the prophets and pirs, may peace be upon them, whom we remember today and all days.

The poem below is a collage assembled from the first lines of poems contributed by friends from around the world and from classical sources. Click on each line to read the original poem.

Last night mysteries unfolded.
Long after roses shed their blushing bloom
the sun set as a fiery jewel
like the absence in the heart of the flame of the candle.
The candle of human love melts.
The sorcerer commanded the snowman, but the snowman kept on melting.

The heart knows not what it needs--
I was invited to drink from the cup of pain.
My love is fugitive!

When clarity makes my heart dance
He is there, there in front of me.
I fell in love with you immediately,
I have died a thousand times this day
to write verses on you.
You are the pain and the cure of the suffering heart.
You are my first thought: Bismillah,
I am at my best when I lay at your feet.

How can enough praise be ever offered to the ONE?

Contributors below:

Sadiq Alam: Expanding Heart, Expanding Cosmos
Asifa Sheikh: Sonnet to Love
Abdur Rahman: A Sama' of Quiet Longing
David Carter: Morning Star Lament
Jerrahiyya: Ya Wadud Ya Ahad
Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore: What Resists Illusion
Sheela Haider: Knows, Knows Not
Janice Thomson: An Invitation
Barbara Simpson-Lichtenstein (Barsili): Restrain This Love
Paddy Noble: For You
Whisper: He is There
Bharati: Never Sober Again
Catherine Seress: Alive With Love
Ava: Hasten, O Lover, write those verses now
Hazin Lahiji (trans. David and Sabrineh Fideler): The Circle
Irving Karchmar: You
Aida Toure: Upon the Spheres' Lips
sf: The One and Only One

Don't forget to visit the other half of the carnival at Mystic Saint

Resources and Additional Collections

On Sufi Poetry, Poetry in Islamic tradition and on the theme of Divine Love

What is Divine Love? | Mystics understanding of Love | part1

Divine Love | Sufi Essence: Stages of Love

Sufi Love | understanding from master

Divine Love for strangers in crowd


Understanding relationship between Sufism and poetry


Prophet Muhammad and Poetry appreciation

Poetry & Islam | Concept & Context


Some Poems from the Masters
-- Aaminah Hernández

No comments: