Some thoughts on a quatrain by Rumi
Ahmad Anwar Qureshi
Imruz samaa ast-o samaa ast-o samaa
Nur ast-o shua ast-o shua ast-o shua
Ein ishq musha ast-o mush ast-o musha
Az aqal vida ast-o vida ast-o vida
(Rumi)
Today it’s time for samaa, for samaa, for samaa
Today is bright and illuminating, illuminating, illuminating
This love is unifying, unifying, unifying
And it’s bidding the intellect farewell, farewell, farewell.
(Translation by Shahram T. Shiva)
Rumi has been invited to a "mehfil-e-samaa". His quatrain is a cry of joy at the anticipation of the experience of bliss from the listening of the "samaa". To appreciate his emotions, a bit of background information may be of help.
Intellect and intuition, or head and heart, can be regarded as two poles of human consciousness. The intellect carries on the business of living in this material world. Sensory perceptions, imagination, and thinking are the basic faculties at its disposal. The heart is the seat of emotions and desires; but most importantly, it also provides the window into our soul (or non-material self).
The contrast between these two modes of consciousness has been described by many eminent writers. In Urdu poetry, there is the well-known figure of the "zahid" (the "pious"). He is an orthodox believer, who tries to faithfully implement the ethical teachings of religion, but lacks any understanding of the spiritual underpinnings of the teachings. Following is an example of teasing the zahid, with the object of waking him from his stupor:
Zahid sharaab peenay dey masjid mein baith kar
Ya woh jaggah bata dey jahaan par khuda na ho
Pious man, let me drink wine in the mosque
Or tell me a place where God is not
Rumi has drawn attention to this dichotomy in human nature at various places in his poetry. One example is the dialogue between Laila and Khalifa, in his Masnavi. Laila is the dark-complexioned beloved of Majnoon (literally, "the possessed"). Khalifa is the Head of the State (symbolizing the worldly wise). Following is an extract from this dialogue:
Khalifa:
Guft Laila ra Khalifa kaan toee
Kaz to Majnoon shud paraishan o ghuvee
Az digar khubaan tu afzoon neesti
The Khalifa said to Laila, "Are you the same
For whom Majnoon lost his head and went distracted?
You are not any more attractive than other beauties."
Laila:
Guft khamush choon tu Majnoon neesti
Deeda-e-Majnoon agar budee tura
Har do alam bay khatar budee tura
Bakhudi tu leik Majnoon bikhudast
Dar tariq-e-ishq beedari badast
She replied, "Be quiet, because you are not Majnoon
If you had the eyes of Majnoon
Both the worlds would be of no value to you
You are in your senses, but Majnoon is beside himself
In the way of love, being conscious is a vice."
Let us return to Rumi’s quatrain. "Samaa" (literally, "hearing") is the musical tribute paid by "qawwals" (singers of gnostic poetry) to the Divine. By the rhythmic repetition of a phrase, word, or just a sound, the qawwals can hold the intellect at bay for a sufficient length of time for the heart to open up to the experience of the moment, called "haal" (literally, "present"). Rumi has given a flavor of "samaa" by the refrain on the syllable "ast". The reader needs only to repeat the original lines a few times to feel the effect of this powerful rhythm pulsating in his/her own psyche (unfortunately, this aspect is lost in the translation).
The person experiencing the "haal" temporarily loses his ordinary consciousness. This loss is offset by the gain of illumination, which may not be apparent to a casual onlooker.
The maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has sung about the gain and loss, in the affairs of the heart, in a ghazal. The ghazal is addressed to "shehar key dukaan daroe" ("the merchants of the city"). Among other things, it says:
Tum mariz-e-danai, maslehat kay shaidai
Rah-e-gumrahaan kya hai, tum na jaan pao gay
You who are afflicted by wisdom
And are fond of being intelligent
You cannot know the path
Of those who have forsaken all paths
