Saturday, November 01, 2014

Don't be surprised



When I die, lay out the corpse.
You may want to kiss my lips,
just beginning to decay. Don't be frightened
if I open my eyes.

  Version by Coleman Barks
Open Secret
Threshold Books, 1984


 when i die
hand me over
to my sweetheart
one kiss
on my dead lips
don't be surprised
if I come alive

Translation by Nader Khalili
Rumi, Dancing the Flame
Cal-Earth Press, 2001

 

When I die,
lay my copse to rest,
but do not be at all surprised
If His kiss on my tattered lips
brings me back to life.

  Translation by Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi
Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1999
 
If I die, lay me next to the Beloved.

If He looks at me, don't be surprised.
If He kisses me on the lips, don't be surprised.
If I open my eyes and smile, don't be surprised.

  Version by Jonathan Star
"A Garden Beyond Paradise:
The Mystical Poetry of Rumi"
Bantam Books, 1992
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