Religion
Faith
Translated by William Hastie, after Rückert's German (1903) · From The Festival of Spring (1903)
All Unbelief is Midnight, but Faith the Night-Lamp's glow;
Then see that no Thief cometh to steal thy Lamp when low.
Our Hope is for the Sunlight, from which the Lamp did shine;
The Light from which it kindled, still feeds its flame below.
But when the Sun hath risen, both Night and Lamp go out;
And Unbelief and Faith then, the higher Vision know.
O Night! Why art thou dreaming? O Lamp! Why flickerest so?
The swift Sun-horses panting, from East their fire-foam throw.
'Tis Night still in the shadow; the village Lamp burns dim;
But in Dawn's Splendour towering, the Peaks Heaven's Glory show.
Cite this poem
MLA
Rumi, Jalal al-Din. “Faith.” Translated by William Hastie, after Rückert's German. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/rumi/51/.
Chicago
Rumi, Jalal al-Din. “Faith.” Translated by William Hastie, after Rückert's German. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/rumi/51/.
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