Religion

Substitutional

by Jalal al-Din Rumi 1207–1273

Translated by William Hastie, after Rückert's German (1903) · From The Festival of Spring (1903)

Religion

Where the cleansing Water fails,
Sand, as Substitute, avails.
This, at Need, the Prophet gave;
And his Rule to-day prevails.
Know ye, O Believers, why?
Hear the Truth the Sage unveils.—
The Desert oft no Water shows,
But never Sand the Traveller fails.
From the Desert I will guide
Him who me as Leader hails.
To where living Waters flow,
To the Garden Love empales.
Bathe there in Abundance full,
Where no hostile Drought assails.
Full, that Stream Bath, now enjoy'd,
Freedom from Sand Bath entails.
So from Formulas made free,
Spirit Life o'er all prevails.—
Master! Thy high Soul hath seen
Truth through all its hiding Veils.

MLA

Rumi, Jalal al-Din. “Substitutional.” Translated by William Hastie, after Rückert's German. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/rumi/75/.

Chicago

Rumi, Jalal al-Din. “Substitutional.” Translated by William Hastie, after Rückert's German. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/rumi/75/.

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