There’s a sentence from a Rumi poem, something like “You say the first line of the Koran and all the dead commentators lift their heads.” I tried googling it and can’t find it. What the fudge. It’s from my favorite Coleman Barks book, Like This.
Ming’s sleeping lightly. I would sing quietly along with this music and he would wake up, stir, fall back asleep.
Today we went to the Obon Festival. I caught a few minutes of taiko, which was my favorite part. While my relatives were still parking. The crowds stressed me out. It’s hard work, being a person.
4 replies on “all the dead commentators lift their heads”
I love you !
Narcoleptic nap.
I had fun at the Obon Festival. I am glad you liked the taiko. Sorry it was stressful for you.
Inari and futomaki are delicious.
I love you !
I love you !
I have attempted to find the quote you were looking for but my google-fu is not working enough.
I love you !
I was looking on the Internet for the same poem, and found this blog. I ended up finding it in Coleman Barks’ ‘The Big Red Book’ (2010, p. 76), where this poem is called ‘Thornbush Music’, though I cannot find anything associated with the title online. The full poem is:
Jasmine comes up where you step.
You breathe on dirt, it sails off like a kite.
You wash your hands,
and the water you throw out shines with gold.
You say the first line of the Qur’an,
and all the dead commentators lift their heads.
Your robe brushes a thornbush,
and a deep chord of music comes.
Whatever you break
finds itself more intelligent for being broken.
Every second a new being
stands in the courtyard of your chest like Adam,
without a mother or a father,
but the beginning of many generations to come.
I should rhyme that fifty times.
The beginning of many generations to come,
a line without any inclination to end.
But I won’t. I close my mouth
in hopes that you will open yours.
o thank you so much!!! 🙂