Life in Death
by Rumi
Translated by R. A. Nicholson (1898) · From Dīvāni Shamsi Tabrīz
When my bier moveth on the day of Death,
Think not my heart is in this world.
Do not weep in the devil's snare: that is woe.
When thou seest my hearse, cry not "Parted, parted!"
Union and meeting are mine in that hour.
If thou commit me to the grave, say not "Farewell, farewell!"
For the grave is a curtain hiding the communion of Paradise,
After beholding descent, consider resurrection;
Why should setting be injurious to the sun and moon?
To thee it seems a setting, but 'tis a rising;
Tho' the vault seems a prison, 'tis the release of the soul.
Shut thy mouth on this side and open it beyond,
For in placeless air will be thy triumphal song.
This poem and this translation are in the public domain. Source text: Project Gutenberg.