PaginePain is a Treasure!
by Rumi
Translated by E. H. Whinfield (1887) · From Masnavi
Pain is a treasure, for it contains mercies;
The kernel is soft when the rind is scraped off.
O brother, the place of darkness and cold
Is the fountain of Life and the cup of ecstasy.
So also is endurance of pain and sickness and disease.
For from abasement proceeds exaltation.
The spring seasons are hidden in the autumns,
And the autumns are charged with springs.
This poem and this translation are in the public domain. Source text: Project Gutenberg.