by Rumi

When you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

When actions come from another section,
the feeling disappears

Don’t let others lead you

They may be blind or, worse, vultures.

Reach for the rope of God

And what is that?

Putting aside self-will.

Because of willfulness people sit in jail,
the trapped bird’s wings are tied,
fish sizzle in the skillet.

The anger of police is willfulness.

You’ve seen a magistrate
inflict visible punishment

Now see the invisible.

If you could leave your selfishness,
you would see how you’ve been torturing your soul

We are born and live inside black water in a well.

How could we know what an open field of sunlight is?

Don’t insist on going where you think you want to go

Ask the way to the spring.

Your living pieces will form a harmony.

There is a moving palace that floats in the air
with balconies and clear water flowing through,
infinity everywhere, yet contained under a single tent.