Drunken Sufis

Recently, a friend sent me this poem. It's written by a famous 14th century Persian Sufi poet named Hafiz. I love the Sufis. They're so spiritual, and yet so exuberant, drunk on love.

We Have Not Come Here to Take Prisoners

We have not come here to take prisoners,
But to surrender ever more deeply
To freedom and joy.

We have not come into this exquisite world
To hold ourselves hostage from love.

Run my dear,
From anything
That may not strengthen
Your precious budding wings.

Run like hell my dear,
From anyone likely
To put a sharp knife
Into the sacred, tender vision
Of your beautiful heart.

We have a duty to befriend
Those aspects of obedience
That stand outside of our house
And shout to our reason
"O please, O please,
Come out and play."

For we have not come here to take prisoners
Or to confine our wondrous spirits,

But to experience ever and ever more deeply
Our divine courage, freedom and
Light!

Hafiz

There was a time in my life where I read lots of poetry by Rumi and Hafiz. I would come home, pour myself a glass of wine, turn on some quiet music, paint, and read poetry.

Sufi poems talk about some deep, deep Love, deeper than all your boyfriends or girlfriends put together. Sometimes, I would suddenly cry while reading them, they are so beautiful. Here is my favorite:

Love's Horse Will Carry You Home

The whole world could be choked with thorns
A Lover's heart will stay a rose garden.
The wheel of heaven could wind to a halt
The world of Lovers will go on turning.
Even if every being grew sad, a Lover's soul
Will stay fresh, vibrant, light.
Are all the candles out? Hand them to a Lover -
A Lover shoots out a hundred thousand fires.
A lover may be solitary, but he is never alone.
For companion he always has the hidden Beloved.
The drunkenness of Lovers comes from the soul,
And Love's companion stays hidden in secret.
Love cannot be deceived by a hundred promises;
It knows how innumerable the ploys of seducers are.
Wherever you find a Lover on a bed of pain
You find the Beloved right by his bedside.
Mount the stallion of Love and do not fear the path -
Love's stallion knows the way exactly.
With one leap, Love's horse will carry you home
However black with obstacles the way may be.
The soul of a real Lover spurns all animal fodder,
Only in the wine of bliss can his soul find peace.
Through the Grace of Shams-ud-Din of Tabriz, you will possess
A heart at once drunk and supremely lucid.

Rumi (Translated by Andrew Harvey)

A few months ago, after a concert in Da'an Park, I hung out with my Taiwanese friends. They brought a drum and were dancing. Since I play the drum, I played for them, and they shook their bodies and danced like maniacs. Taiwanese families were staring at the like they were a little crazy. This is a normal scene in the park in California, but not in Taiwan, folks.

"Are you sure you guys are Taiwanese? I asked.

"No, I don't think so," my Taiwanese friend answered. He said they were all Taiwanese Sufis.

I say, long live the Taiwanese Sufi movement!