Quietness | Rumi Poem

This poem by Rumi hints at how, when we let go of old patterns, we begin fresh. When we die to those inner parts, a calm, heart-centered clarity can arise that can become our guide.

Mawlana Jalaluddin Mohammad Balkhi, popularly known as "Rumi", is a 13th-century Sufi poet. Today, he is recognised as one of the greatest poets who ever lived, due in part to how his words seem to speak to the divine.

Photo by Elias Maurer.
Translation by Coleman Barks.

Transcript

Inside this new love, Die. Your way begins on the other side. Become the sky. Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape. Walk out like someone suddenly born into color. Do it now. You are covered with thick cloud. Slide out the side. Die and be quiet. Quietness is the surest thing that you have died. Your old life was a frantic running from silence. The speechless full moon comes out now.