Venice masks

Thursday 20 July 2017

Reality - Rabi’a of Basri

In love, nothing exists between heart and heart.
Speech is born out of longing,
True description from the real taste.
The one who tastes, knows;
the one who explains, lies.
How can you describe the true form of Something
In whose presence you are blotted out?
And in whose being you still exist?
And who lives as a sign for your journey?

Rabi’a of Basri (Rabi’ah al-’Adawiyyah al-Qaysiyya, also known as Rabi’a Adawiya) (717 – 801) Iraq
Translator not stated
Source: Sufi Poetry
Rabi’a was the 4th child hence her name which means literally that, and Basri refers to her place of birth (Basra). She is revered as a Muslim saint and Sufi mystic. Her many poems were not written so have been passed on as oral tradition until they were recorded in writing.

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