“This sky where we live is no place to lose your wings so love, love, love.” Hafez
Esperanza Spalding – Body & Soul
Faithful Lover by Hafez
The moon came to me last night
With a sweet question.
She said, “The sun has been my faithful lover
For millions of years.
Whenever I offer my body to him
Brilliant light pours from his heart.Thousands then notice my happiness
And delight in pointing Toward my beauty.
Hafiz, Is it true that our destiny
Is to turn into Light Itself?”And I replied, Dear moon,
Now that your love is maturing,
We need to sit together
Close like this more often
So I might instruct you
How to become Who you Are!
The Subject Tonight is Love by Hafez
The subject tonight is Love
And for tomorrow night as well,
As a matter of fact,
I know of no better topic
For us to discuss
Until we all Die!
In this post, we continue the series on the powerful, evocative writings of the mystic poets. Tonight, it is Hafez. Some use the spelling Hafiz. Tonight, we venture into the exquisite world of the lyric poet and enjoy some of his poems on love. They are succinct, pithy, witty, and inspiring. He writes not just about the heady familiar world of romantic love but of the love that sustains us; spiritual and practical love… Each segment is accompanied by a jazz tune from the gifted musician and Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist – Esperanza Spalding.
“We have come into this exquisite world to experience ever and ever more deeply our divine courage, freedom and light!” Hafez
Reflections: The Subject Tonight Is Love...
Esperanza Spalding – Love in Time
Esperanza Spalding – I know You know (Live) – Nobel concert
It Felt Love by Hafez
How Did the rose
Ever open its heart
And give to this world
All its Beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light
Against its Being,
Otherwise, We all remain
Too Frightened.
Becoming Human by Hafez
Once a man came to me and spoke for hours about
“His great visions of God” he felt he was having.
He asked me for confirmation, saying,
“Are these wondrous dreams true?”
I replied, “How many goats do you have?”
He looked surprised and said,
“I am speaking of sublime visions
And you ask About goats!”And I spoke again saying,
“Yes, brother – how many do you have?”
“Well, Hafiz, I have sixty-two.”
“And how many wives?”
Again he looked surprised, then said,
“Four.”
“How many rose bushes in your garden,
How many children,
Are your parents still alive,
Do you feed the birds in winter?”
And to all he answered.Then I said,
“You asked me if I thought your visions were true,
I would say that they were if they make you become
More human, More kind to every creature and plant
That you know.”
What I love about the mystic poets is that they were expert at human behavior and grounded in the need for common sense, practical approaches to life. As often as possible, they guide us back to the need to live and love life fully with clarity and a love for the divine. Becoming Human above is one of my favorites… the humor, simplicity and practical advice remind us that love is also compassionate and kind. More below. 
