Lizzy190
contestada

What emotion was the author trying to express?
What did these poetic devices do for the poem?

What Was Told, That
Jalal al-Din Rumi, 1207 - 1273

What was said to the rose that made it open was said
to me here in my chest.

What was told the cypress that made it strong
and straight, what was

whispered the jasmine so it is what it is, whatever made
sugarcane sweet, whatever

was said to the inhabitants of the town of Chigil in
Turkestan that makes them

so handsome, whatever lets the pomegranate flower blush
like a human face, that is

being said to me now. I blush. Whatever put eloquence in
language, that’s happening here.

The great warehouse doors open; I fill with gratitude,
chewing a piece of sugarcane,

in love with the one to whom every that belongs!

Respuesta :

I find the English translation extremely poor in beauty (although it is accurate) compared to the original. Wish someone could have captured their original beauty. The words in the original are so melodious... Anyone read any poetry of Mirza Ghalib? I love his work more than even Rumi's, though the two cannot be compared easily since their focus was on different things - Rumi is spiritual, Ghalib often sensual and tragic at the same time