Seek A Friend of God

The Mathnawi was postponed for a time.
A delay was necessary until blood became (changed to) milk.
Listen well: as long as your luck doesn't give birth to a new child,
blood will not change to sweet milk.

The misfortune of this doorway is (the result of) craving desire and sensual lust; otherwise, there is drink after drink (of spiritual knowledge) here.
Shut this mouth (of yours) so that you may see clearly,
for the throat and mouth (of greed) are the eye-covering (which prevents the seeing) of that (transcendent) world.
O mouth, you are the mouth of Hell.
And O world, you resemble the interval (between death and resurrection).
The eternal Light (is) to the side of (this) lowly world;
the pure Milk (is) to the side of [these bodily] rivers of blood.
If you take a step in (this lowly world) without caution, your milk may change to blood because of mixture.
Adam took a single step in tasting the pleasures of ego- cravings,
(and) separation from the uppermost seat in Paradise became a chain upon (his) base self.
The angels were running away from him as (if he were) a devil.
He shed (so) many tears from (his) eyes for the sake of a (bit of) bread.
Even though the sin which he had acquired was (only the size of) a single hair,
yet that hair had grown in both (of his) eyes.
(Because) Adam was the eye of the Beginningless Light,
(and) a hair in (such) an eye is (like) a huge mountain.
If Adam had asked advice,he would not have (needed to) express apologies (to God) in repentance.
Since, if a discerning intellect is joined with (another) discriminating mind,
it becomes an obstacle to (committing) harmful and sinful actions and speech.
(But) if the base ego becomes friends with another base ego, the partial intellect becomes worthless and useless.
When you become hopeless because of isolation,
(if) you go beneath the shadow of a (spiritual)
you will become a (shining) sun.
Go, (and) seek a friend of God quickly.
When you have done that, God is your friend.
The one who has fastened (his) sight on solitude
has, in the end, learned (to do) that from the Friend.
Solitude from "strangers" is necessary,
(but) not from a (spiritual) friend.
A fur cloak is (necessary) for Winter, not Spring.
When the (discerning) intellect becomes combined with another intellect, the (total amount of) light become increased and the road becomes clear. (However, when) the base ego laughs (happily) with another ego,
the (total amount of) darkness becomes increased and the road becomes hidden.
O man of the hunt! A (spiritual) friend is (like) your (own) eye,
(so) keep it clean of (bits of) twigs and straw.
Take care! Don't make any dust (rise) with the broom of (your) tongue. (And) don't give (your) eye a traveling of (bits of) straw (from the road). Since the (true) believer is the mirror for (another true) believer,
his face is protected from impurity.
A (spiritual) friend is (like) a mirror for the soul in (a state of) sadness.
O (you who are as dear as the) soul, don't breathe upon the face of the mirror!






RUMI