from The Essential Rumi. Harper Collins, 1995. websource.
Some gnats came from the grass to speak with Solomon.
"O Solomon, you are the champion of the oppressed.
You give
justice to the little guys, and they don't get
any littler than us! We are
tiny metaphors
for frailty. Can you defend us?"
"Who has mistreated you?"
"Our complaint is against the wind."
"Well," says Solomon, "you have pretty voices,
you gnats,
but remember, a judge cannot listen
to just one side. I must hear both
litigants."
"Of course," agree the gnats.
"Summon the East Wind!" calls out Solomon,
and the wind
arrives almost immediately.
What happened to the gnat plaintiffs? Gone.
Such is the way of every seeker who comes to complain
at the
High Court. When the presence of God arrives,
where are the seekers? First
there's dying,
then union, like gnats inside the wind.
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Modern Languages / Anthropology 3043: Folklore &
Myth. |
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