Rumi 15: “Every moment the robber Beauty rises in a diffe

“Every moment the robber Beauty rises in a different shape,

ravishes the soul, and disappears.

Every instant that Loved One assumes a new garment, now of eld,

now of youth.

Now He plunged into the heart of the substance of the potter’s

clay--the Spirit plunged, like a diver.

Anon He rose from the depths of mud that is moulded and baked,

then He appeared in the world.

He became Noah, and at His prayer the world was flooded while He

went into the Ark.

He became Abraham and appeared in the midst of the fire, which

turned to roses for His sake.

For a while He was roaming on the earth to pleasure Himself,

Then He became Jesus and ascended to the dome of Heaven and began

to glorify God.

In brief, it was He that was coming and going in every generation

thou hast seen,

Until at last He appeared in the form of an Arab and gained the

empire of the world.

What is it that is transferred? What is transmigration in reality?

The lovely winner of hearts

Became a sword and appeared in the hand of ʿAlī and became the

Slayer of the time.

No! no! for ’twas even He that was crying in human shape,

‘Ana ’l-Haqq.’

That one who mounted the scaffold was not Mansūr,[23] though the

foolish imagined it.

Rūmī hath not spoken and will not speak words of infidelity:

do not disbelieve him!

Whosoever shows disbelief is an infidel and one of those who

have been doomed to Hell.”