A single word can brighten the face
by Yunus EmreEnglish version by Kabir Helminski & Refik Algan
Original Language Turkish
A single word can brighten the face
of one who knows the value of words.
Ripened in silence, a single word
acquires a great energy for work.
War is cut short by a word,
and a word heals the wounds,
and there's a word that changes
poison into butter and honey.
Let a word mature inside yourself.
Withhold the unripened thought.
Come and understand the kind of word
that reduces money and riches to dust.
Know when to speak a word
and when not to speak at all.
A single word turns the universe of hell
into eight paradises.
Follow the Way. Don't be fooled
by what you already know. Be watchful.
Reflect before you speak.
A foolish mouth can brand your soul.
Yunus, say one last thing
about the power of words --
Only the word "I"
divides me from God.
 | -- from The Drop That Became the Sea: Lyric Poems of Yunus Emre, Translated by Kabir Helminski / Translated by Refik Algan |
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/ Image by Graham Keen /
A single word can brighten the face
of one who knows the value of words.
This is one of my favorite poems by Yunus Emre, but I have never really written up a good commentary to accompany it. Perhaps it is because it is a poem about words, the singular power of words, or the power of a singular word -- and I don't want my meditative ramblings to take away from the poem itself. It says it all so beautifully.
Ripened in silence, a single word
acquires a great energy for work.
I love that line. I have been busy with my day job of late, and I haven't been resting in deep meditation as much as I would like. The outer world has required a lot of energy from me lately. Yet I have still managed to catch moments of silence gently flowing beneath the activity. That's where the ripening happens.
War is cut short by a word,
and a word heals the wounds,
and there's a word that changes
poison into butter and honey.
I think this verse is the heart of the poem for me. I read it over and over again.
I think will say no more today, and let Yunus have the final word--
Yunus, say one last thing
about the power of words --
Only the word "I"
divides me from God.
