Within the eye of the eye

by Ayn al-Qozat Hamadani

English version by Peter Lamborn Wilson and Nasrollah Pourjavady
Original Language Persian/Farsi

Within the eye of the eye
     I placed an eye
          polished and adorned
               with her beauty
but suddenly fell
     into the Quarter of Perfection
          and now am freed from sight,
               from even the eye of contemplation.

-- from The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry, Translated by Peter Lamborn Wilson / Translated by Nasrollah Pourjavady

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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

What does Hamadani mean when he says he is freed "from even the eye of contemplation"?

When you allow yourself to so completely yield to the blissful state that only the glow of bliss remains, there is no "you" left from which to witness the world. Perception continues, but without a point of reference -- there is that which is seen but no eye that sees.

To be "freed from sight" does not mean that perception stops; perception continues. But the mental process of parceling reality, sifting it into categories and rejecting those elements that don't fit, all of that stops. Everything shines and is unified. The perception of separation ceases. So you are freed from the common "sight" of a shattered, dualistic creation; seeing, instead, a radiant, unsevered wholeness.



Recommended Books: Ayn al-Qozat Hamadani

The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry Perfume of the Desert: Inspirations from Sufi Wisdom Love's Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition Tales of the Dervishes: Teaching Stories of the Sufi Masters over the Past Thousand Years



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