Quatrain 13 from Rubaiyat of Rumi

By hamed @hamed | 20 1

اول به هزار لطف بنواخت مراآخر به هزار غصه بگداخت مرا


چون مهره مهر خویش می‌باخت مراچون من همه او شدم بینداخت مرا


Description:

First, She played a sweet melody upon me
Finally, She broke me with a thousand sorrows

Like a chess player, She moved me as Her pawn
When I became entirely Her, She discarded me

"First, He played a sweet melody upon me": This line suggests that God initially showered the speaker with blessings and favors.
Finally, He broke me with a thousand sorrows": This line indicates a shift in the speaker's experience, from joy to sorrow.
Like a chess player, He moved me as His pawn": This line implies that the speaker was being manipulated or guided by a higher power.
When I became entirely Him, He discarded me": This line suggests a state of complete union with the divine, followed by a sense of detachment or abandonment.


hamed
@hamed Nov. 1, 2024, 6:04 p.m.

A more poetic translation might be:

At first, with grace, He played His sweetest tune,
Then broke my heart with sorrow's heavy moon.

Like chessman moved, I danced to His command,
When I was His, He cast me from His hand.