Shab Yalda

Ghazal, my Dear, Did you recognized that daylight lasted for 2 minutes longer today than it did yesterday ? I hope you experienced some sun shine altogether in Stockholm. But even if it was just another dim day today, you should be happy to know that from today on we will have more and more daylight, since today is Yalda, and this marks the rebirth of the sun.

The following Ghazal No. 113 by Hafiz has some relation to light (enjoy !)

Light will someday split you open
Even if your life is now a cage,

For a divine seed, the seed of destiny,
Is hidden and sown on an ancient, fertile plain
You hold the title to.

Love will surely bust you wide open
Into an unfettered, blooming new galaxy

Even if your mind is now
A spoiled mule.

A life-giving radiance will come,
The Friend’s gratuity will come—

O look again within yourself,
For I know you were once the elegant host
To all the marvels in creation.

From a sacred crevice in your body
A bow rises each night
And shoots your soul into God.

Behold the Beautiful Drunk Singing one
From the lunar vantage point of love.

He is conducting the affairs
Of the whole universe

While throwing wild parties
In a tree house—on a limb
In your heart.

Take Care,
Michael

———————————————————————————

Hello Michael,

So nice that you remembered Yalda. Nobody in the Lab knows about it:  everybody is preparing for the swedish Jule, and this usually is big business. I liked the poem by Hafiz. Do you know why it is called Ghazal No. 113, why it does not has a proper title ?  I assume because Hafiz was not only a big poet, but also in love with numbers.

Today we had to switch on all lamps at home, to really believe that light will come back now. It is really dim the whole day long, and it makes people depressive. In Persia, from where the tradition of Yalda originates, the sun does not completely disappears in winter time, as it is here in Skandinavia.

I hope you are fine and can go Skiing at the Zugspitze already. It was nice there, I would like to go again.

Take Care

/ghazal

———————————————————————————-

Ghazal dear, Hafiz wrote 495 Ghazals, he was really productive. If he would have ever met you, I’m sure he would have found inspiration for at least 5 more. Consequently, he might have succeeded to write up to Ghazal No. 500, and this last one would be the Ghazal about Ghazal. This, for sure, would have been the essence of all other 499 Ghazals and the most enchanting one.

Greetings,   Michael