Standing in an Open Field

The sun of truth rises unbidden,
and with it sets the moon of learning.
In this halt of just a week,
to be is not to be, and to come is to go. 
- Sanai, tr. David Pendlebury


For all that I know,
  that which I’ve learned,
I am a moon that mirrors
a distant fire:
I watch the sun rise,
and my reflected brilliance
fades with the light of day.

For all that I know,
that which I’ve found,
I am a rooster that crows
in the early dawn:
I watch the sun rise,
and my hallelujahs
fade with the light of day.

For all that I know,
that which I suppose,
I am a wildflower in
a garden of shadows:
I watch the sun rise,
but my morning glory
fades with the light of day.

As long as I am living
the sun will shine,
and the sun will shine
when I am gone,
and the moon will rise
and the rooster will crow
and the shadows will stir
and the gardens will grow.

For all that I know,
that which I believe,
life is a blessing
beyond understanding:
I will watch the sun rise
for as long as I can
until I fade with the light of day.

As long as I am living
the sun will shine,
and the moon will rise
and the rooster will crow
and the sun will shine
when I am gone,
and the shadows will stir
and the gardens will grow.

As long as I am living
  and when I’m gone,
the shadows will stir
  in this garden of mine
and the sun will shine
  and the rooster will crow.
Hallelujah for all I know!


from Thirty Birds and Walled Gardens