Discourses of Rumi

discourse 34Rumi said: I saw our friend in a dream in the formof a wild animal with the skin of a fox upon him.He was on a small balcony, looking down thestairs. I moved as if to grab him and he raised hishands, leaping about like this and that. Then Isaw Jalal al-Tibrizi with him in the form of aweasel.Our friend shied away, but I caught him whenhe tried to bite me. I put his head under my footand squeezed it hard until all its contents cameout. I looked at the fineness of his skin and said,“This deserves to be filled with gold and preciousstones, pearls and rubies, and things even moreexcellent than that.” Then I said, “I have takenwhat I wanted. Shy away, shy one. Go where youwill, and leap whatever direction you like!”He leapt about because he feared being mastered,yet in being mastered his true happinessresides. No doubt he was formed of meteor fragments,his heart was drenched, and he wanted to