Discourses of Rumi

FIHI MA FIHI V 269“Show me a way, and explain what you haveshown.” My sitting with you, whether silent orspeaking, is an answer to your hidden questions.When you wait upon the king, that is a questionaddressed to the king and an answer. Every daythe king questions his servants without tongue:“How do you stand? How do you eat? How doyou look?” If anyone has a wry look within them,their answer inevitably comes out awry and theycannot give a straight answer. In the same waysomeone who stammers, however much they wishto speak straight, is unable to do so. A goldsmithwho rubs gold against a stone is questioning thegold, and gold answers, “This is I. I am pure.” Or,“I am alloyed.”The crucible knows after you’ve been testedWhether you are gold,Or merely copper with gold covering.Hunger is a questioning of nature: “There is acrack in the body’s house. Give a brick. Giveclay.” Eating is an answer: “Take.” Not eating isalso an answer: “Wait until later. The brick is notyet dry.” The physician comes and takes ourpulse. That is a question—the throbbing of the