Discourses of Rumi

302 V DISCOURSES OF RUMIlegs and sleep sweetly. On the road, where not asound or murmur would disturb them, they cannotsleep out of fear. But in the village they findsecurity, and with all the barking of dogs andcrowing of cocks, still they are happy and fallasleep.Our words also derive from community andsecurity, they are the sayings of prophets andsaints. When soul hears the words of those familiarfriends, it feels secure and is delivered fromany fear, for upon these words is wafted a scent ofhope and felicity.Just as those travelers on that dark night thinkthat every moment thieves are mingling with theircaravan, so they desire to hear the words of theirfellow travelers and to recognize them by theirwords. Once they hear their friends speak theyfeel secure. The same is true with you. Becauseyour essence is subtle, glances are not enough forus, but if you speak we will then hear that familiarfriend of our spirits and feel secure and atpeace. So speak!A certain mouse inhabiting a cornfield is invisible,being so small, but once it makes a sound,