In silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving and watch how the pattern improves

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field.I'll meet you there.When the soul lies down in that grassthe world is too full to talk about.

The Life of Rumi[ Jalaluddin Rumi]

Jalaluddin Rumi, better known simply as Rumi, was perhaps the finest Persian poet of all time and a great influence on Muslim writing and culture. His poetry is still well known throughout the modern world, and he is one of the best selling poets in America.

Jalaluddin Rumi was born in 1207 in Balkh in present-day Afghanistan. Increasing Mongol incursions when he was around the age of eleven forced his family to leave Afghanistan, who travelled to Baghdad, Mecca, Damascus and finally settled in Konya in Turkey. Rumi lived here for most of his life.
Rumi was the son of a renowned Sufi scholar, and it is more than likely that he was introduced to Sufism from a young age. Sufism is a branch of Islam primarily concerned with developing the spirituality, or more precisely the inner character, of a Muslim.
Both he and his father were firm believers in the revelations of the Qur’an, but criticised the mere outwardly legal and ritual practice that was being promoted at the time. In fact, much of his work is dedicated to waking people up, and encouraging them to experience life themselves, rather blindly following the scholars of the day.
Rumi spent his early years, like many Muslims of the time, learning and studying Arabic, law, ahadith (the body of sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), history, the Qur’an, theology, philosophy, mathematics and astronomy.
By the time of his father’s death he had become an outstanding scholar in his own right, and took over his father’s position as one of the highest scholars in the country at the young age of 24.
He spent his time teaching and giving lectures to the public, and until the age of about 35, lived a fairly non-descript life.
Then in 1244 Rumi met a travelling Sufi, called Shams (or Shamsi Tabrizi) and the whole course of his life changed.
Shams became fast friends with Rumi, in whom he recognised a kindred spirit. The two developed a very close friendship and it was at this point that Rumi became more and more secluded, shunning the society of those he previously would discuss and debate matters with.
His relationship with Shams caused great jealousy in his family and other students, and after a few years, Shams disappeared. Many believe he was murdered, but Rumi himself did not think so. He travelled for years looking for his friend, and it was this loss that led to the outpouring of his soul through his poetry.
He wrote numerous lines of love poetry, called ghazals, but though they outwardly seem to be about Shams, it is not difficult to see that they are in fact poems describing his overpowering love of God.
Shams’ effect on Rumi was decisive. Whereas Rumi had before preached Islam soberly, he became, through Shams’ influence, filled with the love of God. What was inside his soul finally came out.
Many of Rumi’s ghazals are signed “Shams”. It is not clear precisely why he did this, although some orientalists believe this was out of humility and a sense of gratitude.
Rumi rarely wrote down his own poetry. The six books of poetry in the Mathnawi were written entirely by Rumi, who would compose and dictate the poetry, and his student Husam Chulabi, who would write and edit it.

It is believed that Rumi would turn round and round while reciting his poetry, and it is this dance which formed the basis for the Mevlevi Order, or Whirling Dervishes, after his death. Dervish means doorway, and the dance is believed to be a mystical portal between the earthly and cosmic worlds.

Rumi died in 1273 CE, halfway through the sixth volume of the Mathnawi.

The Mevlevi Order has been presided over by a member of Rumi’s family for over 800 years.
2007 was designated the UNESCO Year of Rumi.

His poetry
Rumi’s major works consist of two epic poems. The first is the Diwani Shamsi Tabrizi, named in honour of his friend Shams. It is often abbreviated to Diwan. It consists of about 40,000 verses in a vibrant and energetic style. It has been suggested that the Diwan represents Rumi’s feelings while in a dance-induced spiritual state.
Although the Diwan contains many short didactic passages, on the whole it appears as a collection of individual and seaparate crystallisations and concretisations of spiritual states undergone on the path to God. The overall ‘feeling’ of the Diwan is one of spiritual intoxication and ecstatic love.
The Sufi Path of Love, William C Chittick

At the end of the Diwan is a collection of poems of four lines, called quatrains. It is believed that about 1,600 can be correctly attributed to Rumi.

The Mathnawi is his other seminal work. It consists of 25,000 verses, in six books of poetry. The Mathnawi was written at the same time as the Diwan, and was probably intended to place the Diwan within the wider context of Islam. It is regarded as an explanation of some aspects of the Qur’an, placed within a more Sufi context.
…the Mathnawi is a commentary upon these mystical states and stations. It places them within the overall context of Islamic and Sufi teachings and practice. And it corrects the mistaken impression that one might receive by studying different poems in the Diwan in isolation and separating them from the wider context of Sufism and Islam.
The Sufi Path of Love, William C Chittick

Indeed, the problem with many translations of Rumi’s work is the separation of his poems on love from his belief in God and Islam. Many translations of his work have become mere love poems, and Rumi himself has become known as a love poet. Love is an overwhelming part of Rumi’s work, but for Rumi, this love was a higher love for God, and not for humans.

I am the servant of the Qur’an as long as I have life. I am the dust on the path of Muhammad, the Chosen one. If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings, I am quit of him and outraged by these words.

Rumi’s Quatrain, No. 1173

Nevertheless, the imagery and language used in his poetry has transcended cultures and seas, and a recent reading of some of his poems has been compiled by the health writer Deepak Chopra. The readings are performed by some of the most well-known artists in America.
In addition to his poetry, Rumi’s commentaries on various aspects of Sufism were also written down. These comprise transcriptions of his lectures and sermons, along with some 145 letters that he wrote.

[Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/art/rumi_1.shtml]
[Photo courtesy Google]

Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi by: Molana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi Translated by: Shahriar Shahriari

"Enjoy, but be warned!
the words of Rumi may melt your heart
just like wax melts softly and silently
in the golden candle fire.
Be warned! cause like magic - before you realize
the words of Rumi may give birth
pearly tear drops on the corners of your eyesof strange intermingled joy and sorrow!....."

O Love, you brought forth a jug
Filled with the ache that my heart clog
I won’t drink this wine, this drug!
Drink but for my heart’s sake!

From this wine poured me a cup
Wisely his praises I brought up
Bittersweet, pleasing to sup
Like the praises my heart would make.

From the Wheel of Fortune and fate
Stepped forth a Soul so great
I ran forth to demonstrate
The rewards my heart had at stake.

O Divine Secret, of Thee I ask
Yourself for crowds do not unmask.
Praised and thanked me for my task
For my heart’s sake, thus He spake.

I was pleased that my Beloved’s face
Towards my home its path would trace
And opened up with much grace
The veil covering my heart break.

If Love for blood may thirst
Brave warriors are curst
Mountains spontaneously burst
In such place my heart quake.

O Thou the bringer of cure
Pleasure and pain you endure
Only in you I am secure
Thou can cure my heartache.

Every fruit if only tries
My heart’s ache can realize
Melancholic face, bloodshot eyes
Streams form heart’s bloody lake.

King of the World put away tears
The Pride of Tabriz appears
Light of Truth, Shams, now nears
Thy light my heart will wake and take.

Aaaah!!! let the soul emerge~ Rumi♥

Everyone sees the unseen in proportion to the clarity of his heart, and that depends upon how much he has polished it. Whoever has polished it more sees more -- more unseen forms become manifest to him.

Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged.

In silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving and watch how the pattern improves.

In truth everything and everyone
Is a shadow of the Beloved,
And our seeking is His seeking
And our words are His words...
We search for Him here and there,
while looking right at Him.
Sitting by His side, we ask:
'O Beloved, where is the Beloved?'

Return from existence to nonexistence. You are seeking the Lord and you belong to him. Nonexistence is a place of income; flee it not. This existence of more and less is a place of expenditure.

The Eternal looked upon me for a moment with His eye of power, and annihilated me in His being, and become manifest to me in His essence. I saw I existed through Him.

                                            Let the beauty we love be what we do.

                                 The intelligent want self-control; children want candy.
                                       The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.

The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.
If you could get rid of yourself just once, the secret of secrets would open to you.

We rarely hear the inward music, but we're all dancing to it nevertheless.

Be like a river in generosity and giving help. Be like a sun in tenderness and pity. Be like night when covering other's faults. Be like a dead when furious and angry. Be like earth in modesty and humbleness. Be like a sea in tolerance. Be as you are or as you look like.

                                     He is a letter to everyone. You open it. It says, 'Live!

You know what love is?
It is all kindness, generosity.
Disharmony prevails when
You confuse lust with love, while
The distance between the two
Is endless.

Sufi quotes...

•  The Prophet said that Truth has declared: "I am not hidden in what is high or low, Nor in the earth nor skies nor throne. This is certainty, O beloved: I am hidden in the heart of the faithful. If you seek me, seek in these hearts." - Jalaludin Rumi

•  A fire-worshipping Magian was asked why he did not become a Muslim. He answered: "If you mean I should be as good a man as Bayazid, I lack the courage. If, however, you mean that I should be as bad a man as you, I would detest it." . - Among the Masters (The Way of the Sufi)

•  The lower classes of society are those who fatten themselves in life in the name of religion. - Ibn el_mubarak

•   Three things in this life are destructive: Anger, Greed, Self-esteem. - The Prophet

•  Better than being what you imagine to be good is to be with those who are really good. Worse than doing something evil is to be with those who are evil. - Bayazid Bistami

•  Being is absolutely good. If it contains any evil, it is not Being. - Shabistari

•  If your teacher so directs, dye your prayer carpet with wine. The Seeker should not be ignorant of the techniques of the stages. - Hafez

•  Whoever gets some knowledge, however little, is happy. Whoever has it taken from him is sad.- Ibn-Idris El-Shafai

•  Most of humanity do not know what it is in their interest to know. They dislike what would eventually benefit them. - Al-Nasafi

•  O Lord! If I worship you from fear of hell, cast me into hell. If I worship you from desire for paradise, deny me paradise. - Rabia

•  "..Whoever kills an innocent soul.. it is as if he killed the whole of mankind, And whoever saves one, it is as if he saved the whole of mankind" [The Quran, 5:32]

•  Two reeds drink from one stream. One is hollow, the other is sugar-cane. - Jalaludin Rumi

•  The learned man who only talks will never penetrate to the inner heart of man. - Saadi of Shiraz

•  If you are irritated by every polish, how will your mirror be polished? - Jalaludin Rumi

•  Remedy- Your medicine is in you, and you do not observe it. Your ailment is form yourself and you do not register it. - Hazrat Ali

•  Do to me what is worthy of Thee, and not what is worthy of me. - Saadi of Shiraz

•  Everyone in the ordinary world is asleep. Their religion - the religion of the familiar world - is emptiness, not religion at all. - Sanai

•  The House- If ten men want to enter a house, and only nine men find their way in, the tenth must not say: "This is what God ordained." He must find out his own shortcoming was. - Jalaludin Rumi

•  True Reality- Of this there is no academic proof in the world; For it is hidden, hidden, and hidden. - Jalaludin Rumi

•  What appears to be truth is a worldly distortion of objective truth. - Sanai

•  Pride- Do not boast that you have no pride, because it is less visible than an ant's foot on a black stone in a dark night. And do not think that bringing it out from within is easy, for it is easier to extract a mountain from the earth with a needle. - Hakim Jami

•  The Dry Cloud- The dry cloud, waterless, can have no rain-giving quality. - Hakim Jami

•  Whoever gives advice to a heedless man is himself in need of advice. - Saadi of Shiraz

•  He who allows his day to pass by without practicing generosity and enjoying life's pleasures is like a blacksmith's bellows: he breathes but does not live. - Sanskrit Proverb

•   Taking the first step with the good thought, the second with the good word, and the third with the good deed, I enter paradise. - Persian Proverb

•  People in the West are always getting ready to live. - Chinese Proverb

•  There wouldn't be such a thing as counterfeit gold if there were no real gold somewhere. - Sufi Proverb

•  Grief unspoken turns to poison. - Darkovan Proverb

•  No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see. - Taoist Proverb

•  God did not create woman from man's head, that he should command her, nor from his feet, that she should be his slave, but rather from his side, that she should be near his heart. - Hebrew Proverb

•  Keep five yards from a carriage, ten yards from a horse, and a hundred yards from an elephant; but the distance one should keep from a wicked man cannot be measured. - Indian Proverb

•  A man who is being delivered from the danger of a fierce lion does not object, whether this service is performed by an unknown or an illustrious individual. Why, therefore, do people seek knowledge from celebrities? - El-Ghazali

•  Leave the path of death, and follow the path of life. Leave attachment to things and places, and instead enjoy the liberty of detachment. Do not cling to foolish friends, instead rejoice in solitude. Break free from possessions and from desires - from whatever may darken the mind. Attachment to things and to places is spiritual bondage, and leads to darkness. Surrender all attachments, and enjoy the pure light of spiritual freedom. Even in this mortal life you can enjoy eternal nirvana. - Dhammapada

•  The present moment is never involved in thinking. Whenever you think, you must be thinking of something from the past or something in the future. You spend very little time in the present moment. Reality exists only in the present moment. Therefore you spend very little time in reality. - Leonard Jacobson

•  Continuous attention to God (remembrance) produces the gradual transmutation of the attributes of the lower self into the Attributes
of God. - Nurbahksh

•  Rabia was asked, "Do you love God?" She answered "Yes." "Do you hate the devil?" She answered, "No, my love of God leaves me no time to hate the devil." - Rabia

•  People oppose things because they are ignorant of them. - El-Ghazali

•  Awakening- A man be in an ecstatic state, and another man may try to rouse him. It is considered good to do so. Yet this state may be bad for him, and the awakening may be good for him. Rousing a sleeper is good or bad according to who is doing it. If the rouser is of greater attainment, this will elevate the state of the other person. If he is not, it will deteriorate the consciousness of the other man. - Jalaludin Rumi

•  The Thief and the Blanket- A thief entered the house of a Sufi, and found nothing there. As he was leaving, the dervish perceived his disappointment and threw him the blanket in which he was sleeping, so that he should not go away empty-handed. - Saadi of Shiraz

•  Guard your heart from heedlessness, protect your lower self from desires, guard your intellect from ignorance, and you will be admitted into the company of the vigilant. It is a duty for everyone to seek knowledge; that is, knowledge of yourself. - al-Sadiq

•   O my Lord, if I worship You from fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship You from hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship You for Your own sake, do not withhold from me Your Eternal Beauty. - Rabia

•  Fasting is a way to save on food. Vigil and prayer is a labor for old folks. Pilgrimage is an occasion for tourism. To distribute bread in alms is something for philanthropists. Fall in love: That is doing something! - Ansari

•  If someone remarks, "What an excellent man you are!" and this pleases you more than his saying, "What a bad man you are!" know that you are still a bad man. - Sufyan al-Thawri

•  A devoutly religious man, who was disciple of Bayazid, said to him one day: 'I am surprised that anyone who accepts God should not attend the mosque for worship.' Bayazid answered: 'I, on the other hand, am surprised that anyone who knows God can worship him and not lose his senses, rendering his ritual prayer invalid.'- Among the Masters (The Way of the Sufi)

•  Silence for the ordinary people is with their tongues, silence for the mystics is with their hearts, and silence for the lovers is with restraining the stray thoughts that come to their innermost beings. - Traditional

•  There is an organ in the body that, if it is righteous, ensures that the whole system will be righteous; and if corrupt, the whole body will become corrupt. This organ is the heart. - Hadith

•  The question of divine knowledge is so deep that it is really known only to those who have it. A child has no real knowledge of the attainments of an adult. An ordinary adult cannot understand the attainments of a learned man. In the same way, an educated man cannot yet understand the experiences of enlightened saints or sufis.  - El-Ghazali

•  For him who has perception, a mere sign is enough. For him who does not really heed, a thousand explanations are not enough.  - Haji Bektash

•   More harm is done by fools through foolishness than is done by evildoers through wickedness.  - The Prophet

•  Another Dimension-The hidden world has it's clouds and rain, but of a different kind. It's sky and sunshine are of a different kind. This is made apparent only to the refined ones- those not deceived by the seeming completeness of the ordinary world.  - Jalaludin Rumi

•  The Unshaped one- For one unshaped one in the community the hearts of the wise will suffer pain - As if a pool had been filled with rose-water, and a dog fell in, polluting it.  - Saadi of Shiraz

•  Seeing- Halls and theological colleges and learned lectures, circles and cloisters- What use are they when there is no knowledge and there is no eye that sees?  - Hafiz

Quotes ...

कसमे वादे....

http://youtu.be/sX7hFKjm_n4

कसमे वादे प्यार वफ़ा सब बातें हैं बातों का क्या,कोई किसी का नहीं ये झूठे नाते हैं नातों का क्या...

Sheep in a wolfs clothing

I have finally come to the conclusion that they cannot change, so all we can do is to refuse to participate in their sick drama and leave the stage.“Manipulative people prey on our sensibilities, emotional sensitivity, and especially, our conscientiousness.  And sometimes they speak and act with such conviction, that we begin to believe them.  We can even start feeling responsible in some way for what we perceive to be their pain.” Dr George Simon
How to spot an Emotional Manipulator?  The simplest answer is “trust your gut, not their words”.  If your intuition tells you, ignore their words....I have finally come to the conclusion that they cannot change, so all we can do is to refuse to participate in their sick drama and leave the stage.

आदतन....

कफ़न.....

खोने की दहशत भी गई
 पाने की चाहत भी ना रही...
इन्तेज़ार की राह भी
अब नाउम्मीद हो चली...
एक भोली सी मोह्बत थी
मेरी रूह की
मेरे बिना ही कब्र में दफ़न हो गयी....
मोहब्बत के कफ़न मे
जिन्दा लाश की तरह
 दफ़न होना ही यक़ीनन
सच्ची मोह्बत का  इख्तेदाम है....
©दीपिका[D€€PIKA]

Why are moi tears like the Salty Sea....

I saw you laugh when the knife was twisted 

It still hurts but the pain has shifted 

I'm looking back at the time that drifted by 

But I won't cry for the wasted years 

Cause you ain't worth the salt in my tears 

बारिशें मोह्ह्बत की

Mujhe Ishq Se Raha Door 

Gham Iske Bade Jo hain Mash-hoor 

Par Ye Dil Hai Ki Bilkul Mana Nahi 

Mujhe Kheench Kar Dekho Le Aaya Wahin 

Jahan Ishq hai, Bas Ishq hai 

Iss Dard e Dil ki Sifarish 

Ab Kar De Yahan 

Ke Mil Jaaye Ise Woh Barish 

Jo Bhiga De Poori Tarah

तेरी यादों के कैक्टस और तेरी दीप

प्रिय

ये ख़त लिख रही हूँ ,जाने तुम शायद लौट आओ और मुझे ना पाकर गुस्सा हो जाओ...गुस्सा तो तुम्हारी नाक पर बैठा रहता है...सुनो तुम्हारी यादों की अमानत मेरे बंद पडे कमरे की खिड़की पर महफूज़ रख छोड़ी है....

मेरे मन में तेरी यादों के कैक्टस अब भी यूँ ही बंद पडे हैं पर फिर भी हरे भरे हैं...जब दर्द कुछ ज़ाएदा होता है तो एक थोर्नबर्ड की तरह सींचती हूँ तेरी यादों को....तब फूल खिल जाते हैं ,और तेरी खोयी हुई सी यादें फिर सुर्ख गहरी हो जाती हैं....और मैं गुनगुनाती हूँ एक दर्द भरी ग़ज़ल जैसे की आखरी गीत हो वो मेरा....तुम सुनो तो हैरान ही रह जाओ...हँस ना पाओगे अब पहले की

तरहाँ....हाँ तुम्हारी दीपू अब एक थोर्नबर्ड ही हो गई है....जब से तुम ये कैक्टस मेरी निगरानी में रख ....कहीं दूर खो गए हो.....में ना मिलूं तो समझ लेना की जो आखरी फुल खिल रहा है ना वो मैं ही हूँ....और ये ही था तुम्हारी थोर्नबर्ड का तुम्हे आखरी अलविदा...जाते जाते याद आ रहें हैं वो गीत जो हम ने साथ साथ गुनगुनाये थे....जो भी हो आई वांट यू  टू नो देट यू  वर द स्टोरी ऑफ़ मोई लाइफ....[The story of my life Is very plain to read.It starts the day you came,And ends the day you leave]

तुम्हारी गोल्लु मोल्लू

दीपू

रचनाकार: परवीन शाकिर

कमाल-ए-ज़ब्त को ख़ुद भी तो आज़माऊँगी 

मैं अपने हाथ से उस की दुल्हन सजाऊँगी 

सुपुर्द कर के उसे चांदनी के हाथों 

मैं अपने घर के अंधेरों को लौट आऊँगी 

बदन के कर्ब को वो भी समझ न पायेगा 

मैं दिल में रोऊँगी आँखों में मुस्कुराऊँगी 

वो क्या गया के रफ़ाक़त के सारे लुत्फ़ गये 

मैं किस से रूठ सकूँगी किसे मनाऊँगी

वो इक रिश्ता-ए-बेनाम भी नहीं लेकिन 

मैं अब भी उस के इशारों पे सर झुकाऊँगी 

बिछा दिया था गुलाबों के साथ अपना वजूद 

वो सो के उठे तो ख़्वाबों की राख उठाऊँगी 

अब उस का फ़न तो किसी और से मनसूब हुआ 

मैं किस की नज़्म अकेले में गुन्गुनाऊँगी 

[मनसूब= जुडा हुआ] 

जवज़ ढूंढ रहा था नई मुहब्बत का 

वो कह रहा था के मैं उस को भूल जाऊँगी 

[जवज़=कारण] 

सम'अतों में घने जंगलों की साँसें हैं

मैं अब कभी तेरी आवाज़ सुन न पाऊँगी

कभी कभी.....The Original....अस्ल

  (साहिर लुधियानवी की मशहूर नज़्म "कभी कभी" को यश चोपड़ा ने बड़ी ख़ूबसूरती के साथ कैनवास पर उतारा और अमिताभ  बच्चन ने अपनी अदाकारी और जादुई आवाज़ से नज़्म को फिल्म का सबसे यादगार हिस्सा बना दिया -फिल्म में अमिताभ ने जो नज़्म पढ़ी थी उसके बहुत से लाइन्स और लफ़्ज़ों को शायर ने तब्दील कर के आसान बना दिया था यह है साहिर साहिब की कही हुई अस्ल(original ) नज़्म

कभी कभी

कभी कभी मेरे दिल में ख़याल आता है

 कि ज़िन्दगी तेरी ज़ुल्फ़ों की नर्म छाओं में

गुज़रने पाती तो शादाब हो भी  सकती थी

ये  तीरगी जो  मेरी  ज़ीस्त  का मुक़द्दर है

तेरी नज़र की शुआओं में खो भी सकती थी

अजब न था कि मैं बेगाना-ए-अलम होकर 

तेरे  जमाल  की   रानाइयों   में  खो  रहता

तेरा  गुदाज़  बदन  तेरी  नीम  बाज़  आँखें

इन्हीं   हसीन  फसानों  में  मह्व  हो रहता

पुकारतीं  मुझे  जब तल्खियाँ ज़माने की

तेरे  लबों  से  हलावत  के  घूँट  पी  लेता

हयात चीखती फिरती बरहना सर और मैं

घनेरी ज़ुल्फ़ों के साये में छुप के जी लेता

मगर ये हो न सका और अब ये आलम है

कि तू नहीं तेरा ग़म तेरी जुस्तजू भी नहीं

गुज़र  रही है कुछ इस तरहा जिंदगी जैसे

इसे  किसी  के सहारे की  आरज़ू  भी नहीं

ज़माने भर के दुखों को लगा चूका हूँ गले

गुज़र रहा हूँ कुछ अनजानी रहगुज़ारों से

मुहीब  साए   मेरी  सम्त  बढ़ते  आते  हैं

हयात-ओ-मौत  के  पुरहौल खारज़ारों से

न कोई जादा न मन्ज़िल न रौशनी का सुराग़

भटक   रही   है   ख़लाओं   में   जिंदगी   मेरी

इन्हीं  ख़लाओं  में  रह  जाऊँगा कभी खो कर

मैं   जानता  हूँ  मेरी  हमनफ़स  मगर  यूँ  ही  

                                        कभी कभी मेरे दिल में ख़याल आता है

A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow--
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

http://youtu.be/H_dnbLhpB1g