I searched and searched and searched

and I could not find Thee anywhere

I called Thee aloud, standing on the Temple.

I rang the Temple bell

with the rising of the sun

I bathed in the Ganges in vain.

I came back from Ka’ba disappointed;

I looked for Thee in heaven,

my Beloved, my Pearl, but at last I have found Thee

hidden in the shell of my heart.

—Hazrat Inayat Khan

 

 

 

 

 

Fir trees, what are you?

We are the souls of the sages

who preferred vigil in the solitude to the busy life of the world.

 

Fir trees, what are you? We are hands from heaven,

stretched out to bless the earth continually.

 

 

Fir trees,what are you made for?

We are the temples

made for those who worship God in nature.

 

Fir trees, what are you doing in this forest?

We are the souls on the cross,

patiently awaiting

the hour of our liberation.

 

Dry wood, why do they burn you?

Because I no longer can bear fruit.

—Hazrat Inayat Khan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tulip, why have you opened your lips?

To tell you what I have learnt in silence.

What did you learn?

To make of oneself an empty cup.

 

Orchid, what do your petals represent?

Graceful movements of dance.

what does your dance express?

The earth paying homage to Heaven

—Hazrat Inayat Khan

 

 

 

The path of freedom

does not lead to the goal of freedom;

It is the path of discipline

which leads to the goal of liberty.

—Hazrat Inayat Khan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make your heart as soft as wax

to sympathize with others,

But make it hard as a rock

to bear the hard knocks of the world.

—Hazrat Inayat Khan