Lousy At Math

a Poem by Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky... excerpted from "Love Poems from God"...

Lousy At Math

Once a group of thieves stole a rare diamond

larger than two goose eggs.

Its value could have easily bought three thousand horses

and three thousand acres of the most

fertile land in Shiraz.

The thieves got drunk that night to celegrate their great haul,

but during the course of the evening the effects of the liquir,

and their mistrust of each other grew to such an extent

they decided to divide the stone into pieces.

Of course, then the Priceless became lost.

Most everyone is lousy at math and does that to God -

dissects the Indivisible One,

by thinking, by saying,

"This is my Beloved, and he looks like this and acts like that,

how could that moron over there

really

be

God?"

So sad to me when the body of believers does that... dividing God into what they accept and do not accept, arguing over this or that characteristic or quality or ability or nature... or God's acceptance or rejection of another... Perhaps we are best off leaving all of that in God's hands to know and divide, for it is my belief that people SUCK at it....

Jeff