Paul's favorite Rumi poem

Precious is the moment that we sit together, you and I,

In two separate forms and images, yet unified in soul, you and I

The water of life will quench the trees and the birds,

The moment we arrive together in the orchard, you and I

The heavenly stars will gather to behold us,

And we will display our beauty to them, you and I

You and I become one out of ecstasy,

Not worried by scattered fantasies, we will be liberated and blissful, you and I

The angelic birds will be provided with sweet sustenance,

We will laugh together while beholding them, you and I

It is mysterious that we are together in this corner of the world,

Yet we are also in Iraq and Khoransan at the same time, you and I.

In one form we are made out of dust in this world,

And in another form we will reside in the eternal heaven, you and I.

From Rumi’s Divan-e Shams

Translated from the Persian by Alireza Nurbakhsh