Forest and River poem by Jalal al-Din Rumi?

Answer 1

FOREST AND RIVER

"I wish I were like you,"

Said the forest

to the roaring river,

"Always travelling,

always sightseeing;

Rushing towards the pure domain

of the sea,

The kingdom of water;

Water,

The passionate, vigorous spirit

of life,

The liquid turquoise of light

With eternal flow ..."

"But what am I?

Only a captive,

chained to the earth.

In silence I grow old,

In silence I wither and die,

And before long

nothing will remain of me

But a handful of ashes."

"O forest, half-asleep, half-awake",

Cried the river,

"I wish I were you,

Enjoying a seclusion

of living emerald,

And illuminated by moonlit nights;

Being a mirror

reflecting the beauties

of Spring;

A shaded rendezvous for lovers."

"Your destiny, a new life

every year;

My life, running away from myself

all the time;

Running. running, running

in bewilderment;

And what is my gain

Of all this meaningless journey?

Ah ... never having a moment of calm

and rest!"

"No one can ever know

what the other feels;

Who does care to ask

about a passer-by

If he really existed

or was only a shadow?"

Now a passer-by

Aimlessly walking in the shade

Comes to ask himself,

"Who am I? a river? a forest?

Or both?

River and forest?

River and forest!"

Answer 2

The forest sadly says to the river which flows beside him that he wished he were like the river who was always travelling and sightseeing and seeing new places and finally rushing its way out in the sea. The tree says that the sea is the kingdom of water and water is a passionate spirit of life which flows forever.

The tree then says that what is he , nothing but a person captivated to the earth. He says this as he is unable to move and is fixed to the ground. The river makes noise and flows but the tree in mere silence grows old and then silently withers and dies. After his death nothing will remain but a handful of ashes.