Through love thorns become roses, and
Through love vinegar becomes sweet wine,
Through love the stake becomes a throne,
Through love misfortune becomes good fortune,
Through love burning fire becomes pleasing light,
Through love stone becomes soft as butter,
Through love grief becomes a joy,
Through love lions become harmless
Through love sickness becomes health,
Through love wrath seems to be a mercy,
Through love the dead rise to life,
Through love the king becomes a slave.
(Jalaludding Rumi)
Translated by Dr. Nicholson
Glossary
| Vinegar | Acid liquor used in flavoring food and for pickling |
| Stake | Post (to which a person was tied) |
| Wrath | Great anger |
Theme
love is the essence of all religions. It is love theat changes the adversities into pleasures. Thorns become roses, vinegar becomes sweet wine, burning fire a pleasing light, sickness becomes health, and the king a slave. Life becomes a success and pleasure because of love, otherwise life is not worth living.
Exercises
- What is the effect of love?
- Is life worth living without love?
- There are a number of antonyms in this poem. Given below are words taken from the poem. Write down the antonyms as given in the poem.
Example:
Thorns roses
Misfortune
Stone
Grief
Sickness
Wrath
Dead
King
4. Make pairs of rhyming words from the list of the words given below, e.g. fight-light.
Roses, gone, health, fight, throne, poses, joy, wealth, light, toy, thorn, love, horn, dove.
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