A Slave’s Freedom

Loghman of Sarrakhs cried: “Dear God, behold
Your faithful servant, poor, bewildered, old–
An old slave is permitted to go free;
I’ve spent my life in patient loyalty,
I’m bent with grief, my black hair’s turned to snow;
Grant manumission, Lord, and let me go.”


A voice replied: “When you have gained release
from mind and thought, your slavery will cease;
You will be free when these two disappear.”

By Farid ud-Din Attar
English version by Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis
Original Language Persian/Farsi

WithOut Peer

My one, my soul without peer,
Most beautiful of all!
Rising like the morning star
At the start of a happy year.
Shining bright, fair of skin,
Lovely the look of her eyes,
Sweet the speech of her lips,
She has not a word too much.
Upright neck, shining breast,
Hair true Lapis Lazuli;
Arms surpassing gold,
Fingers like lotus buds.
Heavy thighs, narrow waist,
Her legs parade her beauty;
With graceful step she treads the ground,
Captures my heart by her movements.
She causes all men’s necks
To turn about to see her;
Joy has he whom she embraces,
When she steps outside she seems like the Sun!

Photo by: Doctor-Honesty
Photo title: I Adore You
Description: Unedited Photo-shoot of a 10 inch statue of the God Osiris and his wife Isis.

Poem Name: WithOut Peer
Description: Ancient Egyptian Love Poem
Poem provided by: CZ

The Hundred-Word Eulogy: Praising Prophet Muhammad & Islam

English:

Since the creation of the universe
God had already appointed his great faith-preaching man,
From the West he was born,
And received the holy scripture
And book made of 30 parts (Juz)
To guide all creations,
Master of all rulers,
Leader of the holy ones,
With support from the Heavens,
To protect his nation,
With five daily prayers,
Silently hoping for peace,
His heart directed towards Allah,
Giving power to the poor,
Saving them from calamity,
Seeing through the Unseen,
Pulling the souls and the spirits away from all wrongdoings,
Mercy to the world,
Transversing to the ancient,
Majestic path vanquished away all evil,
His religion Pure and True,
Muhammad,
The Noble High One.

Chinese:

至聖百字讃

乾坤初始

天籍注名

傳教大聖

降生西域

授受天經

三十部册

普化衆生

億兆君師

萬聖領袖

協助天運

保庇國民

五時祈祐

默祝太平

存心真主

加志窮民

拯救患難

洞徶幽冥

超拔靈魂

脱離罪業

仁覆天下

道冠古今

降邪歸一

教名清真

穆罕默德

至聖貴人

穆罕默德

清真北寺

Chinese (with punctuation in paragraph form):

《百字讚》寫道:“乾坤初始,天籍注名。傳教大聖,降生西域。授受天經,三十部冊,普化眾生。億兆君師,萬聖領袖。協助天運,保庇國民。五時祈祐,默祝太平。存心真主,加志窮民。拯救患難,洞徹幽冥。超拔靈魂,脱離罪業。仁覆天下,道冠古今。降邪歸一,教名清真。穆罕默德,至貴聖人。”(《百字讚》

Arabic:

منذ أن خُلق الكون،
قد قرر الرب أن يعيّن،
هذا الرجل العظيم الداعي للإيمان،
من الغرب قد ولد،
ليتلقى الكتاب المقدس (القرآن(
كتابًا يحتوي على ثلاثون جزءا
ليهدي جميع الخلائق،
ملك كل الملوك،
زعيم كل القديسين،
بدعم إلهي،
ليحمي أمته،
بخمسة صلوات يومية،
بصمت يأمل حصول السلام،
قلبه متجه نحو الله،
يقوي الضعفاء،
ينقذهم من الكارثة،
يرى من خلال الظلمة،
يسحب النفوس والأرواح،
بعيدًا عن جميع الذنوب/الاخطاء،
رحمة للعالمين،
سائرًا على طريق العظماء القديم،
طاردًا لكل الشرور،
دينه نقي وصادق،
محمد،
الشريف والعظيم.

MayFlower

From thy fragrant, beauteous bosom,
I accept and clasp the treasure,
To my breast with grateful pleasure,
Dear the gift, and dear the giver,
Whose loving hand is near me ever,
Memory ever fondly clinging,
To the past, before me bringing,
With deepest sweetest fascination,
Past scenes of love and admiration.

Art by: MainLoop
Model: Rivi Madison
Poem (portion): The May Flower
Poet: Janet Hamilton
Poem Provided by: CZ

Today You Soar

Like the grand eagle, you spread your wings
And put forth the effort to do great things.
Looking skyward you dared to challenge the wind,
Harnessing power to help you ascend.

With an eye on the goal, fixed in flight,
You climbed to an impressive height.
Undaunted by gusts and unkind gails,
You never gave up and would not fail.

So now you’ve reached where few even try
As the eagle high in a glorious sky.
Not superior, but grand.
Not proud, but sure.
Not a cub, wolf, or bear but an eagle pure.
Today you soar.
 
Taken on: August 7, 2014
Title of photo: It Was A Wonderful Day
Name of poem: Today You Soar
Poem by: Richelle E. Goodrich
Title and poem provided by: CZ

To Imagination

To Imagination

When weary with the long day’s care,
And earthly change from pain to pain,
And lost, and ready to despair,
Thy kind voice calls me back again
O my true friend, I am not lone
While thou canst speak with such a tone!

So hopeless is the world without,
The world within I doubly prize;
Thy world where guile and hate and doubt
And cold suspicion never rise;
Where thou and I and Liberty
Have undisputed sovereignty.

What matters it that all around
Danger and grief and darkness lie,
If but within our bosom’s bound
We hold a bright unsullied sky,
Warm with ten thousand mingled rays
Of suns that know no winter days?

Reason indeed may oft complain
For Nature’s sad reality,
And tell the suffering heart how vain
Its cherished dreams must always be;
And Truth may rudely trample down
The flowers of Fancy newly blown.

But thou art ever there to bring
The hovering visions back and breathe
New glories o’er the blighted spring
And call a lovelier life from death,
And whisper with a voice divine
Of real worlds as bright as thine.

I trust not to thy phantom bliss,
Yet still in evening’s quiet hour
With never-failing thankfulness I
Welcome thee, benignant power,
Sure solacer of human cares
And brighter hope when hope despairs.

Image title: Let Your Imagination Flow
Image by: Anelu
Poem title: To Imagination
Poem by: Emily Bronte
(September 3, 1844)
Poem provided by: CZ

Wherever I May Roam

Wherever I May Roam

And the road becomes my bride
I have stripped of all but pride
So in her I do confide
And she keeps me satisfied
Gives me all I need!

And the earth becomes my throne
I adapt to the unknown
Under wandering stars I’ve grown
By myself but not alone

And my ties are severed clean
Less I have the more I gain
Off the beaten path I reign

Rover, wanderer
Nomad, vagabond
Call me what you will!

Photo by: Peyman Az
Song title: Wherever I May Roam
Lyrics by: Metallica
Lyrics provided by: CZ