"Now is the Time" - a poem by Hafiz

Now is the time to know

That all that you do is sacred.

Now, why not consider

A lasting truce with yourself and God.

Now is the time to understand

That all your ideas of right and wrong

Were just a child's training wheels

To be laid aside

When you finally live

With veracity

And love.

Hafiz is a divine envoy 

Whom the Beloved

Has written a holy message upon.

My dear, please tell me,

Why do you still

Throw sticks at your heart

And God?

What is it in that sweet voice inside

That incites you to fear?

Now is the time for the world to know

That every thought and action is sacred.

This is the time

For you to compute the impossibility

That there is anything

But Grace.

Now is the season to know

That everything you do Is sacred.

The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, trans. Daniel Ladinsky. London: Penquin Books, 1999.

Journal:

The following directions for reflective reading come from the Benedictine practice of Lectio Divina (or holy reading). I find this process equally valuable for uncovering the wisdom of poetry.

1. Read the poem linked above slowly.

2. As you do so, look for a word in the poem that stands out to you.

3. Now, read the poem a second time.

4. What phrase stands out for you?

5. What is this poem saying to you today? What message might you take forward?