I wasn't always this Love-drunk: A memory
Rumi, transl. by Haleh Liza Gafori
It’s the beginning of the month, which means it’s time for a new Memory, the side of Poetry & Process where we come together to memorize poetry. We conduct this practice to engrain words of meaning into our minds, bodies and beings that serve as companions. While each life is unique, the situations we encounter and the emotions we face have been felt by many who have walked before us. Poems we know deeply speak what we need to hear at the most opportune times.
For the month of October, we turn our attention to a poem by the thirteenth century mystic Rumi which explores reason and awe, the climb and the fall, and what treasure really is…
This piece is on the longer side for Memory. If it feels too ambitious, pick a stanza, or a series of stanzas. May I suggest the final three? Enjoy!
I wasn’t always this love drunk… by Rumi, translated by Haleh Liza Gafori
Spoken:
Written:
I wasn't always this Love-drunk,
this crazed, rapt, and enchanted.
Driven by reason, on guard,
I was a hunter-
calculating, charming, strategic.
The heart is a tender thing-
pulsing with blood, pulsing with life.
That wasn't me.
I wanted answers-
what is this, what is that,
and what will they be tomorrow?
Awe? I knew nothing of awe.
And the awestruck-
those free from the gnawing need to know the unknowable-
they didn't impress me.
Sit down with me. You're a smart one.
Consider what I was
and what I no longer am.
I wanted to be a kingpin,
top dog, bigger than big.
Like smoke, I climbed greedily,
going nowhere-
a crooked plume, wayward,
drifting over parched land,
thirsty for meaning.
I didn't know when Love hunts you down,
when you fall prey to Love,
you only rise higher.
Continuing my futile climb, I fell.
I fell,
like a gem, out of a pile of dirt-
not a hoarder of treasure.
Treasure.
The Poet:
If you are interested in Rumi’s biography, check out this summary on Poetry Foundation.
The Translator:
Haleh Liza Gafori has translated and compiled two book’s of Rumi’s poetry. The latest, titled Water, was released earlier in 2025, and where you can find this poem. Both Water, and its predecessor, Gold, are incredibly vibrant translations of Rumi’s work. Visit her website to learn more, and add these books to your collection!
Make this experience your own, choosing how you approach the poem’s content, your memorization process, and connect with us in the chat!
I look forward to our conversation!
Brian
Beautiful poem, Brian. Always new layers in Rumi. I love the way he shows faith as paradox and mystery—an alarmingly vast hunger that disappears the moment we try too hard to understand it.