The Sacred Dance for Life by Hafiz I sometimes forget that I was created for joy My mind is too busy My heart is too heavy Heavy for me to remember that I have been called to dance the sacred dance for life I was created to smile to love to be lifted up and lift others up O sacred one Untangle my feet from all that ensnares Free my soul That we might Dance and that our dancing might be contagious.
Hafiz (or Hafez) is a 14th century Persian poet. A friend recently recited this poem to me from memory. What a beautiful practice to have such beautiful words enclosed in your head. Poems express the ineffable, something beyond the words. The same can be said of any art, we work to transcend the medium and incorporate something of what it means to be human. This is the art that I also struggle to create in my storytelling where the medium of the oral tradition is voice and body. May you find your art… your own Sacred Dance for Life.
Reference
I found the poem on the internet. If you know the original source of the poem, please leave me a comment so that I can add it. The modern mystical poet, Daniel Ladinsky, has channeled works inspired by Hafiz that I often recommend as well.
Read More Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky
- The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master
- I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy
- A Year with Hafiz: Daily Contemplations
