Rumi’s Quatrain 77

“Yek chand be Taqlîd ghôzîdam khûd râ,
Dar khûd bûdam, zân nasazîdam khûd râ.
Nâdîdeh hamî nâm shanîdam khûd râ,
Az khûd cho borôn shudam, bédîdam khûd râ.”

Rumi’s Ruba’ie or Quatrain #77 seems to have inspired numerous translations, each with their own nuances . . . do you have a preference?

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“For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself.
From within, I couldn’t decide what to do.
Unable to see, I heard my name being called.
Then I walked outside.”

~as translated by A.J. Arberry

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“for awhile
i chose myself to adore
losing me in me
i deserved no more
it seemed i couldn’t
see myself
yet i knew
when i stepped out
then me and myself
i beheld”

~ as translated by Nader Khalili

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“Imitating others,
I failed to find myself.
I looked inside and discovered
I only knew my name.
When I stepped outside
I found my real Self.”

~as translated by Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi

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“Doing as others told me,
I was blind.
Coming when others called me,
I was lost.
Then I left everyone,
myself as well.
Then I found everyone,
myself as well.”

~as translated by Jonathan Star and Shahram Shiva

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