Sweetly Parading, You Go My Soul of Soul

Sweetly Parading, You Go My Soul of Soul - meaning Summary

Yearning for Union

This poem expresses an intense, devotional longing for inseparable union with the beloved, whose presence animates every realm and faculty. The speaker pleads that the beloved go nowhere without them — across worlds, senses, time, and spiritual paths — portraying the beloved as guide, light, and sovereign of love. Grounded in Rumi’s Sufi mysticism, the poem frames separation as existential loss and union as the source of meaning and being.

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Sweetly parading you go my soul of soul, go not without me; life of your friends, enter not the garden without me. Sky, revolve not without me; moon, shine not without me; earth travel not without me, and time, go not without me. With you this world is joyous, and with you that world is joyous; in this world dwell not without me, and to that world depart not without me. Vision, know not without me, and tongue, recite not without me; glance behold not without me, and soul, go not without me. The night through the moon’s light sees its face white; I am light, you are my moon, go not to heaven without me. The thorn is secure from the fire in the shelter of the roses face: you are the rose, I your thorn; go not into the rose garden without me. I run in the curve of your mallet when your eye is with me; even so gaze upon me, drive not without me, go not without me. When, joy, you are companion of the king, drink not without me; when, watchman, you go to the kings roof, go not without me. Alas for him who goes on this road without your sign; since you, O signless one, are my sign, go not without me. Alas for him who goes on the road without my knowledge; you are the knowledge of the road for me; O road-knower, go not without me. Others call you love, I call you the king of love; O you who are higher than the imagination of this and that, go not without me.