look after your donkey

7/29/2019 Look After Your Donkey

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LookAfterYour

DonkeyA Poem...

...And a parableappropriate to our times.

By:Kit Cainwww.kitcain.com


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IntroductionThe following bit of poetry-converted-to-prose caught my attention via a poem called

After The Meditation written by twelfth century Sufi poet Jalal ad dinl Rumi and

interpreted by Coleman Barks in his book: The Essential Rumi (p.71), in which a certain

Sufi businessman, stopping at an Inn and settling down for a delicious meal after a long

days journey, suddenly remembers his donkey which has carried him all day. He calls

to the stable servant and urges him to give loving care to the donkey, currying his fur,

moistening his oats, putting down fresh bedding, and so on. The servant very self-

importantly and resentfully assures the Sufi that he himself is perfectly capable of

knowing the donkeys needs .... and stalks off in a huff.

No sooner does the Sufi retire and fall asleep than he begins to have nightmares about

his donkey. The next morning his dreams prove to be correct. The poor donkey has

been totally neglected for the entire night. The moral of Rumi's story is this: "Look after

your donkey yourself. No-one can show appreciation for his worth as much as the one

he lives for".

Rumis poem was, I felt, a little wordy, so I took his basic idea and used the "donkey

experience" as an analogy to a businessman who has employees who do his heavy

work for him. So often in today's world, those who should be encouraging, inspiring, and

financially unselfish as corporate owners and leaders are lost in their own competition

for more reward, more power, more importance more of everything with the resultthat there is no focus on the realization that they are riding on the backs of those

beneath them who carry the main proportion of the business load.

Rumis poetry was originally written in Arabic as rhyming couplets. The translation, in

order to remain as faithful as possible to Rumis intended meaning, lacks the rhyme and

rhythm that is to me so meaningful to true poetry. Would that I could hear Rumi speak

his poetic rhyming couplets in English....despite Coleman Barks' excellent translation.

Because what is today labeled "poetry" is to me a flow of broken up sentences withneither rhyme nor rhythm and even less profundity or parabolical nature I decided

to use this particular instance to illustrate the difference between what I consider to be

Prose and Poetry by writing the storyline first as prose (albeit with a poetic form and

overtone) and then writing another version in what feels to me to be more like "real"

poetry. Even though it is still not perfect in that the pattern of rhyming varies slightly

between the verses, nevertheless I would hope one can feelthe difference for one's

self.


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Look After Your DonkeyProse Version by Cain

Look after your donkey;he does your hard work.

It is he who carries your load.

Money he does not understand.Give him what he understands...

....like fresh hay....and clean water.

Soak his oats in a bit of water.Mix them with a touch of molasses.

You know what his body needsfar better than he.

You know what tastes good and what he likes.

Comb his fur.Wash from it the days sweat and dirt.

Speak soft and kind wordsof gratitude to him

after he has worked so hard...but not too much of any one thing

lest he overvalue his worth.

This effort on your partis but a short hour.

The longer hours are for you;then your hard work is done for you

.....with gratitude.

Comment by Cain:The above is what poor poetry and poor prose look and feel like.

For comparative purposes only!


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Look After Your DonkeyPoetic Version by Cain

Look after your donkeywhos a lesser friend;

the one who carries your load.Be deeply aware of the need to attend

to his needsand his humble abode.

Neither fame, wisdom, power,or even gold

does he ask for his daily bread,but a kind word or two

as companions would doand a scratch

or a pat on the head.

Fresh hay and clean wateras his weary day ends.

And sweeten with treacle his grains.You know what restoreswhat he daily expends

what he likes and what purges his pains.

Then wash from his furthe sweat and the dust.

Curry his hair with a comb.Speak soothing words

that kindle his trustso he feels he is once again

Home.

The effort on your partis but a short hour;

the rest of the day is for you.

Companions you arein the wise use of powerand gratitude for you two

is your due.

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