A Moment of Happiness
Author: Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī
Chinese translation: Serene Lim
A moment of happiness,
you and I sitting on the verandah,
apparently two, but one in soul, you and I.
We feel the flowing water of life here,
you and I, with the garden’s beauty
and the birds singing.
The stars will be watching us,
and we will show them
what it is to be a thin crescent moon.
You and I unselfed, will be together,
indifferent to idle speculation, you and I.
The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar
as we laugh together, you and I.
In one form upon this earth,
and in another form in a timeless sweet land.
My Last Note Before Death
Author: Serene Lim
When it comes to death,
What do you picture in your head?
Is it Sadness? Guilt? Confusion or Regret?
Why can’t it be happy?
I think we can all die happily,
As long as we learn,
How to do it gracefully.
Ever since I was a kid,
I thought about death.
Picturing myself
lying on a deathbed,
Wondering,
Will I ever feel lonely in a coffin,
Fear oh fear,
Of course I fear about death,
I think we all do, but why don’t we talk about it?
I first encountered death of someone close to me
When I was 15,
He was my grandpa,
Someone I spent most of my childhood with,
I remember he was sent home that afternoon,
After a long battle of terminal lung cancer,
I was kneeling down beside his bed
along with my family and relatives,
Most of them were crying,
Some were screaming his name,
I was just there, feeling nothing,
Not knowing how to feel at all,
Everything seemed surreal to me,
It only hit me,
When I saw my grandma crying and talking to him beside his coffin,
And i realised,
Those who stay are usually those who feel the worst pain,
And that’s why I think it’s essential for us to prepare for death
Although it seems far away.
Since the first day we were born,
We were stepping close to our grave
day by day.
It’s just the matter of time,
We are gonna die one day.
As we are living, we are dying too.
Life and death is in one package.
If we learn how to live right in the moment,
We can leave this place with no regret.
For me,
To live is to live with full awareness,
Pay attention to little things around you,
And you will find joy in it,
To live is to love,
Love your life,
Love yourself,
Love your family,
Love your friends,
And do the things that you love.
To live is to forgive and let go,
Let go of the worries and pain,
And let bygones be bygones.
So don’t you worry about death,
Just cherish the days,
While we stand the chance.
One day I will be leaving,
To the moon,
Or to outer space,
Going away with a smile on my face.
Leave my ashes,
Into a beautiful garden
Let my remains nourish the greens,
May the flowers bloom
and the trees grow tall
And remind you that
I’ll still be by your side
Even when I’m gone.
Don’t you ever say goodbye
And I will meet you on the other side.
