You will not find me here, Master – Rumi Poem with Translation

You will not find me here, Master, with sleepy eyes,
Nor will you see me the same in another year.
Look at me now, in this very moment, O night—
You will never truly see me except in the light of dawn.

ای خواجه به خواب درنبینی ما را

تا سال دگر دگر نبینی ما را

ای شب هردم که جانب ما نگری

بی‌روشنی سحر نبینی ما را

Farsi Text

Ay Khâjeh be-khâb, var nabînî mâ râ,
Tâ sâl-e deghar, deghar nabînî mâ râ.
Ay shab har dam ke jâneb-e mâ negharî,
Bî Roûshanî-e sahar nabînî mâ râ.

Explanation / Summary of Verse

In this poem, the poet speaks to his beloved with a sense of distance and finality, asking that even in dreams she should not expect to see him. He stresses that not only is he absent now, but that this absence will continue into the future—there will be no reunion, not even in the coming year. This deepens the feeling that the separation is not temporary, but prolonged and uncertain.

The poem then shifts to an address to the night, suggesting that even if the night itself turns toward him and searches for him at every moment, it will still fail to truly perceive him. Only in the light of dawn—symbolizing clarity, truth, or spiritual illumination—can he be seen. This contrast between night and dawn implies that his presence is hidden, elusive, or perhaps transformed beyond ordinary perception.

Overall, the poem expresses a profound sense of separation, longing, and invisibility. It reflects not only physical distance from the beloved but also a deeper, almost existential absence, where true recognition is only possible under a higher or more enlightened state of awareness.

Word Notes

Ay = Oh
Khâjeh = Master
khâb = sleep
be-khâb = go to sleep
nabînî = you will not see
mâ = us
Tâ = until
sâl = year
deghar = another
deghar = any more (in this context)
shab = night
har dam = any moment
jâneb = toward, upon
negharî = to look, to see
Bî = without (negative prefix)
Roûshanî = light
sahar = dawn