From a collection of poems The Drop that Became the Sea by Yunus Emre. First person to express poems in Turkish, he died ~1320. I'm enjoying this volume. There is much to think about and meditate here. The poem below slugged me in the heart.
A single word can brighten the face
of one who knows the value of words.
Ripened in silence, a single word
acquires a great energy for work.
War is cut short by a word,
and a word heals the wounds,
and there's a word that changes
poison into butter and honey
Let a word mature inside yourself.
Withhold the unripened thought
Come and understand the word
that reduces the money and riches to dust
Know when to speak a word
and when not to speak at all
A single word turns a universe of hell
in eight paradises.
Follow the Way. Don't be fooled
by what you already know. Be watchful
Reflect before you speak.
A foolish mouth can brand your soul.
Yunus, say one last thing
about the power of words-
Only the word "I"
divides me from God.
