“
I'm drenched in the flood, which has yet to come.
I'm tied up in the prison, which has yet to exist.
Not having played the game of chess, I'm already the checkmate.
Not having tasted a single cup of your wine, I'm already drunk.
Not having entered the battlefield, I'm already wounded and slain.
I no longer know the difference between image and reality.
Like the shadow.
I am, and, I am not. I Am And I Am Not Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi, c. 1250 A.D.
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