Angelina Tran - What do we have? “In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo; In Cairo, Dreaming of Baghdad”

    Upon reading just the title of the poem, “In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo; In Cairo, Dreaming of Baghdad” written by Rumi, I sensed a theme of wanting what you do not have. This theme would play slightly into the poem but in a more philosophical sense. The theme would start to change to more realizing and appreciating what you have in the present times. To be able to appreciate what you have, we all also have to go through such a great journey just as this wealthy man did to realize his “treasure”. In the case of the man, he had a dream where his “treasure” was in Cairo and he made the journey from Baghdad to Cairo to find it. It is also worthy to mention the fact that it was a dream that told the man where his treasure was. It is not mentioned directly in the poem but dreams are often related to the unconscious waking up and our deepest truths and desires coming forth in symbols. Dreams I also find are similar to paradies of stories we heard or seen but with ourselves as the main characters. These dreams seem to be telling a message at the same time might just be what we fantasize? Fear? Back to the man’s journey, Rumi mentioned more physical feelings of “warm”, “hunger”, and “pushing” that can all be connected to the more emotional and mental feelings like “comfort”, “passion”, and “calling”. These feelings would be described in biological imagery for us to sort of grasp as emotions are often hard to explain in words. That is, it is easy yet tough to explain emotions into words yet we constantly are and constantly are understanding? Finally, the man meets another man with a similar dream but calls him a fool for actually following the dream.The man realizes his “treasure” is back in Baghdad when he is in Cairo and he would not have realized it unless he did this journey. Maybe this is what the man and we may need sometimes to realize what we have? This journey and constant realization and appreciation is a constant cycle to keep our passion for life going? The constant ups and downs are what makes this life interesting and just as the man had overcome to realize his “treasure” we need to go on similar journeys to realize our “treasures” within ourselves. These “treasures” are able to thrive, eat, think, ponder, fantasize, predict, explain and simply live. That is, we do not physically need to go across a country but to feel uncomfortable and hopeless to realize what we had before and could achieve later again. 

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