Poem: O Full Moon That
O full moon that
fills the eyes of those who contemplate,
my heart bears the throes of
longing, so bear with it.
I have no beautiful patience,
yet I adorn myself.
Then, there is no despair; for how much
has been achieved that was once deemed improbable.
Poem: I Will Love My Enemies Because You Are One of Them
I will love my enemies because you are among them,
O one who delights, with your glance, yet brings suffering.
You have begun to vex me, yet I grant you pure acceptance,
though you wrong me, and I do not complain.
O one whose nights and days are harmonized,
for beauty between them is both bright and obscure.
There was, in the lament of yearning, a comfort,
if only I could complain to one who shows mercy.
Poem: What Harm Would It Be If You Were Merciful to Me
What harm would it be if you were merciful to me;
and you are aware of my ailment?
May it please you, O my desire and aspiration,
that you are part of what I lament about.
You laugh in love, while I weep,
O God, between us, the arbiter!
I said when sleep fled from me
in a state of yearning, my heart was wandering:
O sleeper, whose love awakened me,
grant me slumber, O one who sleeps!
Poem: When Will I Confide in You My Woes
When will I confide in you my troubles,
O my solace and my torment?
When shall my tongue replace my written words,
in explaining my state?
God knows that I have become entwined,
with my troubles because of you.
Neither my food is pleasant,
nor does my drink suffice.
O captivating allure of the distracted,
and pretext of the naïve,
you are the sun, concealed
from my sight, by a veil.
What is a moon, that reveals its light
to the delicate clouds,
except your face, when
it shines beneath a covering.
Poem: I Will Be Content with a Glance
I will content myself with a fleeting glance of you,
and be satisfied with your brief surrender.
And I will not exceed the limits of my desires,
nor will I overstep the impulse to gaze.
I will protect you from the moments of suspicion,
and shield you from the dangers of contemplation.
I will be wary of fleeting glances,
for love may continue through caution.
Poem: A Complaint and Reproach
It is not upon my assumption that it is harm,
that time inflicts wounds, while I endure.
Perhaps he gazes closely, amidst hopes unfulfilled,
and indeed, sleep may save you and endanger your caution.
The risks are arrows;
and destinies are measured.
How often sitting yields results;
and how often seeking proves fruitless.
And thus, time, when it is gladdened by some, belittles others.
In the days of men, there are both lowly and prosperous.
We wear this world, yet
the pleasure derived from that attire is fleeting.
O Abu Hafs, and none like you,
in understanding, is dispirited.
From the brilliance of your thought, in
the dusk of memories, is a mirror.
And my affection for you is a testament,
that has no opposing argument.
I am confused, and for the matter,
there is clarity and ambiguity.
What do you see in a gathering that has fallen
from the covenant and been cast away?
And they saw me as a sorcerer,
with whom contact is avoided.
A wolf has feasted upon my flesh,
thus the nibbling and the gnawing.
Each one questions about my state,
and the wolf’s intentions are predatory.
If time is harsh, then from water,
there is emergence from stone.
And if I find myself confined,
then for the rain there is withholding.
The red roses prepare themselves,
yet afterward comes the foraging.
So contemplate! How does sleep fade over
the eyes of glory?
And musk will be scattered in the soil,
so it is crushed and trodden upon.
Let not your oath be roses!
Indeed, my promise to you is steadfast.
And pour for me a cup,
as long as your hand has not touched the goblet.
Seize the tranquility of the nights;
for life is but snatched moments.
And perhaps time will be generous,
for the heat has long lingered.
Poem: There Is No Temptation Like My Temptation
There is no attraction like my attraction
for the graceful charms of beauty.
God has favored me with eloquence,
thus elevating my status.
My thoughts are boundless, however
the edge of the sword is confined.
Does the messenger send forth the birds
for the test of my endurance?
Here, may you increase, in the realm of
knowledge of my place.
The birds have arrived singing
some verses of poetry.
With eloquence, they have shown me
what they deemed necessary for expression.
Should the nightingale sing, it is to the echo of the warbler.
And a unique couplet has emerged
for a lover in love,
from whom distance has set a boundary.
O you, far from your dwelling, united
with my heart and tongue.
Perhaps distance has cast you away,
yet hopes have drawn you near.
Poem: The Envoy of the Universe Has Come to You
The envoy of the universe has come to you,
in a beautiful and charming visage.
She found no favor, nor discernment,
in your eyesight, nor did she find acceptance.
So she remained composed, scheming,
while man is overwhelmed and helpless.
If not for the shift in the eyes, she would have lost her aim,
for her path was blocked, preventing her desires.
Had she forsaken the pale in the white,
she would have fled with her a little.
The goblet, fresh from the dawn;
and the wine from the child of the prime.
You preferred the attainment of virtue,
and desired abundant reward.
O king, who has no equal among the kings,
O water of rain, O fragrant flower, O lion of the forest.
O one who astounds us with such wonder;
why have you become so stingy in time?
Grant me the joys of a tender world,
in the shade of a favorable atmosphere.
It has softened, as the sweetness flows
alongside the exquisite cheek.
And it has bowed, as the branch does
under the breath of acceptance.
May it impart to me its greeting,
with its gaze and its gentle glance.
So take comfort in this honorable, continuous life, and long age.