Increase My Bewilderment with Excess Love for You
Enhance my bewilderment with the overflow of love for you,
And have mercy on a heart ignited by your flames of desire.
And if I were to ask you to see me as I truly am,
Please grant me permission, do not answer with “You shall not see.”
O heart, you promised me patience in love for them,
Be cautious not to grow weary or distressed.
Indeed, love is life, so die within it,
For it is your right to perish and be excused.
Tell those who came before me and those after,
And those who now witness my suffering,
To take from me and follow my example,
And discuss my passion among the people.
For I secluded myself with my beloved, and between us,
There exists a secret more delicate than a gentle breeze when it descends.
My gaze was granted a glance I had longed for,
And I transformed from being an unknown to being well-known.
I was astonished by his beauty and majesty,
And my very essence conveyed my situation.
So turn your gaze towards the beauty of his face,
And you shall find every quality of perfection captured therein.
If all beauty takes form and sees him,
It would be as if it were exalted and magnified.
We Drank in Memory of the Beloved
We drank in remembrance of the beloved,
And we were intoxicated before wine was created.
The moon was like a cup for her, and she was the sun turning,
Like a crescent moon appearing, when mingled with stars.
If it weren’t for her fragrance, I wouldn’t have found my way to her place,
And without her light, no imagination could have conceived her.
Time has left me with nothing but remnants,
As if her secret is hidden within the hearts of the wise.
When her name is mentioned in the neighborhood,
The people become intoxicated, free from shame or sin.
Among the insides of the cups, it has risen,
Only her name remains in truth, nothing more.
If she ever crossed the mind of a person,
Joy would settle in, and worry would depart.
If the onlookers saw the seal of her cup,
They would be intoxicated even before tasting it.
If they sprinkled from it the soil of a deceased’s grave,
The spirit would return, and the body would revive.
If her breath filled the east,
Then in the west, the sick would regain their scent.
If a hand touched her cup,
It wouldn’t stray in the darkness, holding the star.
If a secret were revealed to the blind,
They would soon see, as the listeners would hear.
If a caravan headed towards her land,
The afflicted among them would not be harmed by poison.
If the charming melody carved her name on
The forehead of a love-stricken person, the engraving would heal him.
And it is noble for those who do not recognize generosity to remain kind,
And to endure anger for those who have no tolerance.
They say to me, “Describe her, for you are knowledgeable,”
Indeed, I possess knowledge of her attributes and qualities.
Purity without water, gentleness without yearning,
And light without fire, spirit without a body.
For there is no life in this world for those who live soberly,
And whoever does not die from intoxication misses out on fortune.
He should weep for himself who has lost his life,
For he possesses no share or stake in it.
My Heart Tells Me You Are My Destruction
My heart tells me that you will lead to my demise,
May my soul be sacrificed for you, whether you recognize it or not.
I have not fulfilled the rights of your love,
If I am the one who cannot bear the sorrow.
What do I have besides my soul, and expending my very essence,
In love, there is nothing excessive in my devotion.
If you are pleased with it, you have granted me solace,
Oh, what a disappointment it is if my service does not suffice.
My dear, you deny me sweet dreams while bestowing
The garments of suffering upon me and my palpitating heart.
Have compassion towards my breath and preserve what you’ve left
Of my weary body and my exhausted heart.
For yearning remains, while connection defers,
Patience is fleeting, and our meeting is postponed.
I experience envy for you, so do not cast away
My sleepless nights with tales of deceptive visions.
Ask the stars of night if slumber has visited
My eyelids, how can it visit someone unfamiliar with it?
It is no wonder if my eyes shed tears,
In their concealed depths of sorrow and regret.
Perhaps the fire within me will extinguish with its gusts,
But I wish it never does extinguish.
Oh, companions of my affection, you are my hope, and anyone who
Hears your call has been promised peace.
Return to your former loyalty and generosity,
For I am in essence that devoted friend.
By your life, I swear, without your existence,
I have not sworn at all.
If my soul were in my hands and I offered it,
To the heralds of your arrival, I would not be fair.
Do not assume I am feigning love,
For my longing for you arises without pretense.
I have concealed my love for you, but my suffering has revealed me,
Until, by my life, I nearly vanished from existence.
You are the slain by whichever beloved you choose,
Select for yourself in love whom you desire.
Tell the accuser, “You have prolonged your blame, seeking entry,
For the blame hinders not the essence of love.”
Cease your harshness and taste the sweetness of love,
For if you truly fall in love, consider me removed from your rebuke.
Disguised was the affection for one who, if in the dark,
Were to reveal their beauty, I would say, “Oh moon, conceal thyself.”
And if others are satisfied with the shadow of their desires,
I am the one who, by connection, finds no satisfaction.
Whether those who agree upon my cheek are considerate,
I would offer my face to the ground and not feel distaste.
Driven by passion, I succumbed to my cravings,
As I rebelled against those who urged me to abstain.
From me arises the humility of submission, and from him,
The pride of the fortunate and the power of the oppressed.
I have grown used to rejection, and my heart has not ceased,
Since I was separate from his affection, I have stayed distant.
Every full moon, when it approaches,
Desires for it awaken, and every tender heart longs.
Thus, the eye covets the vision of beauty,
With my spirit yearning for an unseen meaning.
If he were to visit, to my longing heart, shatter it,
For I am consumed by my affection for him, or grant me tears, oh eye.
What wrong does separation bear, and whoever I love,
If he is absent from the sight of my eyes, he remains within my heart.
Resisting the Fever of Thirst
Resisting the fever of thirst, why do you depart,
When my heart has become frail due to longing for you?
If my distress brings you pleasure,
Your beauty and existence have offered me delight.
You have captured my heart in a state of longing;
I plead for your kindness towards me, grateful as I remain.
Oh archer, aiming with your glance,
From the bow of your eyebrow, the heart is pierced.
How could you abandon me, like someone who condemns
With their blame that lacks gentleness?
As for me, I suffer in your arms,
Finding solace in your embrace, a refuge.
Beyond forgetting, you will not find blame towards me,
For I embraced the beauty of all.
How often he becomes sweet when he bestows kindness,
Transforming the ordinary into something precious.
His grace flows like a sword upon the heart,
And I see dullness to be nothing distinctly shunned.
A fate of destruction engendered by a misrepresentation,
Fated to die with delight and filled with longing.