recent Zahuri poetry page 9
September 2016
for mobile phones
The Stages of Purification
Your heart keep alive, so that love will remain,
That way your life becomes not loss, but gain.
Your mind make refined in its every activity,
That way both life and love may get security.
Your body you must train to hear and obey,
To hear and do whatever love may say.
When access to your own heart you gain,
Purification, within, you must still try to attain.
When the intellect begins to work properly,
With purification proceed to reach certainty.
Then due to long labour and by inspiration given,
What is Deeply Concealed may no longer be hidden.
If, by all this with the Divine you gain real favour,
The Secret’s essence receive, not just its savour.
The Things You Say
You keep inspiring and I keep admiring,
All the things you say:
You keep talking and I keep yearning
For the things you say;
You keep smiling and I keep wondering,
What you mean to say;
You keep supplying and I keep using,
The things you say.
It strikes me that I am the one benefitting,
Whatever you say.
My Daughter
That my day is now brighter is due to my lovely daughter,
May Allah fill her life with love and light and with laughter.
When she walks in the garden the flowers will all greet her,
As one of their own, with smiles that could not be sweeter.
Love Knows
Love knows all the tricks of the trade,
How to employ every tool ever made.
How to turn every heart topsy turvey,
For every lock it has the master key.
If it should turn its attention your way,
Wisdom would tell you “Just run away”.
But if anyway in its trap you are caught,
Struggle is futile your life has been bought.
Kinds of Love
Sex, whether it is in marriage or in fornication,
Usually means a physical form of penetration.
In fondness between two that’s not necessary,
It needs two hearts resonating in sympathy.
Love between two persons is another matter,
By agreement heart into heart must enter.
For Love that is divine in its essential nature,
Then soul to the soul’s Soul must surrender.
Warning Notes
Desperation and desire in the lover,
Is a fire lit by the beloved’s beauty,
Coolness is not suited to the lover,
It’s bad manners not to love beauty.
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Normality has this way of closing in,
Its more pernicious perhaps than sin,
To the lover who only wants to live,
And to those love songs a voice give.
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Declarations of love flow so easily,
But heart feelings speak more fluently,
When the real beloved is the listener.
Better a silent lover than a charmer.
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When others speak to you falsely,
Recite these few words from Rumi,
Say – “Yes I have heard those lies”
And seek the company of the wise.
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From all those very convincing fairy stories,
You tell yourself just in order to appease
The voice of an uneasy critical conscience,
Take refuge in a sincere and solemn silence.
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The worldly wise like to say – “Get real!”
If you attempt to speak of some ideal.
As if they have a monopoly on reality,
When all they know is grim materiality.
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Don’t be too critical of the very, very wealthy,
They suffer and slave for the sake of property.
Children, who don’t know what they’re missing,
When it comes to real love, hugs and kissing.
----------------
Be kind, even when faced with hostility,
Be kind even in the face of cruel tyranny,
Kindness is the triumph the soul is given
When from a beast, beauty it has stolen.
Guys and Girls
Diamonds and pearls entice many nice girls,
And many good guys fall for lips and curls.
All this can add up to a fine new equation,
Though, to be frank, not on every occasion.
You Went Away
You went away for a week or was it three?
You sat then in a different kind of company.
Acquiring lessons in the virtues of sobriety.
You returned to the tavern only to see me,
Carousing with sweethearts quite happily -
Toasting their charm-filled eyes with poetry.
Come drink a brew or two and learn again to be,
The drunken lover your heart wants you to be.
One
One single point of entry there is to You,
Just that one door we have to pass through.
Beyond it so many universes that are all You.
An infinity of dimensions, so many level too.
Wonder upon wonder, that most cannot reach;
That neither books nor words can ever teach.
A million, million, metaphors to us You send,
But to Your love and power we can see no end.
That love-drunk lovers seem crazy is only right,
In this dark world they are walking in Your light.
Seduced
I’ve been seduced by soft hearts more often than I care to mention,
That in those hearts I find a kind of love is far beyond any question,
But in each I find also a beast, subtle and with such malign intent,
That on the destruction of that dear one’s life it is clearly hell bent.
Though hidden in many subtle disguises sooner or later it I find,
And then hell hath no fury like the lightning bolts from my mind.
For the life of each one that on my love depends, I will defend,
To gain that end I will not hesitate to call on every holy friend.
This Way
When your heart, mind, and body all surrender,
This way,
When your butterfly turns to a moth-like lover,
This way,
When your devotion becomes daily stronger
This way,
When your greed for love makes you bolder,
This way,
When you rouse my heart from its slumber
This way,
Then I know the lover inside you has taken over.
And Jamil when you sit silent and lost in wonder
This way
Then I know the Beloved within has taken over,
And I am your lover.
Sadness
When it comes, sadness savour,
Though its got an awful flavour,
To lovers it becomes a friend.
Think, if it seems it will never end.
That happy days passed away,
So why should sad one's stay?
A Love Note
I struck your heart's strings forcefully so you would sing,
And into this dark world a note of pure love would bring.
With such yearning and longing your heart overflowed,
That the way to the very heart of love’s domain it showed.
Alchemy
If the shining sun that sets the autumn leaves alight,
Is an alchemy that turns dreary brown to golden glory.
The glow of love that comes to you, by day and night,
Is the formula turning your copper into the gold of purity.
You live in a tangled web of dusty deceits and dull lies,
That this disturbs your heart and mind can be no surprise,
Keep your heart tuned to a higher place and you must find,
To this mud; to this lust and luxury; you’re no more inclined.
The threads of this life of ours are so subtly interwoven,
They need a focal point for our attention, to be gathered in,
A prayer, a poem, or a meditation that the guide has given,
Is the way to make our fragmented lives a unity within.
In the union of hearts can be found the way,
To enliven spirits and persuade love to stay.
All the delusions you labour under disappear,
When you surrender to the soft heart of the Pir.
Shades of Grey
Just another grey dreary cloudy day, or so it seemed to me.
Suddenly the sun from behind that veil turned it to a symphony,
Such variety in a single hue; in grey! Is it possible, such subtlety?
So many variations the Divine musician plays in just one key!
A song of sympathy; so many soft overlays He has laid on,
Virgin bright colours would seem raucous by comparison.
I didn’t linger long looking at that consummate display of art,
But as a reminder of His skill it stayed somehow in my heart.
September 22nd 2016
The sun has had its way with this, our hemisphere,
It moved on, just saying “Goodbye, see you later”.
What I mean of course is that now autumn is here,
The hot sun’s gone to keep a tryst with the equator.
But like a good guest it has left us a golden legacy,
Of ripening fruit and a riot of rich colours, in waiting.
Our hearts have a warm glow, what though it’s memory?
Its left a sense of satisfaction, an after supper feeling.
Shadows stretch further, days are shorter, evenings cooler,
Tans fade, summer cottons give way to something warmer.
Thoughts are turning towards surviving yet another winter,
And to work and earning, rather than to love and laughter.
The seemingly long days of our life are one summer shorter,
Our histories are growing longer and memories getting fuller,
Oh I appreciate the glories and gaiety of a long hot summer,
But these autumn thoughts are more mellow, deeper, richer.
Yet another gift coming from the infinite store of our Creator
Spring
Thoughts of spring drift like the falling leaves of autumn,
Into my head; and into my heart clear new images come,
Of vernal love, of longing, of fresh, green, grass cradling,
Youthful dreams of a better life and a better way of living.
I catch all that I can of those imaginings and that aspiration,
Till this hoary head overflows with delight; and determination,
That this spring will live in my heart in every outward season,
The permanent union of pure Love and the highest Reason.
Without
Without this or that person it is possible carry on living,
Though sadness and sorrow their absence is bringing;
But without the constant companionship of love itself,
How can it be that life is anything more than breathing.
There is...
There is a country of great and intrinsic beauty,
Nearer than the nose on your face, if you can see.
But further than a distant galaxy it appears to be,
If your sight is blinded by love of other than He.
There’s a life giving spring, if of the world you’re weary,
Nurtured by that water, fruit grows there abundantly.
If your hand is not fastened to your wallet, its all free,
They are the fruits of your own open-handed generosity.
There is a sweet smile on even sweeter lips, just waiting,
Willing to share the cup of love-wine the Saki is pouring;
If your lips are used to remembrance, and not to snoring,
When to carry up your words the dawn angels are willing.
There is midnight-black hair, shining like the milky way,
Softer to touch than the very finest silk one could say;
If you trust the friend to untangle your misspent day,
With the comb of familiarity before sleep comes to stay.
There is a brow shining brighter than the midday sun,
That will light your way on the journey you’ve begun;
If you have dusted off the cobwebs your mind has spun,
And opened up your heart and mind to the only One.
Burden
O Lord, the burden of guilt You have made heavy,
It would drag us to hell were it not for your Mercy.
Maybe it will force our head into the dust, at last,
Yes indeed, Your Wisdom, like Your Mercy, is vast.
The one still burdened cannot help another,
So if you truly want to assist your brother,
Ask God to be your own burden’s carrier,
Why not? Is not God the Greatest Forgiver?
O Khwaja
O Khwaja,
Dawn came, and then you came,
You opened the gate: morning came.
Morning came, and then love came.
All was as it was, all was the same,
But then you came and love came.
Now nothing will ever be the same,
Only because you with your love came.
Whether early or late it’s the same,
What matters is only that you came;
In love’s name you came, you came!
I took leave of my own name and shame,
When with love you came, you came!
O Khwaja because of your holy name,
It’s marvellous, the way love came.
Come
In the name of the One, say,
Come, Come, Come.
By the light of His Essence, say
Come, Come, Come.
With the spirit of submission, say
Come Come Come
To find the True Friend, say
Come Come Come
For the sake of holy Muhammed, say
Come Come Come
Under the shelter of brave Ali, say
Come Come Come
Beneath the foot of Ghauth Pak, say
Come Come Come
To beg from Gharib Nawaz, say
Come Come Come
Like Shems meeting Mevlana , say
Come Come Come
To be drunk with Hafiz’s wine, say
Come Come Come
If you are a would be lover, say
Come Come Come
Cry out to the Beloved and say
Come Come Come
For the love of Allah once again say
Come Come Come
Fame and Fortune
Towards fame or fortune why should I hasten,
When my love speaks words of such affection,
Delaying my departure by giving such satisfaction?
The little I have in my hand of fame and fortune,
Is spice and sugar, a bland meal has no attraction.
No, I am in no hurry to get to another situation,
I will not wave my love farewell on the station!
Unless my love will be my constant companion,
And my love insists on us going in that direction.
For where my love goes I go with no hesitation.
Dancing?
You want to know then how it is to dance,
Held in the beloved’s arms, in a trance?
But I can only talk about the windy weather,
That draws golden autumn leaves together,
Spins them till they are way beyond giddy;
Or chases them down the street willy-nilly.
I can only talk about stirring sugar quickly,
In a glass of Mevlana’s special brew of tea,
Till the glass in the saucer starts turning,
And saucer too begins slowly revolving.
But you want to talk about dancing wildly
Of the beloved with the lover in ecstasy?
Yet what comes to mind is another matter,
About how a whirlpool is sure to shatter,
Many a small boat caught up in its grip,
And to still many voices when it lets rip.
Except the one gentle voice of the master,
Speaking amidst what's deemed a disaster.
But there I go not answering you properly,
What was the question that you asked me?
The traveller on the Way has to keep away from sins such as greed.
The one who has travelled successfully has another way.
Greed
A little after midnight greed came to my door,
I said to greed, “What is it that you are looking for?”
“Do you have no place” that wild one said to me,
“For this night wanderer; no kind of hospitality?”
She was wet and windswept, bedraggled, crazed,
But by every kind of wise one hospitality is praised.
And though I knew about her intoxicating way,
I opened the door and told her she could stay.
Once inside she started to show her artful wiles,
Gave me such glances and such seductive smiles.
“I am not quite the fool you take me for”, I said,
“Too many by you to destruction have been led.
But if you will do me one service you can stay”.
She smiled, “Okay - I will do whatever you say”.
I told her of my beloved, beyond any comparison,
And to use her charms only in that one’s direction.”
So now greed stays with me as my companion,
And when I lapse in giving my beloved attention,
In her wild and wanton manner she rescues me,
And toward the desired one drags me again easily.
Going to the ‘Urs
I used to dream of you the whole year long,
Until I learned from you to sing love’s song,
Only with you would I wake and look around;
Away from you there was no music, only sound.
Now there is no parting from your company;
That feast of love and love's wine held annually,
Has become my daily fare and my morning prayer.
For now I have found that you are always there;
Now I know that you are the pearl and I the shell,
You're always in my head and in my heart as well.
Though I will not deny the increase of love's delight,
When your grand shrine comes again into my sight.
.
What is this Love
It’s the scent of eternity in the present moment,
It’s life and growing in the midst of death and dying,
It’s a reminder that life is a gift that is heaven sent,
And that the daily grind a treasure is concealing.
It’s a gift waiting to be opened and enjoyed together,
It’s a fire ignited within to burn up every hidden sin,
It’s a mirage but one that shows the way to real water,
It’s the antidote to a history of lust, whisky and gin.
It’s the aroma of the real wine the beloved is offering,
It’s the perfume that impregnates every page of life
It’s a story that has no end and nor has it a beginning.
But it’s the end of futility and endless pointless strife.
And it’s the beginning of purposeful striving to recover,
The forgotten time when lover and beloved were one,
It’s the reality that the imagination is seeking to discover,
It’s the sign that the journey to eternal life has begun.
Come in
Come on and in close the door behind you!
Though to the blind the room seems empty,
And to the deaf it’s silent as the grave too,
Come on in and join our colourful noisy party.
Spring
Wine springing from the fountain of spring,
Youth to the winter-weary traveller will bring.
Even gnarled old trees cannot help laughing,
And saplings can’t stop their crazy prancing.
Oh that’s a wine that is well worth drinking,
That’s a time for love and life and for dancing,
That’s a time and a wine that is fit for a king,
That’s a time for which we are all waiting.
Kaaba
If the Kaaba as only an empty brick building you see,
A prisoner of materialism and disbelief you might be;
If the Kaaba seems to you a religious ritual necessity,
A follower of the true religion is your path, probably;
If the Kaaba you take as the heart’s centre and verity,
A follower of the Way of Tariqat you may turn out to be;
After that if the Kaaba as an empty brick building you see,
Maybe you are one who sees in the light of certainty.
Tiredness
Something deep inside says there is tiredness in me,
Reason rushes in with explanations, energetically,
So I say to them, “If you do your work so eagerly,
Why not to use that vigour more constructively”.
They limp away deflated but it’s an act I suspect,
From this grumpy mean self what next to expect?
Come on let’s get more happy drunk and carry on,
At least until the precious extra mile we have gone.
Far Behind?
When the dawn chorus is full throated, can morning be far behind?
When the instrument is perfectly tuned, can the music be far behind?
When the match burns ready for the candle, can light be far behind?
When the thought of love comes, can the beloved be far behind?
In the Dark
In the dark of mourning for a loved one, light I could see;
As in the midst of childhood tears, laughter came to me.
Illuminations came amongst the confusions of insanity;
The depths of a prison cell taught the need to be free.
Real love came only after a dear one had deserted me.
Wise Words
May all these wise quotations equip you to find,
The thing you seek – the inner peace in the mind.
For wise words to lead you to the promised land,
Let everything go except for the beloved’s hand.
When on one hand you come to completely depend,
The only Independent One’s love on you may descend.
I Fell
I fell for love one day in a very big way,
I fell into love is what I really mean to say.
It’s an addiction of course and its power is,
Once you are in it – well that’s all there is.
If there is a cure I am sure not seeking it,
Not one whit, because – well, I am loving it.
If you were to say "Is this a good way to go?"
Wisdom and good sense would tell you "No".
Its not a case of loving him or her or it at all,
But in love itself there is life for one and all,
It is the Infinite, inhaling after a long breath,
It is the very life of life and the death of death.
O, all you great Prophets and true Holy men,
Have mercy; to my prayer for love say, amen.
A Million Gems
A million gems are just so much glittering dust,
A thousand cars are just so much moving rust,
A hundred lovers are just a lot of sweat and bother,
But a brief kiss between one pure soul and another,
Is a moment to hold in the heart, now and forever,
A ray from the eternal sun, and a true treasure.
In the Heart's Night
In the heart's night say - Love let there be",
The Love that manifests His great mercy;
The love that cancels out every memory,
Of all the wrongs suffered and each injury.
In short, into your heart Divine peace invite,
Until day breaks and there is no more night.
This Poetry
Don't hold this poetry as something cheap,
Like so many books fit for the rubbish heap.
It is culled from the memory of pains suffered,
Its not a little thing that here you are offered.
Fell
From high above a sweet angelic soul fell,
Into the dark night where there dwell,
Those spirits of guilt we know so well.
“What can I do?” that soul cried as it fell,
And its voice reached up to where abide,
Those saints who in beatitude ever reside.
Then a great cushion of love they supplied,
Or you could say a soothing balm they applied.
So the landing was made to be one of ease;
That is the way when the holy ones we please.
Gratitude offer over and over and over again,
So the pleasure of those saints we ever retain.
Sweet soul, climb up the ladder of sincere prayer,
Constant remembrance of Allah never forswear.
Free yourself from the anguish that’s inside,
Know that Allah again your heart has tried.
Cling closely to the one He appointed to guide,
He will show you how your heart you must ride.
When you can control it well, the heart is great,
But on its own it will go to where thorns wait.
Open your little intellect to the Universal One,
From that you will learn what has to be done.
Have You Forgotten?
Have you forgotten when in gardens of glory we stayed?
Have you forgotten when as innocent children we played?
Have you forgotten when our language was love’s speech?
Have you forgotten when up to white clouds we could reach?
Have you forgotten when the scented blossoms we caught?
Have you forgotten when you were the seeker and I the sought?
Have you forgotten when all kinds of gifts we were given?
Have you forgotten when we drank the nectar of heaven?
Have you forgotten when a voice said “Am I not you Lord?”
And we all said “Yes” and with that voice were all in accord.
The Wild Heart
O Lord please don’t let this heart run too wild,
Or leave its reins in the grip of a wanton child.
Show the intellect what it needs to understand,
To turn a bunch of misfits into a well tuned band.
The knowledge of love’s ways is not for everyone,
Should one let a child play with a big loaded gun?
The lover’s great zeal is well rewarded by you,
You are perfect in each and everything you do.
Difficulties comes from our weak understanding,
Otherwise there is no cause for our special pleading.
Sorrow
Sorrow, my old friend, you have come again,
Welcome, you’re as welcome as autumn rain,
Jollity and laughter the long summer bought,
Then it seemed to be the very thing we sought,
But now that you have returned I can see,
There is deeper satisfaction in you, for me.
Though in the heart the pain is very real,
Within it the presence of a treasure I feel.
The seal of prophecy, Holy Muhammed,
Spoke about it when he told us, Allah said,
“I am a hidden treasure desiring to be known.”
The Way of sorrow the beloved has shown.
Do Not Proclaim
Do not proclaim your love so much or so loudly,
Rather in deeds and in the motions of your heart,
That love reveal; but with the utmost simplicity.
Let that love of yours itself this good news impart.
Do not rouse in the envious feelings of jealousy,
Or give the cynical a chance to try to be smart.
Be like a bird that knows only a jeweller can see,
The real value of the jewel it holds in its beak,
In that situation he must behave circumspectly;
About that precious gem he will not try to speak.
I Would Sooner
Its long since any kind of public acclaim was my aim,
I would sooner that from your lips I heard my name.
There is nothing in claps and cheers that is attractive
I would sooner that to my heart a smile you would give.
The Importance of Fidelity to the Guide on the Way.
To go to any other door once Allah has given you a guide,
Shows that from the true path you have turned aside.
Seek forgiveness and pray for Allah to take you back,
May He provide you with the fidelity you sadly lack.
Its true there are occasions and special cases too,
When Allah Himself another course plots for you.
But these are known to the guide you have been given,
And to this course by your own guide you will be driven.
Unless this has been made extremely clear to you,
Stay faithful hopeful seeker, whatever else you do.
Short Verses
I was feeling poorly and thought to take to my bed,
Then thoughts of you and love came into my head.
Now I find I am writing yet more verses instead,
And the sickness of self pity from my mind has fled.
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Across blue oceans and even bluer skies,
A white bird - a solitary dove or seagull flies.
In an image like this I find Divinely defined,
The state of peace of heart and peace of mind.
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My thoughts are with you, and even more in difficulty;
May the kindness of Allah your constant helper be.
In our cold clime and culture of such distant civility,
To speak heart-warming words of love is not so easy.
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A deep thought pursued, concentrated effort in the mind,
This can be followed by a surge of so much inner delight;
That it is very tempting to revel in it, you may well find;
But it’s more valuable if instead you return to the fight.
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When the soul of a saint shifts the furniture in your mind,
Though disturbing, a better way of living you may find.
Not by thought explained nor yet by dictionary defined,
These subtleties are shown only to the heart that’s refined.
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Restless waves beneath a full moon’s perfect pure light;
Untold sparkling gems; a solitary, serene and holy sight.
The religion of real love is aloof and so far above,
Every religious sect and every other form of love.
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Dreams and visions are far from easy to explain,
Consistency in this even Prophets did not attain.
Very often a good augery may appear to be bad,
Therefore do not let them make you angry or sad.
Refer what is seen in them to the All-mighty instead,
Deeper than such images is what’s really in your head.
__________
15th November 2016
I heard the news today, this very day,
That Allah’s love took Ali Baba away.
What can I say? Tell me what can I do?
O Lord, now for sure he dwells with You.
Now myriad roses bloom in his garden,
For a saint laying down his body's burden;
A bloom for each loving smile he gave.
Ah, it’s only his dust that is in the grave.
O Sufi
O Sufi, don’t go on frowning deep inside,
Your sins are forgiven and even your pride;
Your burdens are not your own anymore,
Since you were raised up as one of the poor.
Now your labour and love’s labour are one,
So like the kindly sun, smile on everyone.
Breeze
Sunlight falls on leaves that tremble in a light breeze,
Barely enough to make a delicate dandelion sneeze.
They come and go – pleasurable moments like these,
When the beloved’s veil slips for a moment, to tease.
A Lot of Poetry
I thought I had written rather a lot of poetry,
Then You showed not in words but in reality,
The uncountable poems you write constantly,
The few my pen catch are but a gift from – Ya Ali.
A Prayer of Gratitude for Recovery
To Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds, all Praise be,
To Allah, the Merciful, gratitude is due from me.
To return to health one who is so dear,
The Kindness of Allah came to us here.
May we find in our heart gratitude that is sincere,
And towards His Love may we be ever drawn near.
To so many problems of our own making,
A solution He is always ready to be offering.
On His beloved, the holy Prophet Muhammed,
From whose mouth came the words He said.
May His blessings descend until the Final Day
And for his friends and his family we also pray.
Also on the Khwaja Khwajagan led by holy Ali,
May the Baraka from Allah descend eternally.
Fill our hearts with gratitude that will never end,
For the recovery Allah gave to our dear friend.
When at Last
When all those lies at last unravel,
On the day that must come to all,
You will find that the love you knew,
Was all that in your life was really true.
When the brittle structure of deception,
You built to keep out real affection,
Crumbles and falls; you will start to see,
The love in the heart that burns fiercely.
When in the dark and dreary death room,
A light dispels the deepening gloom,
It will become as clear as day to you,
That there Love is, and always was, too.
Like the subtle mists of September,
Love will enter and you will remember.
Remember, the bond of a love that is forever,
Yes, then finally you really will remember.
Presence
There is a poetry that consists of words that are read,
But there is a poetry of words that are never said,
The poetry of ‘presence’ when no words are needed,
To that finer kind of poetry may our hearts be led.
You Came
You came, and your coming was welcome to me,
I had been waiting for you so long, and patiently.
Your eyes shone with a light and my heart bled,
Like a shower of diamonds, the words you said.
Diamonds from great Hafiz they were as I recall,
That from Alast* into my head were destined to fall.
* Alast - a time before time began in which the souls dwelt with God.
Why Do You Sleep?
Why do you sleep so soundly? Go on get up,
Take a deep drink of wine from the loving cup.
True it is, sleep has a subtle style of seduction,
But it does not compare with love in action.
Fill this heart with something more satisfying,
I mean, become once more one of the living;
Better grief and sorrow than being half dead!
To this conclusion by love I have been led.
Engage once again in the constant to and fro,
That only the beloved’s true lovers really know.
White clouds accumulate, the wind is stirring,
Giving notice that something special is coming,
In those clouds maybe they are making ready,
A toe curling brew; a potion that’s so heady,
That you will surely lose all sense of being you,
And end up floating like those clouds in the blue.
There Are Moments
There are moments when I feel your love so strongly,
I would give all I have to you quite happily and freely.
Then there are moments when that feeling disappears,
And all I can feel are a catalogue of worries and fears.
“Patience”, I hear myself say, “and don’t forget to pray,
Nor lose sight of ‘The best is, whatever comes my way’”.
You touch the very core of me, when you come near,
Albeit, in other’s eyes, differently things may appear.
If there is a cure for love and its many manifestations,
It is not to be found in any wise man’s explanations.
Satisfaction in fulfilment is not an option on the table,
For desire is a requirement for the one who is capable,
Of travelling all the way from here to truly ‘being here’.
At the height of spirituality the noblest one* only drew near,
And even the highest angel** feared that he would burn.
Then that one took the compassionate way of return;
So love’s completion is restlessness or an act of resignation,
To serving the needs of an unwise and unholy generation.
* A reference to the holy Prophet Muhammed who approached "within two bows length" to Allah.
** Gabriel
Naked
A great one* said, and it is clearly recorded for all to see,
“I do not wear clothes when the beloved sleeps with me”.
He meant of course I do not try conceal my soul’s essence,
But meet the Soul of souls devoid of any guile or pretence.
And do you think it will be otherwise for you dear reader,
However much you have trained to be an excuse pleader.
When on the great plain you stand alone awaiting judgement.
Surely then you will understand what that noble one meant.
* Shems Tabriz speaking through Mevlana in the Masnevi; Book One
The Desert's Silence
Listen to the silence of the desert with longing,
And innocent children’s chatter you may hear.
If on the breeze their happy words are arriving,
Hear whatever they say, but without any fear.
This World
This old world we live in is built on so much negativity,
But for Allah’s grace it would make a saint a little weary.
Greed, violence, anger, selfishness, lust and vanity every day,
Are some of the ingredients that permeate our mortal clay.
Turn away, turn away, turn away, look in another direction,
It’s not like this at all for a heart that’s turned to heaven.
We inherited all this from our parent’s spectacular mistake,
We must follow them in their repentance and that way take.
Turning to that source of light and goodness in our contrition,
Is mercy from the Merciful, Who alone changes our condition.
Jonah in the three darknesses of the whale found this to be true,
His story is a sign which, today, shows us what we need to do.
I Have Traversed
I have traversed the field of shame and confusion,
Walked the way of arrogance to its conclusion,
Travelled the route of lust leading to perdition,
And with greed had many a secret assignation.
Laziness has been my occasional occupation,
Anger too has given a show for my delectation.
What I found in all this was the Divine perfection,
For all of it yields at last to Love’s holy purification.
Wine Drinking Verses
It floods through my brain! O yes, I know it sounds insane,
But that joy-inducing, love-remembering, constant refrain,
The heart sings; from the world’s ways helps me to abstain.
More maybe than the pious ascetic can ever hope to attain.
Saki don’t turn away like that! My glass is not full yet;
Unless it’s that another bottle you have gone to get.
The way you pour your golden smile into my cup,
Makes even grey beards say, go on, go on, drink up.
Two Pillars
The Ajmer of our heart, the Konya of our soul, I say,
Are the two pillars of the arch at which we pray.
Between these two, prayers pass, to reach to where,
Love lives, and Truth too has its dwelling place there.
Our Manzil
If You are not there, our Manzil offers cold comfort,
No matter if we try to warm it with a lot of effort.
Come, sing a better song, be our heart-warming candle,
Or better still, give us all the love that we can handle.
The Day Was Normal
The day was ‘normal’ and kind of grey,
Until I remembered for love to pray,
Now it’s on fire and all I can find to say,
Is thanks God that Love you sent my way.
Greed
Greed for your love touches me most every day,
Greed for your love sits with me when I pray,
Greed for your love and I have agreed today,
We won’t be content till your love comes our way.
Cold Days
When the heart is aglow and love’s passion is burning,
The cold outside doesn’t matter, it counts for nothing,
But when even a little chill touches our true heart,
From inward peace and joy we begin to depart.
O Lord, keep out heart alive and our love glowing,
And we have no complaint if outside it is snowing.
Dawn Bird
In a flurry of feathers, movement, and light,
The dawn bird came and away flew the night.
Eyelashes part, and in comes the morning,
That very moment we start remembering,
Remembering to forget the things of yesterday
And to pray for Allah’s love to come today.
I Couldn't Help But...
I couldn’t help but give way to ecstasy,
When your eyes looked deep into me;
I couldn’t stop the tears from coming,
Couldn’t stop the love inside flowing,
When you looked at me I wanted more;
Of your heart’s softness, I wanted more.
Dance
I thought about the dance – how should it be?
Removing the seven veils of egocentricity?
Or turning like a top that’s been whipped maybe?
Or a free expression in a moment of ecstasy?
Or slow and wistful like a windblown tree?
Or, as in a ballet, full of disciplined virtuosity?
But all this is form and it matters not to me,
It’s when the spirit moves the mount finally,
That the dance reaches its greatest apogee.
That’s when the dance becomes real to me.
Love
Where are the lovers? Where indeed is Love?
Nowhere and everywhere, below and above?
To right and to left, or before and behind?
In the body, in the heart or only in the mind?
There is no location nor yet any definition,
That can give any satisfactory explanation.
Nor is Love the sole possession of any nation,
Nor of any sect or any religious denomination.
It can’t be learned by any amount of education,
Nor found by any effort or sheer determination.
It starts where morality and righteousness end,
But in it none can see a beginning or an end.
The most that can be said is that it is a gift, divine,
But who can say boldly that the gift of love is mine?
It can’t be owned, it is not a kind of property,
And yet it is the possessor of every devotee.
Every word I write about Love is foolishness,
I just pray this is a folly Love itself will bless.
You and Me
I prayed, and finally it was just you and me, my Friend,
Just when I had begun to think there would be no end;
No end to the companionship you daily sent my way,
No end to desire for love words you taught me to say.
But now I wonder, to pray for me, was it right to do,
Even though I asked for the company of only You?
It’s better to do what I tell every son and daughter,
Just to show gratitude and let You be the Decider.
An English Dream
Urns and statuettes and pebble paths; an English dream,
A rich green, laundered lawn, a swiftly flowing stream.
A bridge, over crystal clear water, cool and revealing,
For couples strolling to pause for a moment’s meditating.
A chequered table cloth and white plates; cerulean skies,
So bright between the cedar’s dark branches, it’s a surprise.
But wherein does its beauty lay, this little English paradise?
Nowhere, but in a light-filled heart and loving English eyes.
Don't Depart
Don’t depart beloved and leave me hanging about this way,
Without your love I am nothing and I have nothing to say.
Stay beloved! But of course you do what you want anyway!
Beloved, love do not betray, a kiss, a look at least, give I pray.
Your intimacy in the night turns darkness into brightest day,
Your company by day turns December into a bloom filled May.
Love Came
Love came and shook me till I woke up,
Then gave me wine in the cup of the early morning,
Thanks be to the One who woke me up
To Love, that like the sun every single day is rising.
Back
January days threaten to bring us back to earth,
After the heady days of ‘Urs gave us a new birth.
You had to be there to have any real notion,
Of how it is to be drowned in Love’s great ocean.
Should we now spend our days trying to recall,
Those wild drunken days that changed us all?
Or should we press on looking for even more,
More moments that will thrill us to the core?
Just be the child of the moment my daughter,
That place where there is no past and no future.
The Mountain and the Multitude
The mountain and the multitude is the answer you need,
If to be a lover and yet to live your busy life you plead.
The heart above the crowd on the top of the mountain,
The body below busy with duties - this state try to gain.
A Little Mystical Philosophy
A great column, both of substance and of light,
Though surrounded by the deepest dark night,
Both solid and yet immaterial it seemed to be.
Like a moon, but lit like the sun from within only.
When I considered His presence and His Being,
I saw He manifested within Him everything.
Both dark and light, materiality and spirituality,
Both the pure essence and the solid reality.
That old enigma “Everything is from God, or is God?”
Seemed clarified. Everything manifested by God,
Is manifested within God. Even non existence,
Is manifest in Him, to reveal and hide His existence.
Considered well, multiplicity and unity are one,
Every unit is unity manifested within the one,
He encompasses from within every single thing,
And words cannot begin to describe His Being.
High
When passion is high, even higher than the sky,
And the love you have no longer has to try to fly,
Because it is already reaching beyond the blue.
Then you are in the place you’ve been seeking;
Where love becomes the means and the end,
Where souls unite and in one light they blend.
Come, do not let the illusion of our separation,
Make us flounder when we have that destination.
Shining
Like the sun shining from behind clouds of grey,
Words are flowing and showing in what they say,
That love, though hidden by the over-active mind,
Has never gone away, that is how it is designed.
The body and the mind may be kept too busy,
But, to shine, the light of the heart is always ready.
Come, and turn a trillion or so droplets of rain,
And all that pain, into love’s sweet, long refrain.
Come, I say again, that constant miracle show,
Let love live, let love grow, and let all the rest go.
When
When the love of Allah crossed the boundary,
And became the love that binds you and me,
The sight of Allah became more than theory;
It was firm and fast, endowed with permanency.
Come touch with the mind the concrete reality,
Of becoming one; of being one, with His unity.
Then you will know with the clearest certainty,
His reality is more than concept, its actuality.
And if doubt and diffidence linger in the mind,
Come, and in our love the real conviction find.
As substantial as breakfast on a sunny morning,
As present as the sunlight on your face falling.
Come, and in love find the waiting answer,
Make love your heartfelt and pure prayer.
Come, for to hear what your heart may utter,
In the dawn orison, the Beloved waits there.
The Rose
The rose will blossom and its full beauty show,
Let it grow my dear child, I say, let it grow!
Let its shy petals unfold so that it can reveal,
How love in full blown bloom can really feel,
Let every dew-wet, sun-kissed, petal show,
At the touch of the beloved’s lip, love will grow.
The Avenue
Down a shady avenue lined with many a leafy tree,
We travelled slowly, my horse, my dog, and me.
Shadows danced from leaves stirring in the breeze,
Dappled sunlight played a game of ‘show and tease’,
Love was in the very air or at least it seemed to be.
Contentment turned a dusty road to gold so easily.
In the rustling leaves good words were whisper’ed,
A song of purity and bliss touched heart and head.
The goal travelled toward seemed far away, and yet,
It was as if I had arrived where only lovers can get.
I make no claim to know anything not shown by You,
But something in my head and in my soft heart knew;
Something told me this was true and this was right,
This the road, that the sky, and above the sun so bright.
We took our time passing along that great golden road,
Though ahead a better and more radiant future glowed.
Down that shady avenue lined with many a leafy tree,
We travelled slowly, my horse, my dog, and me.
When the Lover
When the lover sat in the branches of this tree,
And sang songs of such sweet love and ecstasy,
Every branch flowered, every twig felt the felicity
Joy reached the roots, when the lover sang to me.
The lover wanted to know what this love is, really,
That makes the breast burst into song so joyfully?
The silence of the beloved was to be the only answer,
In that eternal silent sound the lover sings forever.
Come do not decline to share a glass of wine with me,
I have lost all sense of whether I am bird or patient tree.
Let us get so drunk that those who are really in the know,
Shrug their shoulders at our love and simply say – “So”.
Let love and wayward lovelorn behaviour have their day,
Until the final curtain is drawn back, with us let it stay.
The pious to their piety and the wise to their wisdom,
For us let there be love alone and the lover’s kingdom.
I have heard reason speak in eloquent disagreement,
I have seen your wings flutter, unsure of my intent.
The tree stays where it was planted in pre-eternity,
Love-seeking birds come and go; some sing sweetly
I Would
Ah, I would work and walk if I was able,
If, instead of being lovesick, I was stable,
But your words and looks turn me over,
And your wine leaves me under the table.
Your expressions open up so much possibility,
They make me reel and rock unexpectedly.
I would find a way back to being more sober
But your sun shines on me so continuously.
You divest yourself of respectability, every shred,
To wayward love so flagrantly leads all you said,
Tell me what the hope is for a poor drunk lover,
Other than to go inevitably to where love has led.
A Flight
A flight of words that carry the light hearted one to a new height of
ecstasy;
That’s the nature of the pure in poetry.
Thoughts that touch the mind, and fill the heart that is empty and
blind,
With images of a light and a potent kind;
Releasing the pent up waterfall within, making merrier than a ton of
gin;
To open the rosebud’s petals ready to begin.
Words so deliriously happy, the merging of meaning, and sound we
see,
Till arrives the implicit satisfaction of ‘Be’.
Rhyme and reason don’t often concur, but when they become like
him and her,
The poem is born, that love can transfer.
May 1975 (written May 2017)
I recall days of May when a cloud would have been welcome,
The long days of May when only the sun was certain to come.
I recall the prison cells and a thousand modalities of the mind,
That played out their mythical fantasies of many a varied kind.
I recall the wildness and desperation, and the illumination too,
That made for moments of beatitude amidst the thoughts of you.
I did not fight in a war with guns it is true, but I fought anyway.
My metal was not tested like dad, but was tested another way.
That the mind was such a vulnerable machine, I didn’t know,
Or else I would not have played such foolish games with it so.
I lost a lot that sunny May but gained far more in another way,
For at last I found my path and love that with me would stay.
I would not wish that such a rough path you should walk upon,
But I also cannot offer only strewn roses, with every pain gone.
Love is not the soft option most imagine or would like it to be,
It is torment and despair and hardship that turns into ecstasy.
Astounded
It astounded me that in the end love was so real and so concrete,
Not words, images, dreams, or fantasies that time could delete.
Not dependent on this or that, or him or her, or any other thing,
But like every new day something that just keeps on returning.
Love is often by transient and temporary illusions concealed,
But when, like clouds, these pass it remains, naked and revealed.
A deep blue sky that has no end to be discerned, nor a beginning,
Love knows nothing of games that finish up with losing or winning.
If love has not yet touched your life except with vague yearning,
Brother, sister, friend, or any other, do not be lost and despairing.
Cloudy days do not last forever, sit and watch and wait patiently,
The concrete reality of love came in the end, and it astounded me.
Now
Empty of malice and contempt but full of love that’s secretly declared,
The image of your face touched me and that unspoken love was
shared.
The heart that’s awake is the heart on fire with love’s conflagration,
Come, do not think for a moment that love can be subject to any
ration.
Oh, I know that wild words and ungoverned passion can seem too
crazy,
But subtle thought, rationality and logical contemplation make us
lazy.
Open wide the doors that lead to the very heart and soul of your
beauty,
That we may turn it into a garden of felicity that’s blooming
constantly.
Oh yes, this world will often speak to you of weariness and
exhaustion,
And the next will speak of delayed reward and of endless anticipation;
But there is a place that rises beyond any expectation, where Love
lives!
Come then, now, to where everything the scent of real Divine Love
gives.
The Love Worker
When love is the work that you do every day,
Work harder, work much harder is all I can say.
When your heart softens a little more each day,
Make it much, much, softer is all that I can say.
When love invades every action you do, secretly,
Do whatever you like but pray do not forget me.
When love is the very bread and butter you eat,
On this crisp toast please spread something sweet.
Your Eyes Speak
Your eyes speak of longing for a better - a more real life,
Though you appear to have no reason for woe or for strife,
The love that’s buried deep in your heart wants you to feel,
It’s need to grow and blossom and become a rose that’s real.
Come, diverted from the path of truth and beauty do not be,
Know love gives no ease ‘til there is no more ‘you’ and ‘me’.
Immersed
Immersed in love and not in mere water be,
Immersed not in clay but in eternal divinity.
Let it be the high and holy love’s ardent desire,
That consumes you in that light producing fire.
Rise, like the air above all worldly worry below,
Into the luminous essence, see the mystic flow.
You have knocked hard on the door from outside,
Come, Mevlana says; see the door from the inside.
Walk the mystic corridors the guide takes you through,
Enter the gold doors that lead to other dimensions too.
One, then another, calls; asking you to come inside,
In this land of fairy lights do not miss to take a ride.
When, however, your purpose has become firmer,
It is possible to go on so much higher and further.
What lies there your guide alone will take you to,
All to be said is that it is the best that awaits you.
Khwaja
Khwaja of your love of Allah spare a drop for me,
Let that love fill my heart, my head and my body.
From all that this world and the next send my way,
Let your love detach me and alone with me stay.
May 26th 2017
Ramadan gathers itself and is ready to blow down,
So many flimsy houses that stand on shifting sand;
Ready to dress the shining soul in a splendid gown,
Ready to bring many a lost vessel to a fertile land.
A Hot Ramadan
There are those who just think of a tan,
When the beat of the heat hits the fan,
Yes, it’s a torpid time designed to test a man,
The long lasting fasting month of Ramadan.
Passing Moments
Sweet scented sentinels of a happy hour,
That flower and fade. A passing shower;
A burst of sunlight driving the grey away;
A smile that lingers, but does not stay;
A glance that touches the heart so silently;
A breeze that moves the curtain suddenly.
These simple things give a new life to me,
Like the thought of you, waiting so patiently.
An Eid Song
The days of fasting are passing,
The days begin now of celebrating.
The days of love and of loving,
The days of constant remembering;
The days of our eternal feasting,
On the love He is forever giving.
Love Pain
Such an empty space in the depth of the heart has lain,
Such a pain, yet not a pain that anyone could explain.
No way out! It’s as if love itself has made you empty,
“Drink deep, drink long” are the only words from me.
Let tears flow fast and freely if you are able to do so,
Feel it, that emptiness that you think will never ever go.
Its hurts – not like a pain in elbow or eye; just emptiness!
The birth of real love attached to none – just His “is-ness”.
I could tell you that one day it will make you feel so free,
But it’s not the time and you wouldn’t really believe me.
Now you feel the pain of Hafiz, of Mevlana; of every lover,
In the holy Prophet’s two hands there is a salve however.
May it be that your destiny brings this relief to you,
May it be that you will feel at last the love that’s true.
Impulsive
It just came my way, the impulse to write some poetry!
Is it indulgence, or unfulfilled love overpowering me?
And whose love is it anyway, wanting to have a say,
A lover lost in intensity, who for love alone can pray?
I wish I could speak of it with some sense of certainty,
But that feeling just keeps on wanting to overcome me.
If, lost in the heat of a deep passionate plea, it is a lover,
Be reassured it is touching the beloved within however.
When lover and beloved have reached the point of unity,
There is only love, no more you and me or even poetry.
The Theatre of Allah
The theatre of Allah is a constant but unseen show,
Unseen except by those He has made in the know.
The theatre of Allah has a grand and unique cast,
The truth of events there is known only at the last.
The theatre of Allah tells stories quite extraordinary,
Though the audience are souls, just like you and me.
The conscious mind really has no idea it is going on,
Only a few, on whose vision Allah’s light has shone.
If you would like to be one, be constant in following,
The message His messenger in perpetuity is giving.
Like Rain
Love fell like fine rain; it’s something I can’t explain,
It’s a state of mind and heart only the lover can attain.
When you have given everything you have or you own,
Only then real love to you becomes familiar and known.
I wish I could say it’s easy to attain, a choice to be made,
But it’s a closed door, if of commitment you are afraid.
The lovers of Divinity, by whatever road it is they came,
Gambled their very life for the sake of that great game.
If you are afraid now and can’t take a single step farther,
You have some sober wisdom, and good sense moreover.
You have to be a Majnun if it’s the love of Laila you seek,
Otherwise of love and of loving its best you do not speak.
Love Sat With Me
Love sat with me and said, “I am more than heart and head,
Indeed I carry off everything, and this all lovers have said.
If there is any connection inside you to any other than to me,
Then that attachment is not my friend, and it is your enemy.
Come, and I will empty your heart, your body and your head;
Only I will remain when everyone and everything has fled.”
Love took me up to where only angels and pure souls can meet,
And amongst those holy, brightly-lit ones I was granted a seat.
There what I saw only the Beloved One can in reality reveal,
There I learnt about fantasy, imagination and about the Real.
There universal governance became evident in its divine simplicity,
There I came to know the universe’s deeply concealed mystery.
You can hold your breath if you like, but you won’t get from me,
More than a hint of that supreme, unelected, perfect symmetry,
By which the Ruler unfolds His absolute unlimited perfection;
By which the Manifesting One makes manifest His creation.
It is not given to us to reveal the concealed mysteries, by command,
Nor to satisfy the curious when they insist on making this demand.
I know that for attention thousands and thousands of theories compete,
A clever head is full of such stuff, a simple one is sooner made replete.
Those heads theorise in the darkness about the existence of the light,
Wiser ones just blink a bit and some even find it just a bit too bright.
If you can’t take my word for the things I say, though they are true,
Its fine, just pass on to some theory, and my good wishes go with you.
Restless
Restless,
As if invaded by some strange unease,
Though I seem to do whatever I please,
Restless,
Some unspecified need seems to be insistent,
Though externally everything remains silent.
Restless,
As if there is something calling out to me,
Invisible, intangible, though it seems to be.
Restless,
The currents that move the mighty sea,
Are also moving something inside of me.
Restless,
Till I reach out and feel you are there,
Then peace descends again everywhere.
Sullen
Wistful, sad, silent, and somewhat sullen maybe,
This state of mind and heart you bequeathed to me.
The feeling of your love encompassing my being,
Has become a memory no longer something living.
The longing in my heart does not depart or go away
Though about it there is nothing that I can really say.
The way of love is for few, yes for very few indeed,
Few the horses that can gallop at that kind of speed.
Come my heart is ready; in need I am only for you,
Take me the way you like and as you used to do.
Come it’s you I want, words will no longer do for me,
Beloved take this sullen lover up at once, instantly.
Spring
Yes, this life is short enough, that’s for sure,
Yet spring comes around again and again;
Every time it was new and fresh and pure,
Every time from decay it could not abstain.
The Eternal spring is in a true lover’s heart,
One who from the Beloved could never part.
Rain
The rain came, so of course the garden got wet,
And all the flowers appeared to be in a sweat.
What to say? It happens like that once in a while,
The gardener can do nothing but patiently smile.
The Muse
She was clothed only in poetry’s pure passion,
Though I saw her but in a momentary vision.
Sublimate the desire for outward expression,
An open love-filled heart is the soul’s fashion.
Deeply Dark
Deeply dark the night and bright the light,
That from a myriad stars filled my sight,
My questing sight, that wanted to see,
At least a slight hint of the divine mystery.
It was many years before I came to know,
The implication concealed in that fine show.
They come and go, minutes, hours, and days,
Months and years, even a decade never stays.
But then you showed the nature of your mercy,
You changed me so suddenly and completely.
I put down the burden of foolishness at last,
And myself into your hands completely I cast.
Now love rolls out like a great grand red carpet,
In constant anticipation that your visit I will get.
The beloved knows countless tales and stories,
And will tell them all when and how it pleases.
Deeply dark the night and bright the light,
That from a myriad stars filled my sight.
The Garden
The velvet curtains parted, almost at a touch, willingly,
Sunlight and sight of the garden streamed in joyfully.
My vision walked amidst that sun-soaked flaming flora,
In every sense, drinking in, scent and rich ripe colour.
That perfect paradise was not enough to last forever,
But say, in such a place how should I not want to linger?
I Cannot Pretend
I cannot pretend to be other than I am, a curious mixture,
With divine and very human features, a complex creature.
A reader of abstract theory and of my own human nature.
Capable of transcending both and of falling prey to either.
Divine love at times flows out from me in every direction,
At times it manifests only in my own transient satisfaction.
An eagle living amongst domesticated fowls, at times I am,
At others, soaring above clouds into the blue beyond I am.
I could simply say “All power is Yours, You made me this way”
But You gave me choices and taught me how to really pray.
A great light descended into the darkness of this one’s day,
Overcoming with its power what my own nature had to say.
“Do with me as you Will”, is all human nature can hope for,
Divinity however so many options can continue to explore.
Let me put aside all the doubts and disquieting imagination,
Let me put aside both fear and endless kinds of temptation.
Instead for every single action let me find your kind sanction,
In Your love let me die and so live forever in Your satisfaction.
Dancing
The display of dancing that is for the pleasure of the crowd,
In the strict rules of the cognoscenti this is really not allowed.
The dance that gives pleasure to the dancer - what is that for?
The one to please is the one who gives patronage to the poor.
Only the dance that makes the firm and stable mountain move,
Will the lovers of the Beloved applaud and sincerely approve.
Tall Trees
Tall trees tower over lovers as they linger,
In the shadowy forest glade.
Tall trees chuckle, or just look on, or even glower,
But do not deny their shade.
They have seen this passing show many times before,
Seen love's game played;
Seen the smiles, the looks, the hands held and more;
Seen, but silent have stayed.
Humanity is both a transient display of feeling,
That is not long enduring;
And eternity, that time is constantly enfolding,
In love's passionate longing.
Tall trees would penetrate the clouds if they could,
To see shafts of sunlight smile;
But such moments are beyond the reach of wood,
Only lovers go the extra mile.
Tall trees and longing looks linger on in me,
They come into my mind;
When I lie at ease, and on the sofa of purity,
To love thoughts I am inclined.
The Inspiration
The inspiration of the muse comes when it comes,
There is no measure; nor any limitation; it just comes.
Sometimes it makes me, or maybe just my head, spin;
It depends entirely on what mood it happens to be in.
When it comes, like love it passes way beyond control,
I just deliver what is in my heart or even in my soul.
What excites it, makes it begin to turn, that’s hard to tell,
But what I do know is that it opens up my crusty old shell.
The form of my muse varies but its essence is all you,
It carries me to where many colours merge into the blue;
The deep blue that stretches beyond a million, trillion stars,
To where sits the great sage, the master, Hafiz of Shiraz.
Inspire
Come inspire me with words that drip with honey,
Enough of this talk of cars, jewellery and of money.
Come make me quicken with the feeling love gives,
When with union and close proximity the lover lives.
Come let words slip, slide and take off from the page,
Let the youth called love be our wise and worthy sage;
Drink here and now the tumblers full of heavenly joy.
Do not delay and only vain promises painfully employ,
Come, love is not a green field in the next meadow,
It is heavenly joy that comes to those waiting below;
That comes here and now whenever the master smiles,
Who with the Beloved sits and beholds all our trials.
Come, love is not transient game that passes away,
It is all eternity that can be experienced only today.