Said the Nightingale,
“Garden is in vain,
Rose is my real gain.”

Said the Night,
“Sky for me is lame,
Moon is my real aim.”

Said the Saqi,
“The cup is of no taste,
Wine is what will quench.”

Said the martyr,
“My prey is not the enemy,
But the stations of Paradise.”

Said Majnun,
“Her friends just a pretext,
Leila alone my eyes see.”

Said the Lord,
“Everything in the cosmos:
An excuse,
Mustafa for Me,
The only Creative cause.”

O Beloved!

When in my heart,
Opens your Love-vault
Not a moment can it withstand.
My Soul, in this body-cage,
Becomes a stranger
Unable to further linger.

It craves for your Love-reach,
For its lamp, you are the niche.

Your love is my weapon,
My slogan, my revolution.

I have exhausted my words,
My throat is dry in your praise.
But to tell my love,
Have I no other choice.

My only claim to paradise,
Cherished your love at times.

Accept me here,
Recognize me there.
I will wish for nothing more,
Neither here, nor there.




March 15 2011. Edit Jan 2024