Introduction
The central message of this short poem
is that every material object in the Universe, including material beauty, is liable to
wane and perish. Only God is eternal. This is also the central message of the Holy
Qur’�n. This is implied all through the Book and is expressly stated in many verses,
such as 2:255; 20:111; 28:88; 40:65; 55:27; 59:22-24 which are presented as a small
sample.
Translation
Beauty one day put this question
to God
Why did you not make me eternal in the world?
The answer was that the world is like a picture gallery
The world is the story of the long night of annihilation
As the nature of change is the basis of its display
Only that is beautiful whose reality is decline
The moon was somewhere near and it heard this conversation
It became well-known in the heaven, the morning star heard
Having heard from the star the morning related it to the dew
It exposed the celestial world’s secret to earth’s confidante
The flower’s eye started weeping from the dew’s message
The flower bud’s little heart was injured by this sorrow
The spring weeping from the garden departed
Youth had come for amusement, sad it departed