XVIII
AN INVOCATION| O THOU that art as the soul in the body of the universe, | |
| Thou art our soul end thou art ever fleeing from us. | |
| Thou breathest music into Life's lute; | |
| Life envies Death when death is for thy sake | 1620 |
| One more bring comfort to our sad hearts, | |
| Once more dwell in our breasts! | |
| Once more demand from us the sacrifice of name and fame, | |
| Strengthen our weak love. | |
| We are oft complaining of destiny, | 1625 |
| Thou art of great price and we have naught. | |
| Aide not thy fair face from the empty handed! | |
| Sell cheap the love of Salman and Bilal!117 | |
| Give us the sleepless eye and the passionate heart, | |
| Give us again the nature of quick silver man | 1630 |
| Show unto us one of thy manifest signs, | |
| That the necks of our enemies may be bowed! | |
| Make this chaff a mountain crested with fire; | |
| Burn with out fire all that is not God! | |
| When the people of Islam let the thread of Unity go from their hands, | 1635 |
| They fell into a hundred mazes. | |
| We are dispersed like stars in the world | |
| Though of the same family, we are strange to one another. | |
| Rind again these scattered leaves, | |
| Revive the law of love! | 1640 |
| Take us back to serve thee as of old, | |
| Commit thy cause to them that love thee! | |
| We are travellers: give us resignation as our goal! | |
| Give us the strong faith of Abraham! | |
| Make us know the meaning of "There is no God." | 1645 |
| Make us acquainted with the mystery of "except Allah!"118 | |
| I who burn like a candle for the sake of others | |
| Teach myself to weep like that candle. | |
| O God! a tear that is heart-enkindling, | |
| Passionful, wrung forth by pain, peace consuming, | 1650 |
| May I sow in the garden, and may it grow into a fire | |
| That washes away the fire-brand from the tulip's robe! | |
| My heart is with yesterday, my eye is on to-morrow: | |
| Amidst the company I am alone. | |
| "Every one fancies he is my friend, | 1655 |
| But none ever sought the secrets within my Soul." | |
| Oh, where in the wide world is my comrade ? | |
| I am the Bush of Sinai: where is my Moses? | |
| I am tyrannous, I have done many a wrong to myself, | |
| I have nourished a flame in my bosom, | 1660 |
| A flame that burnt to ashes the wares of understanding, | |
| Cast fire on the skirt of discretion, | |
| Lessened with madness the proud reason, | |
| And inflamed the very being of knowledge: | |
| its blaze enthrones the sun in the sky | 1665 |
| And lightnings encircle it with adoration for ever. | |
| Mine eye fell to weeping, like dew, | |
| Since I was entrusted with that hidden fire. | |
| I taught the candle to burn openly, | |
| While I myself burned unseen by the world's eye. | 1670 |
| As last flames burst forth from every hair of me, | |
| Fire dropped from the veins of my thought: | |
| My nightingale picked up the grains of spark | |
| And created a fire-tempered song. | |
| The breast of this age is without a heart, | 1675 |
| Majnun quivers with pain because Laila's howdah is empty. | |
| It is not easy for the candle to throb alone; | |
| Ah, is there no moth worthy of me? | |
| How long shall I wait for one to share my grief? | |
| How long must I search for a confidant? | 1680 |
| O Thou whose face lends light to the moon and the stars, | |
| Withdraw Thy fire from the soul! | |
| Take back what Thou hast put in my breast, | |
| Remove the stabbing radiance from my mirror, | |
| Or give me one old comrade | 1685 |
| To be the mirror of mine all-burning love! | |
| In the sea wave tosses side by side with wave: | |
| Each hath a partner in its emotion. | |
| In heaven star consorts with star, | |
| And the bright moon lays her head on the knees of Night. | 1690 |
| Morning touches Night's dark side, | |
| And To-day throws itself against Tomorrow. | |
| One river loses its being in another, | |
| A waft of air dies in perfume. | |
| There is dancing in every nook of the wilderness. | 1695 |
| Madman dances with madman. | |
| Because in thine essence Thou art single, | |
| Thou hast evolved for Thyself a, whole world, | |
| I am as the tulip of the field, | |
| In the midst of a company I am alone. | 1700 |
| I beg of Thy grace a sympathising friend, | |
| And adept in the mysteries of my nature, | |
| A friend endowed with madness and wisdom, | |
| One that knoweth not the phantom of vain things, | |
| That I may confide my lament to his soul | 1705 |
| And see again my face in his heart. | |
| His image I will mould of mine own clay, | |
| I will be to him both idol and worshipper. |
THE END