IF YOU DISTANCE YOURSELF
only for an hour
from your endless thoughts
what do you think will happen
if you let yourself sink
just like a fish
into the ocean of our love
what do you think will happen
you are merely
a piece of straw
and we are
that eternal amber
if you leap forth
from your lowly house
to fuse with the amber
what do you think will happen
a hundred times
you've promised yourself
to depart from self-claim
to be humble as earth
only for once
if you keep your word
what do you think will happen
you're a precious
hidden diamond
sunken in the mud
if you wash away
all that impurity
from your gorgeous face
what do you think will happen
if you abandon
for a little while
your ego and greed
tear down your shield
rise with a quest
to unite with the divine
what do you think will happen
ghazal number 844,
translated April 19, 1992,
by Nader Khalili.
