I am such a lover that I have given up the road and everything that exists on the road,
because the only companion of the lover
is that exalted one person who has no beginning of the beginning.
The one whose friend is the soul’s God
is not afraid of the separation of the soul.
He is on a journey but, like the moon,
he settles down in front of a beautiful, bright face.
The one who is lighter than the wind
doesn’t wait for the wind.
Love and the lover are one.
Don’t even think of “two.”
When the lover and Love are merged,
he gives a blessing to himself.
At the same time, he, himself, is the blessing.
When he asks for this kind of order,
he turns into leather in front of Canopus.*
If he goes to the sea with that desire,
even though he is an orphan,
he turns into a pearl.
O one who has seen the kindness and favor of Shams of Tebriz,
don’t call Hatim al-Tai** the most generous.
*Canopus The second brightest star in the night sky.
**Hatim al-Tai A famous Arab poet (d. 578 C.E.). Stories about his extreme generosity have made him an icon among Arabs up until today, as evident in the proverbial phrase “more generous than Hatim”
Divan-i Kebir, Volume 13, Gazel 37, Pages 65-66, Verses 409-417.