GHAZAL 21

 
Since it is the Beloved's breath which sustains the creation,
No man yet has uttered a love-speech without his permission.

Since every heart is a cup which the Beloved fills with wine,
No man may refuse the chance of cup-passing, nor one decline.

Since, with one glance the Beloved put light into all eyes,
Why dig the dark of the earth, or seek in black space, for paradise?

The beloved has hidden all knowledge in a lock of hair;
Only sight of his face can give certainty and end despair.

Beloved God-Man has wrapped the Real in a veil of silence;
Even the lowest heaven cannot be taken by violence.

Ask the way to Lover's Lane, and enter it soft-footed,
And when you reach his door do not knock, but stand tree-rooted.

Till he sends for you and asks kindly your name and where you belong.
Then offer him your eyes for flowers and your lips as your song.