A breast whence flows a loving song,
A throat that finds no draught amiss,

An open heart that knows no wrong.

And what though all the world should sink!

Hafis, with thee, alone with thee

Will I contend! joy, misery,

The portion of us twain shall be;
Like thee to love, like thee to drink,—­

This be my pride,—­this, life to me!

Now, Song, with thine own fire be sung,—­
For thou art older, thou more young!

1817.*
-----
To Hafis.

Hafis, straight to equal thee,

One would strive in vain;
Though a ship with majesty

Cleaves the foaming main,
Feels its sails swell haughtily

As it onward hies
Crush’d by ocean’s stern decree,

Wrecked it straightway lies. 
Tow’rd thee, songs, light, graceful, free,

Mount with cooling gush;
Then their glow consumeth me,

As like fire they rush. 
Yet a thought with ecstasy

Hath my courage moved;
In the land of melody

I have lived and loved.

1815.
-----
III.  USCHK name.

BOOK OF LOVE.

The types.

List, and in memory bear
These six fond loving pair. 
Love, when aroused, kept true
Rustan and Rad! 
Strangers approach from far
Joseph and Suleika;
Love, void of hope, is in
Ferhad and Schirin. 
Born for each other are
Medschnun and Lily;
Loving, though old and grey,
Dschemil saw Boteinah. 
Love’s sweet caprice anon,
Brown maid + and Solomon! 
If thou dost mark them well,
Stronger thy love will swell.

1817.* (+ Brown maid is the Queen of Sheba.) ----- One pair more.

Love is indeed a glorious prize! 
What fairer guerdon meets our eyes?—­
Though neither wealth nor power are thine,
A very hero thou dost shine. 
As of the prophet, they will tell,
Wamik and Asia’s tale as well.—­
They’ll tell not of them,—­they’ll but give
Their names, which now are all that live. 
The deeds they did, the toils they proved
No mortal knows!  But that they loved
This know we.  Here’s the story true
Of Wamik and of Asia too.

1827.*
-----
LOVE’s torments sought a place of rest,

Where all might drear and lonely be;
They found ere long my desert breast,

And nestled in its vacancy.

1827.*
-----
IV.  TEFKIR name.

BOOK OF CONTEMPLATION.

Five things.

What makes time short to me?

Activity! 
What makes it long and spiritless?

’Tis idleness! 
What brings us to debt?

To delay and forget! 
What makes us succeed?

Decision with speed
How to fame to ascend?