Ghazal 371

We placed our dawn lesson on the road to the tavern —

we placed the harvest of prayer on the road to the beloved.

It would set fire to the harvest of a hundred wise ascetics —

this brand that we placed upon our mad heart.

The Sultan of Eternity gave us the treasure of love's grief —

once we set our face toward this ruined dwelling.

I will not let the love of idols enter my heart after this —

we placed the seal of her lip upon the door of this house.

One cannot be a greater hypocrite in the cloak than this —

we laid the foundation in this rend's fashion.

How goes this bewildered ship? — for in the end

we staked our life on that singular pearl.

Praise God — that he too was without heart and faith —

he whom we titled the wise and sagely one.

We were content with a fancy of you, like Hafez —

O Lord, what beggars' aspiration and what strangers we have placed ourselves.