Love
There was a hot-tempered youth, his heart aflame,
Translated from Uzbek · Original text
There was a hot-tempered youth, his heart aflame,He was filled with love, and he sought love.At times on journeys, at times secluded at home,Overcome by frenzy, he sought love.But unable to settle in his feelings,“Do I truly have love?” he would say.Unable to resign himself to living without love,“Am I even human?” he would fret.One day he chanced to meet a man of Truth,His heart lit up, and he cried out:“O you who know the secret of the world and man,Set me free from my sorrows.I have devotion and yearning for love,But whether I have love or not, I still don’t know.When will love settle firmly in the heart,When will the soul be set ablaze by love?”The knower of Allah calmly replied:“Love has already left its mark upon your heart.Otherwise, perhaps Allah would not have putThis question on your tongue, at least not this time.If you knew how much torment there is in love,Perhaps you would not be so eager.Love is not something one can acquire,The Giver of love is the Creator, the Provider.First of all, know the condition of true love —It is utterly pure of lust and greed.If there is greed in it even the size of a speck, then burn,What you thought was love is a calamity of fate.Be content with what God has given,Do not keep fixing your eyes on a state you lack.Find your rest in the embrace of silence,Do not keep speaking of love and yearning.But love has its manifestations,That at times shine forth in an ailing heart.Its name is compassion and mercy, my friend,It will make you aware that you are alive.Say, for example, you took a rare morsel,And as you were about to put it in your mouth,You stopped, thinking, ‘If only so-and-so could eat this,’And that very thought took hold of your mind.It shows that you are still human,This is the breeze of pure love.If the soul lives grieving for another,It means there is light within your heart.”Akrom MALIK
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