Poem XIII

1’Twere better that the spirit which wears not true love as a garmentHad not been: its being is but shame.

2Be drunken in love, for love is all that exists;Without the dealing of love there is no entrance to the Beloved.

3They say, ‘What is love?’ Say, ‘Renunciation of will.’Whoso has not escaped from will, no will hath he.

4The lover is a monarch: two worlds lie at his feet;The king pays no heed to what lies at his feet.

5’Tis love and the lover that live to all eternity;Set not thy heart on aught else: ’tis only borrowed.

6How long wilt thou embrace a dead beloved?Embrace the soul which is embraced by nothing.

7What was born of spring dies in autumn,Love’s rose-plot hath no aiding from the early spring.

8A thorn is the companion of the rose that comes of spring,And the wine that comes of grape-juice is not free from headache.

9Be not an expectant looker-on in this path;By God, there is no death worse than expectancy.

10Set thy heart on sterling coin, if thou be not false;Give ear to this deep saying, if thou lack an earring.

11Do not tremble on the steed of the body, but fare lighter on foot;God lends him wings who is not mounted on the body.

12Dismiss cares and be utterly clear of heart,Like the face of a mirror without image and picture.

13When it becomes clear of images, all images are contained in it;No man’s face is ashamed of that clear-faced one.

14Wouldst thou have a clear mirror, behold thyself therein,For it is not ashamed or afraid of telling the truth.