1. The one whose love made the most eloquent sing
Was seen by the Lord of the darling gazelle

2. His wounds adorned him, and pierced the most guarded of hearts
Seeking their vengeance in spirits and souls

3. And so they sang of the wine-stained hue
That dyed him in sweetest perfume

4. Blessed was the night by the Nile, silvery in hue
Baring its skin of hazes dimmed

5. Do you fear the whispers of gossip about me
Or dread the watch of a lurking guard?

6. Or would you rather I slept, and meaning itself slept
Yearning for glitter, or glitter itself slept?

7. The pleats of night, drunk with joy, slipped
From the grasp of dawn’s rousing hems

8. By rote I know remedies time-approved
Not by knowledge or test have they won me

9. A doctor may know of compounds and potions
But no medicine cures the doctor’s own frame