Sol 6

  1. To Ahmad the moons bow.

    Count that among his glories.

  2. I compose poems in his praise

    and hold fast to reverence for him.

  3. Ahmad is the moon of the horizon

    and the sun of lofty virtues.

  4. The fire of longing blazes;

    what can I do?

  5. Though those who went before have won

    that perfection,

  6. settled in that abode

    and gained his nearness,

  7. a fire of thoughts burns in my heart;

    they have fed its flame.

  8. Caravan guide, convey from me

    a cherished greeting,

  9. and say: a lover burdened with sorrow

    has become a captive.

  10. The arrows of separation have struck him silent;

    he has found no helper.

  11. Fate has kept him far away

    and stirred his grief.

  12. In my heart, my praise across the lands

    kindles its fire.

  13. When a flash of lightning appears

    from the reaches of Najd,

  14. my longing calls me toward it,

    as does the force of my yearning.

  15. Toward the grave of the best of creation

    I will strive with all my strength,

  16. hoping to fulfill my desire

    and be granted a visit to him.

  17. Then my sins may be erased

    when I visit his abode.

  18. O guide of my longing, chant

    the beloved’s name.

  19. O heat of my yearning, stoke

    the fires of my pounding heart.

  20. O tears of my eyes, inscribe

    upon the sorrowful one’s cheek

  21. the lines of remembrance

    of an abode illuminated by

  22. the radiance of the Chosen One’s face,

    which raised its beacon high.

  23. O Lord, by the Chosen One

    and his noble companions,

  24. bring one who lives far away near

    to that place.

  25. Forgive the words of one who persists,

    singing in rapture,

  26. from Yurin, the perfumer’s house,

    on Minaret Lane.

  27. My clothes and all the house contains:

    we will give him the reward for good tidings.

Sol 6