Islamic Garden

Islamic Garden
Islamic Garden in Lausanne, Switzerland

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Hafiz on the Path...

TURN LEFT A THOUSAND FEET FROM HERE

What I really want to give you
I can't
Yet all day long
I try painting maps on the sky
With bright, tender sounds
That say,
"Turn left a thousand feet from here,
Just past that next hill.
Then make a sharp right
As soon as you see that big rock
That looks like an egg,
There you will find a decent tavern."
I am like a wise friend.
If you come close to me
I will write down the address
Of the Woman who will ravish you most.
Hafiz never wants to offend,
So in anything I ever say
You can always freely switch the gender.
Come close to me,
I will whisper in your ear
A secret about the One who
Has made us all
Nuts.


~ From "The Gift" - translations by Daniel Ladinsky.

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