Love

Yield Not the Soul to Pang of Love

by Fuzuli c. 1483–1556

Translated by E. J. W. Gibb (1882) · From Ottoman Poems (1882)

LoveThe Mind

Yield not the soul to pang of Love, for Love's the soul's fierce glow;
That Love's the torment of the soul doth all the wide world know.

Seek not for gain from fancy wild of pang of Love at all;
For all that comes from fancy wild of Love's pang is grief's throe.

Each curving eyebrow is a blood-stained sabre thee to slay;
Each dusky curl, a deadly venomed snake to work thee woe.

Lovely, indeed, the forms of moon-like maidens are to see —
Lovely to see, but ah! the end doth bitter anguish show.

From this I know full well that torment dire in love abides,
That all who lovers are, engrossed with sighs, rove to and fro.

Call not to mind the pupils of the black-eyed damsels bright,
With thought: 'I'm man,' be not deceived, 'tis blood they drink, I trow.

E'en if Fuzûlî should declare: 'In fair ones there is troth;'
Be not deceived: 'A poet's words are falsehoods all men know.'

✦ ✦ ✦

A ghazel warning the reader that love's pangs bring only grief, and ending with the warning not to be deceived by the beloved's or the poet's own professions of faith in fair ones.

MLA

Fuzuli. “Yield Not the Soul to Pang of Love.” Translated by E. J. W. Gibb. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/fuzuli/4/.

Chicago

Fuzuli. “Yield Not the Soul to Pang of Love.” Translated by E. J. W. Gibb. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/fuzuli/4/.

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