VIII: The loved-one is not concealed from thee

The loved-one is not concealed from thee,
O thou obstruction, round about thy soul!

Thou thyself hast become thine own veil,
Standing obdurate, in scepticism's path.

Thou becamest visible--the beloved, invisible;
But like unto thee, a perfect counterpart.

Spotless and pure, on every side and surface--
A simple lineament, but substance without.

Shouldst thou behold her, thou art blest:
How long, then, O forlorn! wilt thou gaze upon thyself?

When doth grain shoot up and flourish
In arid soil? O thou, of hard earth, a clod!

When a clan pitcheth its tents upon a plain,
Forthwith the grass thereon entirely disappeareth.

The black bee buzzeth lightly around the lotus;
Whilst thou, O beetle! hast sunk under thy load.

The flame, full soon, consumeth the straw;
But thou burnest, clumsy block! with many groans.

From love alone, is the heart's existence:
What were the callow brood, without the parent bird?

O Mirza! the compact of affection and love,
The moth, with the lamp, hath adjusted.