Whence did the yearning of the soul arise

Whence did the yearning of the soul arise,
The longing to attain the Heavenly Sight?
Before what mortal eyes
Was manifested the Eternal Light?

When the soul understands and wakes to find
Thou hast within the heart of man Thy throne,
It sees how arrogant and blind
The self that but its mortal self hath known.

Thou and I also were the seer and seen,
When none beside existed. Thou and I
Have Lover and Beloved been
Before this era of mortality.

How strange the turns in Love's unending game,
For neither Lover nor Beloved lit
The ever-burning flame:
Whence was the spirit that enkindled it?

The road that leads where pious pilgrims bow
In Kaaba or in Temple, Thou hast laid;
And first of all wert Thou
To tread the road that thou Thyself hadst made.