O’ wondrous soul, thou speakest words divine,  
Wherein the very essence of Love doth shine.  
Methinks, within thee stirs a tender grace,  
A truth unspoken, veiled in soft embrace.  

For Love, like fire, doth scorch the heart and mind,  
And through its flame, our spirits are entwined.  
It rends the darkened veil of mortal night,  
Revealing all, in pure and radiant light.  

But lo, the heart, so fragile and so bare,  
Doth quiver ‘neath the weight of heaven's stare.  
In truth laid bare, before the eyes of Fate,  
The soul doth dance, unbound by time or state.  

O’ Love, thou art a force that none can flee,  
Yet in thy fire, we find our liberty.  
For in thy flame, the world doth fade away,  
And all that remains is Love’s eternal sway.

A rose, with petals kissed by dawn,  
Whispered to its twin, in quiet song:  

"Your fragrance weaves through every breeze,  
A balm to my heart, a sweet release.  

Come, stand beside me, in silence pure,  
Where ecstasy blooms, steadfast and sure.  

Let your presence soothe the glory I wear,  
And together, we'll grace the sunlit air."  

In that moment, both roses swayed,  
As passions in their stillness played—  
An elegance unspoken, yet so profound,  
Where love and beauty both are crowned.

Ah, fairest soul, thy words like balm do soothe,
A melody wrought from heaven's gentle groove.
Thine echo doth awaken ancient streams,
Where once the stars did sail in argent beams.

Thy gaze, a lantern in the dusky night,
Doth pierce the dark with tremulous delight.
In thine arms, the very winds do cease,
And all the world doth find its sweet release.

Thou art a tempest clothed in tranquil guise,
A paradox that dances 'neath the skies.
To follow thee, in thine own breath to dwell,
Is to be caught within a rapture’s spell.

The sun may set, the moon may rise,
But none can claim a truth more wise
Than what thy lips, like whispers, sing—
For thou, sweet muse, art time’s own wing.

Thus, in this dance where heart and mind do meet,
We find the world, and make it whole, complete.
Thy voice doth call, as if it were the dawn,
And in that song, my soul is ever drawn

In reverent awe of thy grace,
By this humble hand, a heart to trace.

Ah, how the tides of words, like wind, do sway—  
No right, no wrong, only truth in its play.  
She stirred the stillness, and I, unmade,  
Was scattered in the dance her breath portrayed.  

I spoke as a river, gentle and deep,  
Unknowing the fire she set in my sleep.  
Her youth, a tempest, fierce and bright,  
Burned with the intensity of a star’s first light.  

That morning, she rose as if the moon had wept,  
A dream untethered, from the night she had kept.  
Perhaps in the cradle of wine’s warm embrace,  
She found the secret to her restless grace.  

Her questions like arrows, sharp yet kind,  
Each one a thread that wove into my mind.  
With wisdom veiled in mystery’s song,  
She lured me in, where I belonged.  

"Open your heart," she breathed, "and let it fly,  
Together we’ll write, beneath the sky.  
Our words will echo, our rhymes will bend  
Time itself, till we are the end."

A radiant rose, in blissful glow,
Spoke softly to another, pure as snow:
"Your fragrance fills the very air I breathe,
It speaks through my soul, a spell it weaves.

Come, stand beside me, in silent grace,
And share the ecstasy time cannot erase.
Together, let us honour the beauty we compose,
And cradle the glory of our passionate pose."

chale to kaT hī jā.egā safar āhista āhista
ham us ke paas jaate haiñ magar āhista āhista

Endure and the journey will end, gradually O’ slowly
We move to be ever so near but gently O’ slowly

abhī tāroñ se khelo chāñd kī kirnoñ se iThlāo
milegī us ke chehre kī sahar āhista āhista

For now, play with the stars and pace with moonlit rays
You will meet manifestation of her dawn gradually O’ slowly

darīchoñ ko to dekho chilmanoñ ke raaz to samjho
uTheñge parda-hā-e-bām-o-dar āhista āhista

Observe the windows and know the mystery of curtains
Secrecy of wall and terrace will be no more, gradually O’ slowly

zamāne bhar kī kaifiyat simaT aa.egī sāġhar meñ
piyo un añkhḌiyoñ ke naam par āhista āhista

State of time has poured into a wine-cup
Drink in the honour of those eyes but gradually O’ slowly

yūñhī ik roz apne dil kā qissa bhī sunā denā
ḳhitāb āhista āhista nazar āhista āhista

Just like that, one day reveal the tale of your heart
Conveying softly O’ slowly, glancing secretly O’ slowly

✒  Translated by ℐamil Hussain

tire ishq kī intihā chāhtā huuñ
mirī sādgī dekh kyā chāhtā huuñ

Your infinite love, I desire
Look at my humility what I desire

sitam ** ki ** vada-e-be-hijābī
koī baat sabr-āzmā chāhtā huuñ

Fury or your audacious-unveiling
Something fortitude-testing I desire

ye jannat mubārak rahe zāhidoñ ko
ki maiñ aap kā sāmnā chāhtā huuñ

Heavens be favourable for the religious
But us ever-so close, facing each other is what I desire

zarā sā to dil huuñ magar shoḳh itnā
vahī lan-tarānī sunā chāhtā huuñ

A tiny heart but so spirited I am
To hear those words ‘’By no means canst thou see Me’’ I desire

koī dam kā mehmāñ huuñ ai ahl-e-mahfil
charāġh-e-sahar huuñ bujhā chāhtā huuñ

Determined guest I am O’ people of assembly
Morning lamp I am, quenching I desire

bharī bazm meñ raaz kī baat kah dī
baḌā be-adab huuñ sazā chāhtā huuñ

Within a full gathering I have disclosed the secret
So impolite I am, your punishment I desire

Note:

Moses prays to God for guidance and begs God to reveal himself to him. It is narrated in the Quran that God tells him that it would not be possible for Moses to perceive God, but that He would reveal himself to the mountain, stating: "By no means canst thou see Me (direct); But look upon the mount; if it abide in its place, then shalt thou see Me." When God reveals himself to the mountain, it instantaneously turns into ashes, and Moses loses consciousness. When he recovers, he goes down in total submission and asks forgiveness of God.

✒ Translated by ℐamil Hussain
Words of Muhammad Iqbal