Do not ask us to explain love’s boundless mystery,

For you will lose yourself within that sea of meaning.

With every breath, it sets the souls of longing hearts aflame;

Do not ask the heart of stone about its soul-consuming fire.

Whoever shares its breath is carried far beyond the self;

Do not ask the lovesick heart to tell the secret of this madness.

Whoever once has tasted from that never-ending cup

Should not ask flask or goblet for the ecstasy within it.

In the tavern of eternity, the crown of reason fell to dust;

Do not ask the palace of self-sufficiency to value that ruin.

Whoever became one drop within its storm inherited the sea;

Do not ask the shoreline to reveal the measure of the infinite.

Like dawn, pass beyond yourself if you would see the Beloved’s face;

Do not ask the longest night to show the road toward certainty’s sun.

Every faded flower once beheld a season of spring;

Do not ask the breath of winter to recount the flower’s tomorrow.

Whoever cleansed the heart’s mirror of the rust of self-regard

Need not ask the seeing heart about the radiance of Truth.

Though reason memorized a hundred volumes, it broke before love;

Do not ask reason alone to unveil the secret of this valley of the soul.

Until you burn within the sparks of longing, you will not pass into light;

Do not ask our lamp to explain the dawn of those who love.

For one smile from the Beloved, we would leave both worlds behind;

Do not ask the people of this world to calculate the value of such gain.