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Nizami – Makhzanol Asrar (The Treasury of Mysteries) – extract from Describing the night and cognising the heart

The empire was greater than that of the heavens
How rich is the dust of that land!

In the country of the breath of the warm breeze,
The mid-day sun was seated on the throne.

A horseman, dressed in red, stood in reverence before him.
One dressed like a ruby, was his counsellor of victory.

A bitter youth was his advance guard in the chase;
below him was a black slave, drinking the dregs.

A lasso thrower sat in ambush;
an invulnerable one wore silver armour.

All these were the moths; and the Heart was the candle.
They were all scattered, but the Heart was collected.

I became the contented guest of the Heart
and gave my soul as an offering to the sovereign Heart.

When I found the banner of the army of the Heart,
I turned away my face from the whole world

The Heart said tenderly ‘O thou speechless one,
seek the bird and leave the nest’

‘My fire does not confide in this smoke, because that is the salt
and this piece is not even salted.

‘My shadow has more power than this cypress
My foot is above the stage

‘I am a treasure, but not in the purse of Aaron.
I am not with thee; neither am I outside thee’

Through the warm breath of the Heart, the bird of my lips
shed the feathers of its tongue in shame.

I bowed my head in shame;
my ears wore the ring of servitude out of respect.

My master, the Heart, renewed my covenant
and made the name of Nezami resound in heaven.