“If on Thine Eyes”, by Ṭáhirih
Translation by Joshua Hall
If on Thine eyes mine own should fall,
Two gazes fixed ‘twixt Thee and me,
In revelation of it all
I’d speak of how I’ve yearned for Thee.
To see Thy face Whom I adore,
The breeze’s way have I deemed meet,
Blowing house to house, door unto door,
Down alleyway, street unto street.
There flows when I am not with Thee,
From these two eyes, mine own heart’s blood,
Spring unto spring, sea unto sea,
Stream into stream, flood into flood.
Those lips, so bud-like at their close,
Those locks, so perfume redolent,
Bloom unto bloom, rose unto rose,
Tulip to tulip, scent to scent;
Thy brow, thine eye, thy fair cheek’s mole,
Have all ensnared, with subtle art,
My spirit’s bird, soul unto soul,
Love unto love, heart unto heart.
Into the spirit’s warp and weft,
And into every thread thereof,
This heart of mine, of joy bereft,
Hath weaved the fabric of Thy love.
Her own heart Ṭáhirih perused,
From page to page and fold to fold,
And it with Thee was so suffused
That only Thee could she behold.