The amputation of desire condemns
To Death; Life rests secure on the behest
Do not despair. Desire continuing 16
The substance is of hope, while hopelessness
Poisons the very blood of life. Despair
Presses thee down, a tombstone on thy heart,
And, though thou be as high as AlondÂ’s mount,17
It casts thee down; impotence is the slave
Of its poor favours, unambition hangs
Upon its skirts. Despair lulls life asleep,
And proves the langour of its element;
The spiritÂ’s eye is blinded by the smear
Of its collyrium, and brightest day 18
Transformed to pitchy night ; lifeÂ’s faculties
Die at its breath, LifeÂ’s springs are all dried up.
Despair and Sorrow sleep beneath one quilt;
Grief, like a lancet, pierces the soulÂ’s vein.
O thou who art a prisoner of care,
Learn from the ProphetÂ’s message, Do not grieve 19
This lesson fortified with trusty faith
The heart of Abu Bakr, and with the cup 20
Of blessed certitude rejoiced his soul.
The Muslim, well content with GodÂ’s good grace,
Is like a star, and goes upon his way
Smiling. If thou acknowledgest a God,
Shake free from sorrow, and deliver thee
From vain imaging of FortuneÂ’s turns.