Number 17

RubāʿīIndian/Isfahani style
English

Number 17

O flame, because of your cruel, tyrannical ways I burn alive, and you have no idea I exist. You asked why I circle you like a moth around a candle. I circle you because I would give my life for you.
Explanation: The moth circling the candle flame is a classic Persian image for the lover destroyed by devotion to the beloved. The Persian 'gardam gerd-e sarat' plays on both circling around the head and offering one's life as a sacrifice.

Original · Persian

شمارهٔ ۱۷

ای شعله ز دست خوی بیدادگرت می‌سوزم و هیچ نیست از من خبرت
گفتی که چو پروانه چه گردی گردم می‌گردم قربان سرت گرد سرت