How long will you tell me to give up loving her,
to calm myself with patience?
Tell the amber not to pull;
what can one poor scrap of straw do against it?
Explanation: Amber, when rubbed, attracts bits of straw, a classic Persian image for an irresistible pull between lover and beloved. The straw is helpless before it, just as the poet is helpless before his love.
Original · Persian
قطعه شمارهٔ ۱۷ - کاه و کهربا
چند گویی که مهر ازو بردار
خویشتن را به صبر ده تسکین