Number 18

I never broke away from you, for you are my beloved friend; I became like your servant, ready to gird myself for your command. You are a swift, nimble rider, and you tied my heart to your saddle; how blessed and sweet is the heart that becomes my beloved's prey. With such beauty and such purity your face reveals, I have chosen you above all; I want no love but you. In hope of you I am full of joy, in your love I burn; sometimes I weep from delight, sometimes I laugh from longing. I have tasted much bitterness since the moment I saw your face; in your words and on your lips, my love, you are my sugar, you are my sweetness. In your love I am wretched and bewildered, undone by helpless daze; out of jealousy I have torn the very root of jealousy from my heart at once. The sapling of love, my beloved, in the garden of my heart, is why I have scattered talk of tenderness across the world. I wrote down my own tale as I heard those words; since I sowed love for you in my heart, may my bond be blessed. Though I have no peace, I am still your unripe lover; burn me like wild rue, sweetly, in love. I became your servant, an Ayaz to your Mahmud; draw me close to you, as you draw yourself near.