English
You, the One I Cannot Do Without
My beloved, the one I cannot live without, my heart longs for you;
and my life too, if you'll accept it, is yours.
The clamor of the mystics, the yearning of lovers:
it isn't greed for paradise, it's the longing to see your face.
If you offer a crown, all I want is your acceptance;
if you strike with the sword, all I seek is your pleasure.
Whether you caress your servant or kill him,
whether pain or tenderness, whatever you do is your will alone.
Even caught in an enemy's snare, even in the lion's jaws,
blessed is the life of anyone who knows you.
Wherever a living heart bows, it lays its face on your ground;
wherever a grieving hand rises, it rises in prayer to you.
I'm not the only one left captive in your bonds;
on every side a broken heart is smitten with you.
Some crave the riches of this world,
some crave the next, but my only craving is you.
The souls of the enraptured feed on your attention;
the hearts of the living find peace in your welcome.
If we have failed, you are endlessly merciful;
any excuse we offer rests on the hope of your faithfulness.
Perhaps our sins won't even be counted,
there where your grace and mercy have no end.
No one has lasting life or an unbroken promise;
eternal kingship and everlasting life belong to you.
Wherever there is a throne, a seat of honor, a crown,
it depends upon the threshold of your majesty.
Saadi cannot fully describe your praise;
falling silent before you is the limit of all praise.