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Friends, keep an eye on me or else
in my madness I’ll shout the secrets
of the Lord and everyone will know.
I melt like wax in the flame of Love.
But this heart? It’s a sullen stone.
I went downstairs into death.
The Heavens whipped me, hit me.
Take pity on me. How long must
I groan through these beatings?
When will I get a chance to rest?
My reputation’s in ruins.
I’ve spent all my money,
now I’m broke. I have nothing
to give. I’m not a movie star with
a charity in my famous name.
My boat is breaking up. I sailed out
on the ocean of despair, seeking
a haven, searching for the Friend.
I can’t go on. I yield to Fate. I leave
the battle. I can’t fight any more.
Spring is ending. The nightingale
no longer sings. Rose petals drift
through the garden. How long will
this madness entangle my heart?
How long can this mania last?
I’ve wasted the bounty of my life in
bitter separation from the Belovéd.
Cruel Heavens, let’s call an end
to this grief, struggle, pain, weary
discontent. It’s useless.
In any story of one person’s
good fortune, great luck,
there’s the shadowed history
of someone else’s
failure and despair.
Friends gather to celebrate good times.
Makhfi travels in the sorrow lane.
She goes slowly, her feet are sad.
There’s no rest, no ease, no peace
for her along the way.
