Poem #406

She said: "You went to gaze upon the crescent of the skies?

Shame on your face! Have you forgot the crescent of my eyes?"

A lifetime passed, your captive heart bound in my tresses' hair;

Do not neglect the old friend's claim, nor leave him in despair.

Don't sell the scent of intellect to my dark Hindu tress;

For there, a thousand pods of musk are worth a barley-grain, or less.

In this old field of time and space, the seeds of love we sow

Shall only show their hidden fruit when harvest winds begin to blow.

Bring wine, O Cupbearer! And I will tell a mystery to you,

Of ancient wandering stars that fade, and moons forever new.

The crescent moon at each month's birth a bloody sign displays:

Siyamak's crown is lost in dust, and Zu's proud helm decays.

Hafez, the Magian Elder's house is Faith's true sanctuary;

There read the lesson of Love's law, and hear its mystery.