THE ANGUISH OF LOVE
IBN AL-'ARABI
O ancient temple, there hath
risen for you a light that gleams in our hearts.
I complain to
thee of the deserts which I crossed, where I let my tears
flow unchecked,
Taking no joy in rest at dawn or dusk,
continuing from morn to morn and
passing
from eve to eve.
Truly, the camels, even if they suffer from
footsoreness, journey by night and
make
haste in their journey.
These beasts of burden carried us to
you with eager desire, though they did
not hope to attain thereby.
They traversed wildernesses and
wellnigh rainless lands, impelled by passion,
but they did not therefore complain of fatigue.
They did not
complain of the anguish of love, and 'tis I who complain of
fatigue. Indeed, I have claimed something absurd.