With what power do You move me
when I am disciplined in deep thought?
With what mystery do You wake me
when my body asks for rest?
With what miracle do You entrance me
when my mind is too tired to think?
Have I become too weak
or You too powerful?
Tell me.
Whisper my name in the dark
and I will answer the call.
I will come to You.
You have sent Simurgh here,
my dear friend – majestic Persian bird,
her giant feathers knocking on my window,
“Come outside, Jehan.”
I open to the gentle breeze:
transform me, o’ mystic night
into a bearded, wild-haired dervish,
let me dance with You in the sky,
grab me by the shoulders
and throw me towards the stars,
let me glow with their fire,
like a cyclone, I will whirl
like an Angel, I will fly
and with open arms, I will dive
into a submissive free fall.
Catch me in your lonely flight, Simurgh.
Let us soar together,
like Muhammad and al-Buraq
on their sacred night journey;
let us go to where Beloved calls,
for you, like the Angels, possess the key
to unlock the portal-gates
of the invisible realm.
O’ Radiant Friend,
Simurgh takes me to Your balcony
and I walk into your room;
Your magic is calling me
and though warmed by candlelight,
my body is trembling – haunted
by Your surreal beauty.
Lift my soul, O’ Beautiful,
I am here to worship You.
Take off Your invisible robes,
undress for mortal eyes
and reveal the secrets You hide;
crawl and breathe upon my skin
with the heat of Your Love,
fill my veins with a sudden, fiery
rush of adrenaline,
stir madness in my blood
until I become so crazy
and spin so fast
that the poison of what keeps me from You
spills out of my head.
Come closer with Your seductive flame;
for there is so much inside me,
in this mind, in this body,
in this mouth, in this soul,
so much desire, so much longing,
so much I have saved
only for You,
so much that I will give
only to You.
But bring an end to words.
You know what I want,
Jalaluddin said it centuries ago:
“I want burning, burning,
burning…”
~ Jehanzeb
