Am'aq - Love Makes Me Wish

Love makes me wish that everyone were blind
And only I could see you and revere you,
Or that my own two eyes were blind-and then
I would not see the others hovering near you.

- Am'aq, Persian poet, 12th century

Marvazi - Why tease me

Why tease me? In the twinkling of an eye
Your beauty and my love will both be gone
Don't set your price extortionately high
You'll see it plummet--and before too long.

-- 1037-1157, Persian poet, Rafi' Marvazi

This is To Love - Moulana J Rumi

This is love: to fly to heaven, every moment to rend a hundred veils;
At first instance, to break away from breath
first step, to renounce feet;
To disregard this world, to see only that which you yourself have seen I said, "Heart, congratulations on entering the circle of lovers,
"On gazing beyond the range of the eye,
on running into the alley of the breasts."
Whence came this breath, O heart?
Whence came this throbbing, O heart?
Bird, speak the tongue of birds: I can heed your cipher!
The heart said, "I was in the factory whilst the home of water and clay was abaking.
"I was flying from the workshop whilst the workshop was being created.
"When I could no more resist, they dragged me; how shall I
tell the manner of that dragging?"

- Rumi

Eric Clapton on Layla

So many years after I discovered sufi, mystic, and other poetry, and heard and studied the story of Layla & Majnun, I found that Eric Clapton (who wrote my namesake song, per dad, p.s. my brother's name is Erik) used Nizamai's poetry from Layla & Majnun word for word on his Layla album...

Layla

by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon
Based on Nizami's 12th century epic poem, "Layla and Majnun"

What'll you do when you get lonely
And no one's waiting by your side?
You've been running and hiding much too long.
You know it's just your foolish pride.

Chorus:
Layla, got me on my knees,
Layla, Begging, darling please, Layla,
Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?

I tried to give you consolation
When your old man had let you down.
Like a fool, I fell in love with you,
Turned my whole world upside down.
Let's make the best of the situation
Before I finally go insane.
Please don't say we'll never find a way
And tell me all my love's in vain

I Am Yours

by Eric Clapton
Based on Nizami's 12th century epic poem, "Layla and Majnun"

I am yours.
However distant you may be,
There blows no wind but wafts your scent to me,
There sings no bird but calls your name to me.
Each memory that has left its trace with me
Lingers forever as a part of me.
I am yours.

On Layla e Majnun - Nezami

These two friends are one, eternal companions.
He is Majnun, the king of the world in right action.
And she is Layla, the moon among idols in compassion.
In the world, like unpierced rubies they treasured their fidelity affectionately, but found no rest and could not attain their heart's desire.
Here they suffer grief no more.
So it will be until eternity.
Whoever endures suffering and forebears in that world will be joyous and exalted in this world.

Break Your Cage - Majnun/Nezami

For how long then do you want to deceive yourself?
For how long will you refuse to see yourself as you are and as you will be?
Each grain of sand takes its own length and breadth as the measure of the world; yet, beside a mountain range it is as nothing.
You yourself are the grain of sand;
you are your own prisoner.

Break your cage, break free from yourself, free from humanity;
learn that what you thought was real is not so in reality.
Follow Nizami: burn but your own treasure, like a candle -- then the world, your sovereign, will become your slave.

- Majnun for Layla, many years later