Comma for either/or — dharma, courage. Spelling forgiving — corage finds courage.

    Cover for Diwan-E-Zauq

    Diwan-E-Zauq

    Azeezo is ko na ghadiyal ki sada samjho

    Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq

    My dears, don't think that sound the clock's cold chime; Know it to be the footstep of your time.

    What all the world proclaims as right and true, Believe it is God's drumbeat calling you.

    The wild's a clinic where the mad can mend; Its very dust is medicine, my friend.

    A man of letters who can't understand Is like the blind without a staff in hand.

    Why read old books? A pure heart is your space, More sacred than a fabled "Garden's Grace."

    If she should laugh to see my weeping state, Her lashes build a wall of scornful weight.

    For life's true prayer is the breath you take; To miss that prayer is your last mistake.

    A million souls lie turning into clay, And for this single recognition pray.

    We send a blessing from a grateful heart To praise the blade that tears our soul apart.

    He spilled my blood within his narrow street; Know this as payment, final and complete.

    What can I say to one as wise as you? God only knows what you will find is true.

    Like any mirror, what's a name to you? The face before you is the one that's true.

    What sweet a fate, if when you practice harm, You see my dust-heap and then raise your arm.

    A sallow cheek is worth far more than gold, A purer substance for the wise to hold; So Zauq, your love's an alchemy, all told.