Maza tha hum ko jo Laila se do-ba-do karte

To meet my love in contest, a joy forever new, And in your spring to bloom, a hope forever true, is what I would pursue.

If lovers spoke of death’s sweet joy they pass right through, Immortal saints would wish for death, is what I would pursue.

Your arrows need no tempering, their aim is sharp and true, But how to see the heart without the clean wudu, is what I would pursue.

If times turned upside down, as is their worldly due, With water dry, with dust we’d wash ourselves anew, is what I would pursue.

If we had known we’d be plucked for our vibrant hue, We flowers never would have wished for scent and dew, is what I would pursue.

O Mansur, see the gallows’ rope and noose askew, As needle, thread, that stitch the torn veil of the True, is what I would pursue.

On Judgment Day, the drinkers, waking from their sleep anew, Will cry, “Oh Saki, bring the morning’s sacred brew!” is what I would pursue.

The praise for Joseph’s beauty would be seen right through, If we but brought your perfect face into their view, is what I would pursue.

The garden too would see its own desire come true, If it could long for spring within the breeze of you, is what I would pursue.

O Zauq, to chase the ghost of all that you’ve been through, A lifetime disappears in just that search anew, is what I would pursue.