Persian Love Poem

At last I was recaptured by his love

            Resisting had no effect

Love is like an ocean without a shore

            How can one swim there, oh wise one?

Love must be taken right to the end

            Many unsuitable things must be accepted

Ugliness must be seen as if it were good

            Poison must be taken as if it were sugar

I was disobedient and did not understand:

            The harder you pull, the tighter the rope.

RABA’A

translated by Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis

Persian Love Poetry (London: The British Museum Press, 2005), 16. The poetess Raba’a is also known as Rabi'a Balkhi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabi%27a_Balkhi