The Bride – Soul Longs for Her Husband, The Beloved
When will that day dawn, Mother;
When the One I took birth for
Holds me to His heart with deathless love?
I long for the bliss of divine union.
I long to lose my body, mind, and soul
And become one with my husband.
When will that day dawn, Mother?
Husband, fulfil now the longing I have had
Since before the universe was made.
Enter me completely and release me.
In terrible lonely years without You
I yearn and yearn for You.
I spend sleepless nights hunting for You,
Gazing into darkness after You,
With unblinking hopeless eyes.
When will that day dawn, Mother?
When will my Lord hold me to His heart?
My empty bed, like a hungry tigress,
Devours me whenever I try to sleep.
Listen to your slave’s prayer –
Come and put out this blaze of agony
That consumes my soul and body.
When will He hold me to His heart?
When will that day dawn, Mother?
Kabir sings, ‘If I ever meet You, my Beloved,
I’ll cling to you so fiercely You melt into me;
I’ll sing from inside You songs of union,
World-dissolving songs of Eternal Bliss.’
– Kabir
~
From: Perfume of the Desert
~ Inspirations from Sufi Wisdom
Edited: Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut