Floating

beautiful lotus
perfume floats on a warm spring breeze
thoughts of love blossom

Kim M. Russell, 2017

Portrait of a Woman, Mughal, c1640, image found on Pinterest

My response to Carpe Diem #1176 Theme Week Hafiz (2) lover

On the second day of the Theme Week for this month, we are exploring the beauty of Persian (Iranian) poetry, and Hafiz plays the ‘leading role’. Chèvrefeuille explains that the title of this episode, ‘lover’ has been taken from a Hafiz’s poem ‘Let Thought Become Your Beautiful Lover’, in which he describes the meaning of prayer through the idea of a beautiful woman.

Let Thought Become Your Beautiful Lover

Let thought become the beautiful Woman.

Cultivate your mind and heart to that depth

That it can give you everything
A warm body can.

Why just keep making love with God’s child–
Form

When the Friend Himself is standing
Before us
So open-armed?

My dear,
Let prayer become your beautiful Lover

And become free,
Become free of this whole world
Like Hafiz.

© Hafiz, taken from The Gift, translated by Daniel Ladinsky