Look -- I do nothing; He performs all deeds

by Farid ud-Din Attar

English version by Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis
Original Language Persian/Farsi

Look -- I do nothing; He performs all deeds
And He endures the pain when my heart bleeds.
When He draws near and grants you an audience
Should you hang back in tongue-tied diffidence?
When will your cautious heart consent to go
Beyond the homely boundaries you know?
O slave, if He should show His love to you,
Love which His deeds perpetually renew,
You will be nothing, you will disappear --
Leave all to Him who acts, and have no fear.
If there is any "you", if any wraith
Of self persists, you've strayed outside our faith.

-- from The Conference of the Birds, Translated by Afkham Darbandi / Translated by Dick Davis

<<Previous Poem | More Poems by Farid ud-Din Attar | Next Poem >>


View All Poems by Farid ud-Din Attar



Recommended Books: Farid ud-Din Attar

Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and Beauty The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish & Hebrew Poems Perfume of the Desert: Inspirations from Sufi Wisdom The Conferences of the Birds
More Books >>



Look -- I do