At Last

At Last


I was there when Hallaj
Kissed his primeval destiny,
Saying,

"At Last, my Love,
At last!"

"Verily, nothing stands
Between Alif and Ha."

"Here on the Mountain Peak
Brimming with the naked sky,
Praise Yourself with Yourself!"

"Glory be to You, Beloved,
These people, with their feet,
And with their pressing weight,
Would trample even on
Love!"

"When Your Harvest is at hand,
But is untimely for them,
Even Love's Flower shall be
Crushed."

"But nothing belonging to
The loud, lower world
Affirms You with 'is',
Nor negates You with 'is not'."

"Nearness has sought me,
Unity has desired me,
How can, at last,
Shyness not be slain?"

"Ha Mim."

"We both, or
You alone, know,
Sweetheart,
That I want only You."

If Love is a sublime banner,
Then he was the erect mast.

He stood in inner quietness,
With his shadow
Annihilated in the sun,

Face to face with Life,
Eye to eye with Love,
Hand in hand with
Patience.

Oh, how rare is such a
Wedding nowadays,

Where the Bride,
The Bridegroom,
And the Bridal Chamber
Are all One in
Manifest Redness.

By my soul,
The Slain One was
Love's Complete
Open Book.

O you who inquire,
To love and die like that is not
To learn how to love and die,
But to remember Love as Love.

More sincere than
A song in the night,

More exquisite than the sun
Seen through the morning mist,

Prouder than a still
Unconquered mountain,

More willing than the ocean
That sends its longing to
Distant, lonely shores,

Drunk as drunk,

He spanned himself
Like the vast sky without a horizon,
Touched only by Luminosity.

When his blood fell like
Viscous sugar drops,
Mingling with the dim sunrays
And the rising dust,

The perfumed breeze quickly arrived
And Love smiled gloriously through
The Wine-Painted Word

"Allaahu"

Thus, the Whisper found
The Whispered in a strange
Emptiness where Man is
Freed from the universe.

The dawn rose from every
Enchanted petal of my heart,
And a certain destiny was
Revealed.

Its sweetness was just
Irreducible,
My friend.

There I was, witnessing
Open kisses.

Yet, though moistened by tears,
I still tried to somehow avoid
Love's Intimation.

I saw the Eyelid of the
Sweetheart,
Seeking to eliminate
My shyness.

I asked,

"What is Love?"

The Beloved said,

"Kaf Ha Nun."

Then She said,

"To Love is to drink My Necessity,
Of which you shall be the Cup."

"And when you are full with
Sweetness,
I shall claim for Myself
The Truth that you are."

A thousand years and more
Have now passed,

Rumors have spread
Eastward and Westward,
From lips to lips,
Ear to ear,

But the memories of Manshur's
Self-Chosen Sweet Pain
Are truly louder in their silence,

In this restless heart which has
Infinite eyes of its own.

Lathifah,
Sweet Lathifah,

My Love,

I have always loved You,

In the khirqa of 'Uwaysh,

On the gallows of Hallaj,

In the wine of 'Aththar,

On the wings of Rumi,

And now I love You in
My own garden,
In a Little Flower,
Adorned with
Celestial thorns.

I love You flowing in my veins,
Caressing my heart,
Ensuing from my wounds,

As I hold You tight,
Oh so tight,

In the wind,
In the rain,
In the sun,

In silence.

How can I refuse my destiny
When You Yourself are
Present in my cup as
Taste?

How can I not long to kiss You
When You speak to me
As my own moistening tears?

How can I not want You this much,
And be wanted by You likewise,
When You are You?

Between You and me now,
Beloved,
There is nothing but Necessity,
Of which You are the
Fulfillment.

Save me from everything,
Sweetheart,
From everything,
But Your Self.

At last, my Love,
At last!

Alif Lam Mim.

Hu Allaahu Anaa Hu,

Shalli 'alaa Habiibika-l 'Azhiim
Sayyidinaa Muhammadin
Nuuru Sirru Dzaat
Rasuulillaah.

[For Mina, my Little Flower]

'Isyq,

Dani