Poetry in Translation

Ardor

after Iqbal

Her seduction keeps him fluid as mercury
Has she taught him the rules of passion?

Restless, he finds comfort yearning
Is she his eternal flame?

Is he a lover of ancient beauty?
She, small Sinai; he, small Moses

His search for illumination —
An insect longing for light

 

By Rafiq Kathwari. His new collection of poems, My Mother’s Scribe, is available here and here and here.