The Masnavi of Giti and Saeed - Part 18, 19 and 20

Part Eighteen — The Counsel of Saeed's Relatives They came to Saeed, kith and kin, Their faces pale, their hearts within Full of concern. They gently said, "What sorrow fills your weary head? You've cast your soul before her feet, Forsaken all for love so sweet. You've lost yourself within her spell, A wanderer in love's deep well. You've severed ties with all the world, Your banners of reason now unfurled. From your beloved you must part, Open your eyes and guard your heart. This path leads only to despair, In love's cruel trap, none can prepare. Beware! Don't wander in her gaze, Lost in the maze of beauty's ways. This is the fate of lovers all, Who gamble souls and risk their fall. There is no cure for love's sweet pain, No heart survives its golden chain." Part Nineteen — The Fourth Cupbearer's Song O Saqi with the cup in hand, I'm weary, weak, and barely stand. Pour me wine, for from the sky I've suffered wounds that none can heal. A wound that no physician's art Can cure except my lover's heart. A cup that frees me from this plight And leads me to my true love's light. Pour me drink, O drunken maid, For in time's grasp I've been betrayed. My soul yearns for your face so dear, See how my hair's a tangled sphere. Rise, musician, break this stillness, Far from you my heart knows illness. Strike your strings, let music fly, O comfort for the heart that cries. With melodies soothe my aching soul, Guide me where the love-flowers stroll. Play on and let the sweet notes sound, For time passes yet love is found. Reveal the sorrow of love's tale, Speak of my pain when all else fails. Part Twenty — On Giti's Condition Sweet Giti, tall and full of grace, Her beauty held a sacred place. With wine and mirth she'd freely play, A thousand praises every day. Her hair, a snare of midnight hue, Seeking hearts to capture, too. Her eyes like stars that dance and roam, Restless, bright, far from home. Her love brought spring's sweet, gentle breeze, Her anger cut like sharp-edged seas. With wine cup dancing in her hand, She moved like wind across the land. Free from sorrow, pain, and grief, Her face unmarked by disbelief. Her eyes had never wept in vain, Like floods that never know the rain. No chains could bind her spirit free, Her eyes unclouded, wild as sea. She bore no love for Saeed's name, Nor felt the burning of love's flame.