from you i suffer such sorrow that, if it struck the sun, it would not rise; and if it struck the lightning, it would not flash. — abū al-ʿalāʾ al-maʿarrī

such is my state, in rivalry i strive for those dear books that keep my soul alive; i know that death will seize me in its sweep before my heart has had its fill to keep. — abū ʿabd allāh al-maqqarī

سرور جو حق و باطل کي کارزار ميں ہے تو حرب و ضرب سے بيگانہ ہو تو کيا کہيے جہاں ميں بندہ حر کے مشاہدات ہيں کيا تري نگاہ غلامانہ ہو تو کيا کہيے

i obeyed my desires, and they enslaved me; had i been content, i would have been free. — abu al-ʿatāhiyah

me from 19th to 20th march

درهای فرد‌وس وا بود امروز از بی‌دماغی گفتیم ‌ فردا ۔ بیدل Gates of paradise were wide open today I, reckless with sin, said: perhaps tomorrow

i am gentle with you, though in my heart there is a burning; i turn away from you, yet my affection still faces you. and when i intend to seek union with another, a longing for you turns me back, as the first intercessor on your behalf. — abū ʿubādah al-buḥturī

if you fear something decreed, and flee from it, you head straight toward it. — ibn al-rūmī

i acquit not myself, for i am but human; i fall into heedlessness and err, unless providence guard me. nor shalt thou find an excuse more fitting for one who slips than that he confess and say: “i am but human.” — al-maqrīzī

i’m looking for classic farsi poetry collections, any must reads?

i turn my face when he approaches deliberately, for fear of a talebearer between us or a watcher. and within me, and God knows best, are eyes, that watch him from within my ribs and heart. — al-ḥasan ibn muḥammad al-būrīnī

upon her fair cheek there rests a mole above, like a dark drop of amber set upon polished marble. and in her glances are swords that cry out against the rebel of love: “God is Greatest!” — ibn al-rūmī

at least 8 years, 10 even better

يأتيك بالودِّ مَن تنسىٰ مودّته ومن تَوَدُّ وِدادًا مِنهُ؛ ينساكَ.