My Sweet, Crushed Angel

You have not danced so badly, my dear,
Trying to hold hands with the Beautiful One.

You have waltzed with great style,
My sweet, crushed angel,
To have ever neared God’s Heart at all. 

Our Partner is notoriously difficult to follow,
And even His best musicians are not always easy to hear. 

So what if the music has stopped for a while. 
So what if the price of admission to the Divine
Is out of reach tonight. 

So what, my dear,
If you do not have the ante to gamble for Real Love. 

The mind and body are famous
For holding the heart ransom,
But Hafiz knows the Beloved’s eternal habits. 

Have patience,
For He will not be able to resist your longing for long. 

You have not danced so badly, my dear,
Trying to kiss the Beautiful One. 

You have actually waltzed with tremendous style,
O my sweet,
Oh my sweet, crushed angel. 

~ Hafiz ~ 
(I Heard God Laughing – Renderings of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)