Translated by Laleh Khalili
August 12, 1999
The Iranian
I love you beyond the frontiers of your flesh
grant me mirrors and eager fireflies
luminescence and wine
exalted skies and the spacious arch of the bridge
grant me birds and rainbows
and repeat the abundance of the absolute melody
in the music you bedeck
***
I love you beyond
the borders of my flesh
upon that distant vista
where the prophesy of bodies ends
and the blaze and fervor of throbbings and desires
repose entirely
and meaning abandons
the cast of form
as if a soul,
its carrion at the end of its excursion,
forsaken to the vultures of finalities...
beyond love
I love you
beyond the curtains and colors
grant me the promise of an encounter
beyond the borders of our bodies
Ahmad Shamlu
From Aida in the Mirror
