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The Khaniqah of the Dervishes

Come, the haven of the devout

          is here.

Come, the Kaaba of pure lovers

          is here.


Come to the tavern

          of the heart-possessing mystics.

God is the cupbearer at this banquet;

          the Almighty is here.


Don’t go to the monastery —

          paradise is all they grant;

come to the quarters of the tavern-dwellers,

          for God is here.


Don’t say that faithfulness and purity have vanished,

          that compassion is lost.

Come, for purity is the code

          and fidelity the custom here.


If you are fickle in your desires,

          relinquish the desire for us;

but if you pine for God,

          come, the remedy is here.


Do not wander about the world,

          O love-sick one.

Come, the doctor of love bears witness

          that the remedy is here.


Step into this sacred realm

          with respect,

for the prayer niche and the sanctuary

          of the purified are here.


If you wish to reach the shore of love

          with ease, come!

For the ship, the captain,

          and the ocean are all here.


Error cannot enter the precincts

          of the people of God;

if you imagine otherwise,

          that is the error here.


Don’t look down on

          the khaniqah of the dervishes,

since Gabriel is in attendance

          as a servant here.


New life is bestowed

          upon seekers of the path of love;

let the destitute on the Beloved’s path know

          their provision is here.


This is the assembly of intimacy

          for those enamored with God;

the soul is enraptured

          and the heart expanded here.


Love is beyond

          what can be expressed, it is true.

But hush! The primary school

          of God’s friends is here.


The dust of its threshold

          can grant a whole world’s wishes,

for the sincere dervishes

          leave tracks here.


Here, don’t speak

          of “friend” and “stranger;”

know that every stranger

          is a friend here.


The light-bestowing nature

          of this khaniqah is envied by all,

for the place of martyrdom of Reza,

          the King of Faith, is here.

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