My sweetheart —
may she live as long
as my heartbreak —
today began her kindnesses
anew.
She locked eyes with me
for an instant,
then was gone–
meaning: Do good,
and cast it upon the waters.
Translated by Juan Cole
from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 273
As always, these poems make me happy.
Well, they don’t always make me happy (some a pretty bleak), but they always content me.
Content may be a better word. But even dark poetry can give joy by its beauty and intelligence.