Tell me, O people, tell me!
Who among you would not wake
from the sleep of life
if love were to brush your
spirit with its fingertips?
Who among you would not forsake
your father and your mother
and your home if the girl whom
your heart loved were to call to him?
Who among you would not cross
the seas, traverse deserts,
go over mountains and valleys to reach
the woman whom his spirit has chosen?
What youth would not follow
his heart to the ends of the earth
to breathe the sweetness of his lover's breath,
feel the soft touch of her hands,
delight in the melody of her voice?
What man would not immolate his soul
that its smoke might rise
to a god who would hear his plea
and answer his prayer?
