Silence
Abontee Ahmed
Oh Silence! You are the essence of me. You are the veil upon the face of my Beloved. The worst
trait of silence is that through it, fear and hope vanish. If a human remains silent before his
destiny and utters no complaint, he will have neither fear nor hope.
Before Allah destroys me with sorrow and grief, He will not grant me the treasure hidden within
me. Before He carries me away with a burning flood, He will not lead me to the sea of wisdom. I
am a mirror.
I am a mirror. I am the one who is talkative and distracted. Because I am silent, you do not hear
the cries of my heart. Would that your ears could turn into eyes, so you might see how helpless I
am.
I am like a tree shaking its hands in the wind. I orbit like the moon in the sky. When I am upon
the earth, my orbit carries the scent of soil. I am the color of dust; yet though I am made of dust,
since I hold a sacred spirit within, my orbit is purer, more beautiful than the orbit of the heavens.
O Silence, you are my essence. You are my face.
O Sage, speak! Speak, that I may pray for you; for you speak the truth. For every dawn, when the
time of prayer arrives, I become more beautiful, joyful, exultant, and intoxicated.
So upon myself I swear, I shall never deprive you of my warmth or mirth.
And I ask God that whatever He has decreed for the possessor of my heart, He may grant half of
it to me.
The cup of Truth and the cup of Eternity, the Beloved Himself has given them to me. The beggar
who drinks from that wine becomes a fountain of the sun, a divine light giving drink to the
thirsty.
My throat is parched; I can no longer speak.
I have fallen silent.
O sage of beautiful speech, O dweller of my heart, O star of my joy, speak to me, for you are the
possessor of a voice like Dawood's (AS.) and I am as a mountain uprooted and ruined by divine
command.
Abontee Ahmed
