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Love is tender, a thing hard to be known. True love is something apart from lust, and cannot be likened thereto;

it is one thing;

when he is far from his beloved he must heave sigh upon sigh;

his heart must be fixed on one from whom he endures wrath or sorrow if need be. I hate heartless love—embracing, kissing, noisy bussing.

Lovers, call not this thing love: when any longs for one to-day and another to-morrow, (lightly) bearing parting's pain. Such base sport is like mere boyish trifling;

the good lover is he who suffers a world's woe.

There is a first (? noblest) love;

it does not show, but hides its woes;

He must betray his secret to none, he must not basely groan and put his beloved to shame;

in nought should he manifest his love, nowhere must he reveal it;

for her sake he looks upon sorrow as joy, for her sake he would willingly be burned (or? willingly burns [with love]).

How can the sane trust him who noises his love abroad, and what shall it profit to do this? He makes her suffer, and he himself suffers. How should he glorify her if he shame her with words? What a chance if one hurt not his beloved's heart!

I, Rust'haveli, have composed this work by my art. For her whom a multitude of hosts obey, I lose my wits, I die! I am sick of love, and for me there is no cure from anywhere, unless she give me healing or the earth a grave.

Eyes that have lost their light through her long to look on her anew;

lo! my heart is mad with love, and it is my lot to run about the fields. Who will pray for me? The burning of the body sufficeth, let (her) give soul-comfort! In praise of threefold hue, the verse must needs fall short.

With what Fate gives to a man, therewithal should he be content, and so (? contentedly) speak of it. The labourer should ever work, the warrior be brave. So, also, should the lover love Love, and recognize it. Who judges not will not be judged by others.

The poet must not spend his toil in vain. One should seem to him worthy of love;

he must be devoted to one, he must employ all his art for her, he must praise her, he must set forth the glory of his beloved;

I speak of the highest love—divine in its kind. It is difficult to discourse thereon, ill to tell forth with tongues. It is heavenly, upraising the soul on pinions. Whoever strives thereafter must indeed have endurance of many griefs.

Sages cannot comprehend that one Love;

the tongue will tire, the ears of the listeners will become wearied;

I wonder why men show that they love the beloved. Why shame they her whom they love, her who slays herself for them, who is covered with wounds? If they love her not, why do they not manifest to her feelings of hatred? Why do they disgrace what they hate? But an evil man loves an evil word more than his soul or heart.

If the lover weep for his beloved, tears are her (? his) due. Wandering and solitude befit him, and must be esteemed as roaming. He will have time for nothing but to think of her. If he be among men, it is better that he manifest not his love.

He kept his love hidden in his heart. When he was absent and saw her not, his rose faded

when he saw her, the fires were renewed, his wound smarted more. Love is pitiable

"Although I have been unable to hold converse with thee hitherto, yet from afar have I perceived thy love for me

I know that without pause the hail has fallen from thine eyes upon thy cheek. Thou art made prisoner by love

"This service of mine which I bid thee do befits thee for these two reasons: First, thou art a knight, among all flesh there is none like unto thee

secondly, thou art in love with me, this is true and no slander. Go, seek that brother-in-arms, be he near or far.

"Thereby shalt thou strengthen my love for thee

by delivering me from my sadness, thou shalt cripple the foul demon

"I swear if I wed any husband but thee, even should the sun become man, incarnate for my sake, may I be cut off for ever from Paradise, may I be swallowed up in Hell

love for thee would slay me, piercing my heart with a knife!"

he looked back, his eyes were dazed, crystal hails down and freezes the rose, his graceful form was trembling

he had heart for heart, he had lent (his) to love.

When the maid heard from the knight of his love, with heart sobs she began to shed tears a hundredfold more

again she raised her voice in wailing, she smiled not. God gave Avt'handil his wish, his heart's comfort.

go not elsewhere. When he comes I shall plead with him

it may be I shall be able to do something. I shall make you known to each other; ​ I shall make him love thee. He himself will tell thee his story

thou shalt make thy beloved to rejoice."

He answered: "If thou wilt show him to me, greatly shall I rejoice at sight of him. (I swear) by the love of her for whose sake I wander mad in the fields, I shall do nought unpleasing, I shall never cause any bitterness to him

I shall be pleasant and love him, and do all I can to be amiable."

beautiful are his words : "O lion and hero Tariel, thou who behavest gently, I am an Arabian, from the court of Arabia

I am consumed by love, unquenchable fire burns me.

"I love the daughter of my lord

her lusty-armed servants now view her as their king. Though thou knowest me not, I have seen thee, if thou wilt call it to mind. Dost thou remember when thou slewest the strong-armed slaves?

" 'It is Asmat'h's slave.' 'What knows she (? he)?' I called, 'Ask!' (? invite him in). He came in. He gave me a love-letter. I read it. I was surprised how I had made another's heart burn with heat

I had no suspicion of her, my heart burned with melancholy for this.

the woman came forward to meet me and did me homage. She said to me: 'Blessed is he whoever is worthy to come before thee!' I marvelled

whoever saluted a lover? I thought: 'She knows not how to make love

even if she knew she sits quiet.'

" 'Pitiful fainting and dying, what love dost thou think this! It is better to exhibit to the beloved deeds of heroism. All dwellers in Khatavet'hi are our tributaries

now their ill-will towards us cannot be borne by us.

"Asmat'h said to me: 'She told me: Let us do thus, thus were it better: Whoever sees thee will discover nothing of my discourse with him

he will come to see me as if he were making love to thee. She entreated me to tell the Amirbar so to behave.'

"Upon the book of oaths I swore and she swore to me

thus she confirmed her love to me: 'If any save thee give pleasure to my heart may God slay me, henceforth thus will I speak to myself, thus will I train myself.'

" 'Say not that thou wantest my love or desirest me, so will the righteousness of thy deed seem the greater

the king will then entreat thee in the most desperate and abject manner

"Since a beautiful panther is portrayed to me as her image, for this I love its skin, I keep it as a coat for myself

this woman sews it, sometimes she sighs, sometimes she groans. Since I cannot kill myself, in vain is my sword whetted.

"I shall see her, I shall confirm her love for me, I shall tell her what I have learned

nought else have I to do. I beseech thee to assure me, for God and Heaven's sake, let us not abandon one another, make me swear and make thou an oath to me.

"A friend should spare himself no trouble for his friend's sake,

he should give heart for heart, love as a road and a bridge. Then, again,

the grief of his beloved should be a great grief to a lover. Lo! without him joy is nought to me,

"Thou dost well not to break the oath thou didst swear

it is necessary to fulfil strong love for a friend, to seek for his cure, to know the unknown. (But) tell me, what shall I, luckless, do if the sun of my heaven be hidden!"

The knight replied: "By nearness (to thee) I have united to seven woes eight. Vain is it for one who is frozen to blow on water to warm himself therewith

vain is the love, the kiss from beneath, of the sun at its setting. If I be near thee, once is it woe, and if I go far from thee a thousandfold woe.

The knight went melancholy away, he beats his breast and so bruises it,

for love makes a man weep and melts his

heart. When a cloud hides the sun the earth is shadowed,

While he spoke to his heart hearty words, he took the pearls, the love-token of his sun (T'hinat'hin), which had engirt the arm of his sun, and were comparable to her teeth

he put them to his mouth, he kissed them, his tears flowed like Pison.

The knight departed sad at heart, his tears flowed on the fields

nought save his love passed before his eyes

sometimes he rises, sometimes he lies down. How can one sleep who is mad! Whose heart e'er hearkened to a prayer for patience!

Again he says: "O heart, however much thou hast the desire for death it is better to bear life, sacrificing self for her

but hide it, let not the flame of thy fire be seen again. It ill befits a lover to expose his love."

When day dawned the knight arrayed himself and went forth early. He says: "I would that my love be not revealed, that I may conceal it!" For patience he prays: "Contrive something for my heart!" The moon-like one mounted his horse

he went to the house of the vizier.

The knight wept

with tears he spoke: "Must I strike a knife into my heart! O vizier, it is apparent in thee thou knowst not what love is, nor hast thou in others seen friendship or oath. Or if thou hast seen such, how canst thou prove that without him my joy is possible?

He (Avt'handil) sent a message (to the king ) saying: "How can I give or bestow on thee that which befits thee? What return can I think of for the debts I owe thee? If I survive I shall die for thee

I shall make myself thy slave. I shall repay love with love, with a like weight."

"How can I disbelieve thy love for me! But the thing cannot be

thus Fate has taken up arms against me. To whom can I entrust my house

"When I am far from thee, think of me, love me. I fear not my foes

I shall take care of myself. A brave man must be of good cheer, he must not mope in grief

"Thou hast read how the apostles write of love, how they speak of it, how they praise it

know thou it and harmonize thy knowledge: 'love exalteth us,' this is as it were the tinkling burden of their song

"God, God, I beseech Thee, who govern'st the deeps and heights

Thou didst create love, Thou hast decreed its law

Fate has sundered me from mine excellent sun

since my mind remains with thee, let my heart also return to thee

the weeping eyes, too, wish and long to see thee. It is better that the lover should be subjected as much as may be to love!

He says to the moon: "I adjure thee in the name of thy God, thou art the giver of the plague of love to lovers

thou hast the balm of patience to make them bear it

The knight said: "Thou art right in not justifying me in murmuring against

him. But bethink thee what ​ service I have done as one prisoner (of love) to another:

I fled from my home,

"How shall the lover not see his love, how forsake her! Gladly I go to her

then will she wend to me. I shall meet her, she shall meet me

They began to converse

he spoke a frank word: "One thing will I say to thee: Open to me what is secret. This armlet of her by whom thou art wounded—how much dost thou love it? How dost thou prize it? Tell me, then let me die!"

"Mischance pursues the lover, embitters life for him

but to him who at first bears woe it yields joy at last. Love is grievous, for it brings thee nigh unto death

it maddens the instructed, it teaches the untaught."

by thy faith!" Those he slew not, he enslaved them,

whoever survived his wounds. Truly saith the Apostle: "Fear makes love."

Desire of Avt'handil went into the heart of Dame P'hatman,

love grew from more to more, it burned her like fire, she essayed to conceal it,

but could not hide her woes, she said: "What am I to do,

She wrote a piteous letter to be presented to that youth concerning her love,

revealing her sufferings,

"Thou hast written to me

I have read thy letter in praise of me. Thou hast anticipated me, but the burning of the fire (of love) afflicts me more than thee. Thou wishest, I too want thy company uninterrupted. Our union is agreed since it is the desire of both."

ask me no more tidings, nought can I tell thee with my tongue. I have slain my children with mine own hand, therefore can I no more be gay

impatient for thy love I have slain myself.

'I have seen (sights),

she hath turned me into (one) who has seen nought. Who but God could imagine her? Right is he who is in love with her if he,

wretched, roam mad in deserts!'

comfort our heart? There can be no opinion save these two:

Either she is in love with someone, she is thinking of her beloved,

save him she has no leisure for any, to none can she speak;