At dawn
I heard the tongue of the invisible
Proclaim this the age of wine.
Drink boldly!

My bare arms
Charm the evil eye.
Wear them always around your neck.

May every night bring a new dream of you.
May each day enfl esh that dream.
You suck as if at your mother’s milk,
A rapture spreading through the heart of your ruby.

This door is the mouth of love,
Whether it leads to the mosque or the wine-shop.
Souls inhabit the dust of its threshold,
Living at the border of inside and out,
Like a kiss.

Bid welcome to the guest!
A tongue,
A poem humming in its fl esh.
Enter!
A language, murmuring
Along a garland of streets,

Caressing the body
Of my city,
Encircling its towers
With a silver coronet of song.

We are singers on the wings of the stars –
Swimmers, in the wine-dark sunrise.
Oh, my lover!
Be silent!