Grief is hard upon me, Master, for she has left me;
The black dust has covered my pretty one.
My heart is black, for the tomb has taken my friend;
How pleasantly would go the days if my friend were here.
I can only dream of the stature of my friend;
The flowers are dying in my heart, my breast is a fading garden.
Her breast is a sweet garden now, and her garments are gold flowers;
I am an orchard at night, for my friend has gone a journey.
I am Majid Shah, a slave that ministers to the dead;
Abdel Qadir Gilani, even the Master, shall not save me.
From the Pus'hto (Afghans, nineteenth century).
Ghazal Of Majid Shah
Edward Powys Mathers
Suggested Poems
Explore a curated selection of verses that share themes, styles, and emotional resonance with the poem you've just read.