Saadi Shiraz is one of the greatest luminaries of Persian literature, and is considered a ‘prophet of poetry.’  Born ca. 1200 CE in Shiraz, he was orphaned at an early age, and subsequently went to Baghdad to study.  When Mongolian invasions destabilised the Middle East, he began to travel, visiting many countries, from Inda to Egypt, but settling nowhere.  At Acre (in present day Israel), he was captured by Crusaders, and spent seven years digging trenches until he was ransomed with other Muslims and released.  Around 1256 he returned to his birth city of Shiraz, and apparently lived there until his death in ca. 1292.

The musicians have gone, yet the Sufis listen;
In Love there is a beginning but no end.

In Love

In Love there are no days or nights,
For lovers it is all the same.
The musicians have gone, yet the Sufis listen;
In Love there is a beginning but no end.
Each has a name for his Beloved,
But for me my Beloved is nameless.
Saadi, if you destroy an idol,
Then destroy the idol of the Self.

Tr. Mahmood Jamal