The Poetry Corner

Comparisons

By Edward Powys Mathers (As Translator)

Touch my hands with your fingers, yellow wallflower. Did God use a bluer paint Painting the sky for the gold sun Or making the sea about your two black stars? Treasure the touches of my fingers. God did not spread his bluest paint On a hollow sky or a girl's eye, But on a topaz chain, from you to me. Touch my temples with your fingers, scarlet rose. Did God use a stronger light When He fashioned and dropped the sun into the sky Or dropped your black stars into their blue sea? Treasure the touches of my fingers. God did not spend His strongest light On a sun above or a look of love, But on a round gold ring, from you to me. Touch my cheeks with your fingers, blue hyacinth. Did God use a whiter silk Weaving the veil for your fevered roses, Or spinning the moon that lies across your face? Treasure the touches of my fingers. God did not waste His whitest web On veils of silk or moons of milk, But on a marriage cap, from you to me. Popular Song of Baluchistan.