love poetry

You're the kind that moves an angel to joy;

Is it strange that a man should be entranced?

As long as I live I will be your slave,

Whether you look, or give me not a glance.

#80: From Rumi's Kolliyaat-e Shams-e Tabrizi

This morning I started out with the idea of ghost and tried also demon, djinn, then angel. Trust Rumi to be fixated on the latter rather than the former! This verse has a very early number (#80) so I doubt it would be straying far from a reference to Shams. On the face of it, this is a very straightforward expression of love. Words similar to this have been written by countless poet lovers. Those words in turn have attracted countless commentaries from lovers of love poetry. I can't think what I could add to the pile.

I'll finish today simply with a poem by Emily Dickinson.

Angels in the early morning
May be seen the dews among,
Stooping, plucking, smiling, flying:
Do the buds to them belong?

Angels when the sun is hottest
May be seen the sands among,
Stooping, plucking, sighing, flying;
Parched the flowers they bear along.

There is such a small difference between smiling and sighing. In Rumi's verse, Shams is so "present" that one gets the impression that likewise there is little difference between his being there or not.