When I go alone

When I go alone at night to my love-tryst,

birds do not sing, the wind does not stir,

the houses on both sides of the street stand silent.

It is my own anklets that grow loud at every step

and I am ashamed.

When I sit on my balcony and listen for his footsteps,

leaves do not rustle on the trees,

and the water is still in the river like the sword

on the knees of a sentry fallen asleep.

It is my own heart that beats wildly --

I do not know how to quiet it.

When my love comes and sits by my side,

when my body trembles and my eyelids droop,

the night darkens, the wind blows out the lamp,

and the clouds draw veils over the stars.

It is the jewel at my own breast

that shines and gives light.

I do not know how to hide it.