Love + 

They say the jackal and the mole + 

Drink from the self-same stream + 

Where the lion comes to drink. + 

And they say the eagle and the vulture + 

Dig their beaks into the same carcass, + 

And are at peace, one with the other, + 

In the presence of the dead thing. + 

O love, whose lordly hand + 

Has bridled my desires, + 

And raised my hunger and my thirst + 

To dignity and pride, + 

Let not the strong in me and the constant + 

Eat the bread or drink the wine + 

That tempt my weaker self. + 

Let me rather starve, + 

And let my heart parch with thirst, + 

And let me die and perish, + 

Ere I stretch my hand + 

To a cup you did not fill, + 

Or a bowl you did not bless. + 