O the heart!
so hungry;
O the soul!
so thirsty;
Are the hearts
and souls of men
not dying
of starvation?
What is longed for?
What is sought after?
Does man hunger
and thirst,
desire and seek,
In vain?
By no means!
Food exists
to satisfy man’s hunger;
drink exists
to slake man’s thirst;
What then
of man’s longing
and searching?
Ah! love and life,
without limit and end,
which no depths
nor heights
can contain.
Ah! joy and laughter,
without woe and weeping,
which no breadth
nor width
can hem in.
Ah! light,
without shadow of darkness,
which no spot
nor blemish
can penetrate.
Do these exist
for the heart,
for the soul,
as food and drink
for the body?
The heart which asks
With sincerity;
The soul which seeks,
With courage;
All hearts and souls
who knock,
With humility,
Surely know
The Truth.
O the heart!
which feeds on the Truth,
the Bread of Life;
O the soul!
which drinks of the Truth,
the Cup of Righteousness;
This heart,
this soul,
shall live,
satisfied and free,
now and forevermore.
(writer’s note: the opening lines of this piece came to mind while listening to an instrumental rock song titled The Heart That Fed by the group, Caspian)