I am a Sculptor

I am a sculptor, a molder of form.
In every moment I shape an idol.
But then, in front of you,
I melt them down.
I can rouse a hundred forms and mix them with spirit,
but when I look into your face,
I want to throw them into the fire.
Do you merely fill this drunkard's glass?
Or do you really oppose the sober?
Is it you who brings to ruin every house I build?
My soul spills into yours and is blended.
Because my soul has absorbed your fragrance,
I cherish it.
Every drop of blood I spill says to the earth:
I blend with my Beloved when I participate in love.
In this house of mud and water my heart has fallen into ruins.
Enter this house, my Love, or let me leave.

By Mevlana Jeláluddin Rumi
From "The Ruins of The Heart"
Translated from Persian by Kabir Helminski
Threshold Books