If Paradise Is Not Within You Poem by Mohammad Younus

If paradise is not within you,
No gate will ever swing open to let you in.
Even if the paradise were laid at your feet,
Disquiet and longing would coil—
around your heart.
For it is not the bounty without—
but the stillness within,
That fashions the fabric of true contentment.

A man could bathe in the streams of heaven's joy,
Yet feel parched by the thirst of his soul.
For without the fountain of peace—
that springs from within,
Every bliss becomes but a passing shadow.
The fragrance of a thousand flowers cannot—
bloom in soil untouched by inner peace.

Look inward—
Trace the hidden paths that lead—
to the heart's sanctuary.
Observe the language of your soul—
that whispers in silence,
And weigh the purity of your thoughts.
Gaze into the mirror of divine intelligence—
The mystic glass of Jamshid,
And there, in its silent reflection,
You will see your true dwelling.
Are you among the blossoming orchards of Eden,
Or lost in the barren fields of exile?

Heaven and hell are not distant realms,
Nor are they bound by the ticking of time.
They reside within the chambers of your being.
The enlightened walk in the gardens of paradise,
While the illusioned wander the burning deserts—
of their own making.

Do not seek beyond the cotours—
of skies and the earth,
Nor knock on doors crafted by mortal hands.
The keys to eternity are hidden in your chest—
the light of self-knowing,
When you know your self—
The paradise will rise like dawn within you.

MyKoul