Un Poco Sostenuto Poem by Ahmad Shiddiqi

(dedicated to Mr. Roman Patkolo, a talented double bass player)

refreshing
through all pain
why do you love me
when all glory were gone?

transforming
through all smile
why do you still need me
when all youth were gone?

transfiguring
through all dream
why do you captivate me
when all charming were vanished?

recurring
through all consciousness
why do you still capture my heart
when all hegemony were diminished?

(inspired by Henri Rousseau's The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope)