From Eternity's Hour Poem by Mystic Qalandar

From eternity's hour
I have been
As I am.
I have gazed
Upon the unveiled
And the veiled—
There is no "saw, "
No "shall see."
I cannot sever
The roots of my river
From the endless spring.

From that same source
My joy rises,
From that same source
My grief pours.
My heart cannot refuse
The rhythm of its song.
All that I have loved
Since the covenant of Alast,
I have loved in solitude,
I have affirmed in solitude.

At the dawn of that pledge,
In innocence,
I knew not
Where I would be cast—
Into the storm of days,
Into the decree of living.
Yet in every breath,
In the depth of every sigh,
I remember
The hidden bond
That binds me to the source.

From torrent, from calm,
From cliff, from shore,
From winter's cold sun
And summer's burning blaze,
From autumn's amber glow,
From lightning's sudden flash
That vanishes as it comes,
From thunder rolling
Through the marrow of my bones,
From clouds that break
Into rains of mercy—
In all,
My gaze returns:
One alone.

—September 12,2025