Now hear me my friends, love is like the sun, shining: without love, the heart is nothing but a stone, nothing. It doesn’t matter how soft, in a stony heart what rises? Soft words turn into war when poison tongue’s saying. A heart that loves goes on burning, melting like wax… heart hard like stone is like winter, cold, mean, fading. In Sultan’s service, in presence of this Lord of Power, like a faithful royal servant, star of the lover is shining. Let fears to go Yunus, while this illusory world fades: a real man needs love, then he… a dervish is becoming.

~ Yunus Emre

Translated by Paul Smith