On Love, by Abu Ali, The Mathematician
ON LOVE.
BY ABU ALI, THE MATHEMATICIAN.
[ABU ALI flourished in Egypt about a.h. 530, and was equally celebrated as a mathematician and as a poet. In the following odd composition he seems to have united these two discordant characters.]
I NEVER knew a sprightly fair
That was not dear to me;
And freely I my heart could share
With every one I see.
That was not dear to me;
And freely I my heart could share
With every one I see.
It is not this or that alone
On whom my choice would fall:
I do not more incline to one
Than I incline to all.
The circle's bounding line are they;
Its centre is my heart;
My ready love, the equal ray
That flows to every part.