Fragrant Hands

A strange arrangement to comfort the heart--
Someone has made that possible
in the corner of the cell
with giving, generous hands.

and the air is now so softened, I compare it
with the Beloved's hair.
The air is so drowned, I think a body
wearing a jewelrey of blossoms has just
passed this way.

And as the air holds itself together,
a bouquet of compasson
I can say:

Let thousands of watches be set on cages by those
who worship cruelty.
Fidelity will always be in bloom--
This fidelity on which are grafted the defeats
and triumphs of the heart.

Should you, oh air, ever come across her,
my friend of fragrant hands, recite this,
from Hafiz to Shiraz to her:

"Nothing in this world is without terrible barriers--
except love, but only when it begins."

Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984)

The caption under the title is as follows:
To the anonymous woman who sent me a bouquet of flowers in (jail)?

(The very edge of my page was cut off, but this would explain the line about "cages").