The Sun and the Shadow

Once upon a time the
Beloved came and said:

I possess your love
both day and night –
but you’ll never
be my companion
as long as you remain yourself.

I am the Sun,
but you are just a shadow,
walking upon the earth.

Step out of hiding
and walk into my light –
once you’ve been erased,
then you will be
my closest friend.
_{Farid al-Din Attar, in Love’s Alchemy, Poems from the Sufi Tradition}