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O saffron
flower! sitting in silent meditation
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And radiating the fire of youth,
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Many a famed beauty swoons
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Seeing your amazing, flaming form.
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All guts have run away,
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Leaving the field for you,
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Like the stars hide themselves
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When the sun ascends the heavens.
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You were the last to arrive,
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But proved the lord of all.
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All lovers of flowers have arrived
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To pay their homage to you.
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O saffron flower, have you ever
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Thought of the plight of one
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Who nursed you, made you bloom,
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And has been your friend in need ?
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He guarded you on every front,
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Undeterred by the blazing sun,
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Saw that no animal, big or small,
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Ever harmed your steady growth.
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Right from his birth till now,
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He has been your devoted vassal,
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Though he stands worn out, his face
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Dark, disfigured, patched and peeled.
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Sorrows have given him pallor,
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Dust covers his slender frame.
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Couldn't you, in kindness, spare for him
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A little of your rosy hue ?
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You'll soon be moving all over the world;
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But how on earth could you
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Forget your dearest friend,
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Now grovelling in the dust ?
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Mahjoor, why came you so early ?
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You could have delayed your arrival,
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So that people could flock to buy you,
Like they buy saffron flowers.