Translated & Narrated by Aliya Atalay

The lover longs to be with his beloved.

The state of the lover will become the state of the beloved... He will merge with, become one with and live with his beloved, to the extent of his love...

Because we do not really understand what love is, oftentimes we confuse ‘love’ with ‘like’.

When one likes, one wants to own!

When you like something, you want to possess it and have some form of control over it. This trait is common to all creation.

Some want to carry what they like in their pocket, some want to put a leash on it and show it off, and some want to capture it and put it away... But every creature, according to its creation and nature, wants to have some degree of control over the thing they like...

Love, on the other hand, is very different...

When you love, you only want to live for your beloved!

You only want to be with the beloved, you only take pleasure from the things from which the beloved takes pleasure, and refrain from what the beloved dislikes. Your mind, thoughts, soul, entire being becomes so filled with the beloved that everything reminds you of her, even when you are by her side, you long for her! Closeness seems far! You disappear, in you only the beloved remains! You look with her looks and evaluate with her evaluation, you begin to speak with her lips! Your eyes see none but her, your ears hear none other than her voice, your hands do not reach out to anyone but her!

You want her to have her grip over you at all times, to guide and administer you, to embrace you at all times! Even bodily closeness will seem like a terrifying distance. You will long to merge with her and become a single body, a single soul, a single consciousness!

If your nature appropriates it, love will burn you until you become annihilated in your beloved... And a time will come when others will see the beloved in your face, your eyes, your demeanor, and they will say, “You have become her!”

The one who likes will want to own... But the one who loves will give up everything, even his own existence and become naught in his beloved!