Love is a fire that burns unseen . . .

Love is a fire that burns unseen,
a wound that aches yet isn’t felt,
an always discontent contentment,
a pain that rages without hurting,

a longing for nothing but to long,
a loneliness in the midst of people,
a never feeling pleased when pleased,
a passion that gains when lost in thought.

It’s being enslaved of your own free will;
it’s counting your defeat a victory;
it’s staying loyal to your killer.

But if it’s so self-contradictory,
how can Love, when Love chooses,
bring human hearts into sympathy?

© Translation: 2006, Richard Zenith

in-https://www.poetryinternational.com/en/poets-poems/poems/poem/103-8436_Love-is-a-fire-that-burns-unseen