The Wanting Poem by Phan Thanh gian

I am the very thing that makes you feel alive
I make artists daydream, poets toil 'til dawn
The Kiss, the Ninth are a few works of mine.
By myself, I've erected the Great Wall,
The Pharaoh's tombs and the Taj

I've been called the Unobtainable Perfection
By creation I'm omnipotent, omnipresent.
You can feel me in your unquenchable thirst, unfulfilled hunger
My name was scorned, my shadow was cursed
Only the fools ever denied that I’ve always existed

My scent turns you mad in the sleepless nights
My touch suffocates, intoxicates you with inspirations
The sweetness of my words paralyzes your thoughts
For as the Bearer of Light, I am also the Weaver of Truth
The Animator of corpse, and the Destroyer of Death.

Vast hordes of men and beasts fought to pleasure me!
Empires hastily built - kingdoms fell overnight:
All for a glimpse of my bare chest.
Vessels sailed the four seas in my quest
O! My cup is always lavishly filled with your peer's drunken lust!

Though I am without shape, nor substance
In you, my manifestations are infinite.
From me, springs your drive, your every Desire
It is I: The essence of your eternal Love,
...and your love of the Eternal

In my womb: all things flourish, all things perish.
Without me, the Wheel of Karma screeches to a halt.
Thus you shall bow and wait for my command!
But if you know me by my true Name,
... then I shall be no more.