Persian Poetry. "Poems of Hafez"

1- O Saqi, pass around the bowl 

 and offer the wine

 For Love at first appeared easy,

 but difficulties have occurred

2- By reason of the scent of the musk, 

sabashall display from that fore-lock

     By the twist of its musky curl, 

what blood befell the hearts

3- In the abode of the beloveds, 

what assurance of pleasure have I?

 When every moment,

     The gong sounds, saying: 

pick up your chattels of existence

4- Stain the prayer-matt with wine, 

if you are told by the old Magi’s

     For the holy traveller is not

 without the knowledge of existence

5- The dark night, the fear of the wave, 

and whirlpool so fearful,

     How can the light-burdened of the shore

 know our state?

6- By following my own desires,

 I led myself to ill fame

     How can a secret remain a mystery, 

when it is spoken in assemblies?

 7- Hafez! If you seek the presence of the beloved,

 from it do not be absent

      Once you reach the beloved, 

abandon the world and let it go.

Ghazal 2

1- The rectitude of work where?

 And, I the ruined where?

     Look! The distance of such path,

 from whence to where!

2- My heart is wearied of the Church, 

and of the robe of hypocrisy

     Where is the abode of the Magi?

 The pure wine where?

3- What connection has piety and 

rectitude with profligacy?

      The hearing of the exhortation where?

 The melody of stringed instrument where?

4- From the Friend’s face, 

what does the heart of enemies gain?

     The lifeless lamp, where? 

The candle of the Sun, where?

5- The dust of your threshold is

 like the Kuhl of our vision

     Where do we go from here? 

Order: Hence, where?

6- Look not at the apple of the chin; 

for in the path there is a pit

     O heart! Where do you go

 in such a hurry? Where?

7- It is gone! To the beloved, 

may the time of union be a pleasant memory

     Where is that glance gone?

 And that reproof, where?

8- O friend! From Hafez, 

seek neither ease nor patience

     What ease? What patience?

 Sleep, where?

   

Ghazal 3

1- If that Turk of Shiraz gains our heart

     For its Hindu’s mole, 

I shall give away Samarqand and Bokhara

2- Saqi! Give the remaining of the wine, 

for, in paradise you will not find

     The bank of the water of Ruknabad or

 the rose garden of Musalla

3- Alas! These tumultuary,

 sweet, and witty gypsies,

     Took away the patience from heart in such a way

 as the Turks did to khan-e yaghma 

4- The beauty of the beloved has 

no need for our imperfect love!

     Of colour, mole, tricked line,

 and making up; what need has the lovely face?

5- Of the daily increasing beauty

 that Yusef had, I know

     That love for him would bring

 Zuleikha forth from the veil of chastity

6- You spoke ill of me; and I am happy. 

God most high forgive you as you spoke well

     The bitter reply suits the sweet ruby lip

7- O dear one! Hear the advice,

 for, dearer than the soul

     Take happy youths the 

counsel of the wise old man

8- Speak the tale of minstrel and wine;

 little seek the mystery of time

     For this mystery, 

none solved and shall not solve

9- You uttered ghazal, and threaded pearl,

 O Hafez! Come and sweetly sing

     That, on your versification, 

the sky will wed its stars

Ghazal 4

  

1- O Saba! With kindness 

speak to that beautiful gazelle

     Saying: You have given us desire

 for the mountain and the desert

2- The sugar-seller, 

may his life be long! Why?

     Does he make no inquiry of the welfare

 of the sugar-loving parrot?

3- O rose! Perhaps the pride of your goodness

 has not given you permission

     That you make no inquiry 

as to the distraught state of the nightingale

4- By kindness and good behaviour, 

people of vision one can captivate

     Not by snare and net, 

can they take the wise bird

5- I do not know why the colour of constancy,

 there is not

     Those straight of stature,

dark-eye, Moon-face?

6- When you sit with the beloved; 

and drink wine

      Remember the beloved ones,

 wind-travellers

7- Of defect in your beauty, 

one can not speak to this degree

     That the way of fidelity and love 

belongs not with the lovely-face

8- Wonder not! If in the sky,

 of Hafez’s utterance

      Zuhreh’s singing brings

 to dancing the Masiha

  

Ghazal 5

1- For God’s sake! O pious ones!

 Away from my hand, goes my heart

     O the pain that the hidden

 mystery should be disclosed

2- We are boat-stranded ones!

 O fair breeze! Arise:

     It maybe that, again,

 we may behold the face of the Beloved

3- For the space of ten days, 

the sphere’s favour is magic and sorcery:

    O friend! Regard as booty, 

goodness in friends

4- Last night in the assembly of the rose and of wine,

 the nightingale sweetly sang:

    O Saqi! Give wine:

 O intoxicated ones! Come to life!

5- O generous one! 

In thanks for your own health

     One day, make inquiry of the welfare

 of the destitute Dervish

6- The ease of the two worlds 

is the definition of these two words:

     Kindness, with friends; 

courtesy, with enemies

7- In the street of good name, 

they gave us no admission:

     If you do not approve,

 change our fate

8- The bitter wine, which the Sufi called 

“The mother of iniquities”

     To us, is more pleasant and sweeter 

than the kisses of virgins

9- In the time of poverty,

 strive in pleasure and in intoxication:

    For, this elixir of existence 

turns the beggar to Qarun 

10- Give up arrogance 

in the presence of the Beloved:

       Or you might be consumed like candle!

11- The cup of wine

 is the Alexandra’s mirror. Behold,

       For it may reveal to you

 the state of Dara’s  kingdom

12- Life-givers are the lovely ones,

 Persian-prattling

      O Saqi! This news,

 give to the old men of Fars

13- On himself, Hafez did not wear

 this patched, wine-stained garment

      O Sheikh! Pure-mannered!

 Have us excused