Poem #118
English Translation
Persian
Who holds the cup of wine within his hand
Possesses the kingdom of a fabled land. The throne of Jamshid is his own domain, A sovereign power that will never wane.
آن کس که به دست جام دارد
سلطانیِ جَم مُدام دارد
The water of life that Khidr sought and found
Is in the tavern, on this holy ground. Seek it within the cup, where truth resides, And where the secret of existence hides.
آبی که خِضِر حیات از او یافت
در میکده جو که جام دارد
Entrust the soul's thread to the goblet's care
For order lies within the circle there. The chaos of the mind finds sweet release, And in the wine, the spirit finds its peace.
سررشتهٔ جان به جام بگذار
کاین رشته از او نظام دارد
We and the wine, the ascetic and his prayer
Wait to see whose side the Friend will share. Which path will please the Beloved's secret will? Who shall the cup of destiny fulfill?
ما و مِی و زاهدان و تقوا
تا یار، سرِ کدام دارد
Outside your lips, O Saki, none can find
A satisfaction for the hungry mind. In all the circle of this spinning sphere, No other joy is true, no other dear.
بیرون ز لبِ تو ساقیا نیست در دور
کسی که کام دارد
The narcissus has borrowed all its art
Its drunken gaze that steals the lover's heart. From your sweet eyes, it learned the way to see, And mimic beauty's sacred mystery.
نرگس، همه شیوه‌های مستی
از چشمِ خوشت به وام دارد
My heart repeats the litany of your face
Your tress's curve, your feature's every grace. Morning and evening, this prayer I say, My worship at the closing of the day.
ذکرِ رخ و زلف تو دلم را وردی‌ست
که صبح و شام دارد
Upon the wounded hearts of those in pain
Your ruby lip is salt, but not in vain. It stings and heals, a cure and a disease, A beautiful torment that can never cease.
بر سینهٔ ریشِ دردمندان
لعلت نمکی تمام دارد
In the chin's dimple, Hafez is a slave
Bound in a prison that he enters brave. Two hundred others share his happy fate, Captives of beauty at the palace gate.
در چاهِ ذَقَن چو حافظ ای جان
حُسنِ تو دو صد غلام دارد
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 7/10. This poem celebrates wine and the cupbearer. The verse about having 'the kingdom of Jam' when holding the cup is a striking statement. The reference to Khidr finding 'life' from water in the wine-house adds spiritual dimension. The observation that the narcissus has 'all the ways of drunkenness' 'on loan' from the beloved's eye is a beautiful image. The poem's combination of wine imagery and devotion makes it engaging.
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