Poem #190
English Translation
Persian
If your musk-scented pen remembers us one day
It earns the reward of freeing slaves upon the way.
کِلکِ مشکین تو روزی که ز ما یاد کند
بِبَرَد اجرِ دو صد بنده که آزاد کند
O messenger of Salma's house, may safety be
What if a greeting comes to set our sad hearts free?
قاصدِ منزلِ سَلمیٰ که سلامت بادش
چه شود گر به سلامی دلِ ما شاد کند؟
Test it! For treasures of desire they will bestow
If your grace makes a ruin like me thrive and grow.
امتحان کن که بَسی گنجِ مرادت بدهند
گر خرابی چو مرا، لطفِ تو آباد کند
O God, cast mercy in that Khosrow's heart of pride
To pass by Farhad's head, where love has never died.
یا رب اندر دلِ آن خسرو شیرین انداز
که به رحمت گذری بر سرِ فرهاد کند
Better for kings than hundred years of prayer and plea
Is one hour's justice, setting captive spirits free.
شاه را بِهْ بُوَد از طاعتِ صدساله و زهد
قدرِ یک ساعته عمری که در او، داد کند
Your coquetry has torn my strict foundation down
Let's see what wisdom builds within the ruined town.
حالیا عشوهٔ نازِ تو ز بنیادم بُرد
تا دگرباره حکیمانه چه بنیاد کند
Your pure gem needs no praise from us to make it shine
What can the tire-woman do with beauty so divine?
گوهرِ پاکِ تو از مِدْحَتِ ما مُستَغنیست
فکرِ مَشّاطِه چه با حُسنِ خداداد کند؟
In Shiraz we found not the goal we sought to have
Happy the day when Hafez takes the road to Baghdad.
ره نبردیم به مقصودِ خود اندر شیراز
خُرَّم آن روز که حافظ رَهِ بغداد کند
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 7/10. This poem expresses longing and hope. The reference to Salma (a character in Persian poetry) adds cultural depth. The verse about Khosrow and Shirin and Farhad adds depth to the famous love story. The observation that 'one hour of life' in which justice is done is better than 'a hundred years' of obedience and asceticism is a profound statement. The poem's combination of cultural references and emotional expression makes it engaging.
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