Poem #29
English Translation
Persian
What care we for the wine, when your sweet image is so near?
Tell the jar to save itself, the tavern's ruined here.
ما را زِ خیالِ تو چه پروایِ شراب است؟
خُم گو سر خود گیر، که خُمخانه خراب است
If it be wine of Paradise, pour it away, I say
without the Friend, the sweetest drink is torment and dismay.
گر خَمر بهشت است بریزید که بی دوست
هر شَربَتِ عَذبَم که دهی، عینِ عذاب است
Alas! The Friend is gone! And in my weeping eyes' deep stream
the image of her face is but a water-painted dream.
افسوس که شُد دلبر و در دیدهٔ گریان
تحریرِ خیالِ خطِ او نقشِ بر آب است
Awake, O Eye! For safety is a thing we cannot keep
from this flood that drowns the world, within this house of sleep.
بیدار شو ای دیده که ایمن نتوان بود
زین سیلِ دمادم که در این منزلِ خواب است
The Friend passes clearly by, but strangers watch the place
and so for this, she keeps the veil upon her lovely face.
معشوق عیان می‌گذرد بر تو، ولیکن
اغیار همی‌بیند از آن بسته نقاب است
The Rose saw beads of sweat upon your cheek of colored hue
and drowned in rosewater of shame, and fire of longing too.
گل بر رخِ رنگین تو تا لطفِ عرق دید
در آتشِ شوق از غمِ دل، غرقِ گلاب است
The fields are green! Come, let us not let go the water's hem
for the world is all mirage, a fading diadem.
سبز است در و دشت بیا تا نگذاریم
دست از سرِ آبی که جهان جمله سراب است
Seek not to give advice within the corner of my brain
for it is full of harp and lute, and music's sweet refrain.
در کُنجِ دِماغم مطلب جای نصیحت
کـ‌این گوشه پر از زمزمهٔ چنگ و رَباب است
What if Hafez is a lover, drunk, and wild in truth?
Such strange ways are necessary for the days of youth.
حافظ چه شد ار عاشق و رند است و نظرباز
بس طُورِ عجب لازمِ ایامِ شباب است
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 7/10. This poem expresses the idea that without the beloved, even paradise's wine is torment—a powerful statement about love's centrality. The image of the beloved's image being 'a picture on water' (ephemeral) is beautiful and accessible. The verse about the world being 'all mirage' is a profound observation about reality and illusion. The poem's theme of the beloved being visible to the lover but veiled to others adds a mystical dimension. The final defense of youthful waywardness is relatable. The poem balances philosophical depth with emotional expression effectively.
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