Poem #308
English Translation
Persian
O you whose face is paradise, whose ruby lips the Spring;
Your fountain made my soul and heart a wandering.
ای رُخَت چون خُلد و لَعلَت سَلسَبیل
سَلسَبیلت کرده جان و دل سَبیل
The soft green down upon your lip, like ants are seen,
About the fountain's edge, sipping the stream serene.
سبزپوشانِ خَطَت بر گِردِ لب
همچو مورانند گِردِ سَلسَبیل
Your eye's sharp arrow in each corner lays,
A hundred victims slain, like me, in Love's dark maze.
ناوَکِ چشمِ تو در هر گوشه‌ای
همچو من افتاده دارد صد قَتیل
O Lord, make cool this fire within my soul,
As once you cooled the flames for Abraham whole.
یا رب این آتش که در جانِ من است
سرد کن زان سان که کردی بر خلیل
I find no respite, friends, though beauteous grace,
Shines in that wondrous, ever-lovely face.
من نمی‌یابم مجال ای دوستان
گرچه دارد او جمالی بس جمیل
Our foot is lame, the journey far and steep;
Our arm too short, the dates on high that keep.
پای ما لَنگ است و منزل بس دراز
دست ما کوتاه و خرما بر نَخیل
Hafez, from love's fierce talons, fell like some small ant,
Beneath the elephant's huge foot, helpless and scant.
حافظ از سرپنجهٔ عشقِ نگار
همچو مور افتاده شد در پایِ پیل
May the world's king eternal glory, honor, grace,
Possess, and all that may adorn his royal place.
شاهِ عالم را بقا و عِزّ و ناز باد
و هر چیزی که باشد زین قَبیل
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 8/10. This poem contains cultural references and profound statements. The reference to Abraham (Khalil) and asking God to make 'this fire in my soul cold' as He did for Abraham adds biblical depth. The verse about Hafez falling 'like an ant at the foot of the elephant' from 'the fingertips of the love of the beloved' is a striking image. The observation that 'the foot is lame and the station is long' while 'the hand is short and the date is on the palm tree' is a powerful statement. The poem's combination of cultural references and emotional expression makes it very engaging.
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