Poem #32
English Translation
Persian
When God shaped your eyebrow's captivating bend
the opening of my heart became bound to your every glance and trend.
خدا چو صورتِ ابرویِ دلگشای تو بست
گشادِ کارِ من اندر کرشمه‌هایِ تو بست
Fate cast me and the Cypress to the dust in sorrow's fold
until it bound Narcissus reeds unto your robe of gold.
مرا و سروِ چمن را به خاکِ راه نشاند زمانه
تا قَصَبِ نرگسِ قبایِ تو بست
The Rose Breeze untied a hundred knots from heart and bud
yet bound itself in pursuit of your sweet breath and mood.
ز کارِ ما و دلِ غنچه صد گره بگشود نسیمِ گل
چو دل اندر پیِ هوایِ تو بست
The turning Wheel made me content to be your thrall
but what avail, when all my threads rest in your hands, my all?
مرا به بندِ تو دورانِ چرخ راضی کرد
ولی چه سود که سررشته در رضایِ تو بست
Don't tie musk-knots upon my wretched heart, I pray
I made a vow with your knot-loosening tresses' sway.
چو نافه بر دلِ مسکینِ من گره مَفِکن
که عهد با سرِ زلفِ گره‌گشایِ تو بست
You were yourself another union, Breeze of Love's bright day
forgive the error—my heart bound hope in your faithful way.
تو خود وصالِ دگر بودی ای نسیمِ وصال
خطا مگیر که دل امید در وفایِ تو بست
I said, 'I'll flee your cruelty and leave this town behind'
she laughed and said, 'Go, Hafez! But where is your foot, unbind?'
ز دستِ جورِ تو گفتم زِ شهر خواهم رفت
به خنده گفت که حافظ برو، که پایِ تو بست؟
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 6/10. This poem uses the repeated verb 'bast' (bound) creating a rhythmic pattern about love's inescapability. The theme of being bound to the beloved despite wanting to leave is universal. The final verse's humorous response—'go, but where is your foot bound?'—is a witty acknowledgment of love's power. However, the poem is somewhat conventional in its imagery (cypress, narcissus, rose breeze) and may feel repetitive to Western readers. The poem's structure and wordplay are more appreciated by those familiar with Persian poetic conventions.
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