Poem #359
English Translation
Persian
Happy the day I leave this ruined house of pain
seeking the Soul's comfort, and the Beloved's reign.
خُرَّم آن روز کز این منزلِ ویران بروم
راحتِ جان طلبم و از پِیِ جانان بروم
Although I know the stranger finds no path to rest
I follow the scent of her hair on this wild quest.
گر چه دانم که به جایی نَبَرد راه غریب
من به بویِ سرِ آن زلفِ پریشان بروم
My heart is weary of Alexander's prison wall
I'll pack my bags and go where Solomon's kingdoms call.
دلم از وحشتِ زندانِ سِکَندَر بگِرفت
رخت بربندم و تا مُلکِ سلیمان بروم
Like the morning breeze, with sick body and heart so weak
I go to serve that walking Cypress whom I seek.
چون صبا با تنِ بیمار و دلِ بی‌طاقت
به هواداریِ آن سروِ خُرامان بروم
If I must walk upon my head like a pen to trace His way
I'll go with weeping eyes and a wounded heart today.
در رهِ او چو قلم گر به سرم باید رفت
با دلِ زخم‌کَش و دیدهٔ گریان بروم
I vowed that if I ever escape this grief and wrong
I'll go to the tavern door with happiness and song.
نذر کردم گر از این غم به درآیم روزی
تا درِ میکده شادان و غزل‌خوان بروم
Dancing like a dust-mote in the sun's bright beam
I go to the fountainhead of the light supreme.
به هواداری او ذَرِّه‌صفت، رقص‌کنان
تا لبِ چشمهٔ خورشیدِ درخشان بروم
The swift riders have no care for those who bear the load
help me, O pious ones, to travel this hard road.
تازیان را غمِ احوالِ گران‌باران نیست
پارسایان مددی تا خوش و آسان بروم
And if, like Hafez, I find no path from this desert vast
with the Star of Asaf's court, I will go forth at last.
ور چو حافظ ز بیابان نبرم رَه بیرون
همرهِ کوکبهٔ آصفِ دوران بروم
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 8/10. This poem expresses determination and journey. The verse about going 'until the kingdom of Solomon' after the heart 'took from the terror of the prison of Alexander' is a powerful statement. The reference to Alexander and Solomon adds cultural depth. The observation that Hafez vows to go 'to the door of the wine-house, joyful and ghazal-singing' if he 'comes out from this grief one day' is a striking statement. The poem's combination of determination and journey makes it very engaging.