Poem #4
English Translation
Persian
O Breeze, go tell that fawn so graceful and so sweet,
that for his sake I wander where the wilds and mountains meet.
صبا به لُطف بگو آن غزالِ رَعنا را
که سَر به کوه و بیابان تو داده‌ای ما را
Why does the Sugar-seller, long may he live and thrive,
not ask for his sweet parrot, to keep his hope alive?
شِکر فُروش که عُمرَش دراز باد چرا
تَفَقُّدی نَکُنَد طوطیِ شِکرخا را؟
Did pride of beauty stop you, O Rose of lovely hue,
from asking how the Nightingale, your lover, fares for you?
غرورِ حُسنت اجازَت مَگَر نداد اِی گُل
که پُرسِشی نکُنی عَندَلیب شیدا را؟
With kindness and with gentleness, the wise heart you may snare;
but wise birds are not captured by a trap or net laid there.
به خُلق و لطف توان کرد صیدِ اهلِ نظر
به بند و دام نگیرند مرغِ دانا را
I know not why no friendship lies, nor sign of knowing me,
in those tall forms with moon-bright faces and eyes of ebony.
ندانم از چه سبب رنگِ آشنایی نیست
سَهی‌قَدانِ سیَه‌‌چشمِ ماه‌سیما را
When you sit with your Beloved, and the wine-cup goes around,
remember those who measure wind, and wander on the ground.
چو با حبیب نِشینی و باده پِیمایی
به یاد دار مُحِبّانِ بادپیما را
No fault can I find in your face, save one small thing to tell:
that Love and Faith within a lovely face do seldom dwell.
جُز این قَدَر نَتوان گفت در جَمالِ تو عیب
که وضع مِهر و وفا نیست رویِ زیبا را
It is no wonder in the sky, if at Hafez's lay,
the song of Venus makes the Christ to dance and sway.
در آسمان نه عجب گَر به گفتهٔ حافظ
سُرودِ زُهره به رقص آورد مسیحا را
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 8/10. This poem uses classic metaphors: the Beloved as a gazelle, the lover as a parrot (sweet-talking) or nightingale (lamenting), and the Beloved as a Rose. The reference to 'measuring the wind' means doing something futile or wandering aimlessly. The final verse connects Hafez's poetry to the cosmic order, suggesting it's powerful enough to make Jesus (Messiah) dance in heaven, a bold claim of artistic power.