Poem #441
English Translation
Persian
What joy would bloom if that moon's heart were kind!
My state would not be thus, if she were so aligned.
چه بودی ار دل آن ماه مهربان بودی؟
که حال ما نه چنین بودی ار چنان بودی
I would ask, "What price the breeze of the Beloved's tress?"
If for every hair, a thousand lives I could possess.
بگفتمی که «چه ارزد نسیم طرهٔ دوست؟»
گرم به هر سر مویی هزار جان بودی
How would our scroll of joy diminish, Lord, I pray
If it bore a seal of safety from Time's cruel sway?
برات خوش‌دلی ما چه کم شدی یا رب
گرش نشان امان از بد زمان بودی
If Fate had held me high, honored and dear
My throne of glory would be that threshold's dust, so near.
گرَم زمانه سرافراز داشتی و عزیز
سریر عزتم آن خاک آستان بودی
Oh, that she would come forth from the veil like a tear
Her command flowing over these two eyes, crystal clear.
ز پرده کاش برون آمدی چو قطرهٔ اشک
که بر دو دیدهٔ ما حکم او روان بودی
Had not Love's circle barred the path around
Hafez, like a compass point, bewildered would be found.
اگر نه دایرهٔ عشق راه بربستی
چو نقطه حافظ سرگشته در میان بودی
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 8/10. This poem expresses hypothetical longing. The verse about asking 'what would be if the heart of that moon was kind' and saying 'the state of ours would not be such if it was such' is a powerful statement. The observation that Hafez would be 'like a point, bewildered in the middle' if 'the circle of love did not close the path' is a profound statement. The poem's combination of hypothetical longing and emotional expression makes it very engaging.
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