Poem #63
English Translation
Persian
None has glimpsed your face, yet a thousand rivals vie
still a bud, yet a hundred nightingales sing nigh.
رویِ تو کس ندید و هزارت رقیب هست
در غنچه‌ای هنوز و صدت عندلیب هست
If I came to your street, it's not strange, you'll agree
thousands of strangers dwell there, just like me.
گر آمدم به کوی تو چندان غریب نیست
چون من در آن دیار هزاران غریب هست
In Love, no difference 'tween monastery and tavern's door
wherever the Beloved's radiance shines, there is much more.
در عشق، خانقاه و خرابات فرق نیست
هر جا که هست پرتوِ رویِ حبیب هست
Where monastery's work is shown with sacred care
the monk's bell tolls, and cross's name hangs in the air.
آن جا که کارِ صومعه را جلوه می‌دهند
ناقوسِ دِیرِ راهب و نامِ صلیب هست
What lover found the Friend would look upon his plight
O master! There's no pain—or else there'd be a cure in sight.
عاشق که شد که یار به حالش نظر نکرد
ای خواجه درد نیست وگرنه طبیب هست
Hafez's cry is not in vain, mark what I say
there's both a strange story and wondrous tale at play.
فریادِ حافظ این همه آخِر به هرزه نیست
هم قصه‌ای غریب و حدیثی عجیب هست
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 8/10. This poem contains one of Hafez's most famous statements: 'In love, monastery and tavern have no difference—wherever there is the radiance of the beloved's face.' This is a profound expression of Hafez's philosophy that true spirituality transcends religious forms. The reference to the cross and monastery bell adds Christian context, showing universal spiritual themes. The verse about thousands of strangers in the beloved's land is a poignant observation about love's universality. The poem's philosophical depth makes it very engaging for Western readers.
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