Poem #72
English Translation
Persian
There is a Path, Love's path, with no far shore in sight
except to lay the soul down, there is no hopeful flight.
راهی‌ست راهِ عشق که هیچش کناره نیست
آن‌جا جز آن‌که جان بسپارند، چاره نیست
Whenever you give your heart to Love, sweet is the time
in worthy deeds there's no need to consult a sign.
هر گَه که دل به عشق دهی، خوش دمی بود
در کارِ خیر حاجتِ هیچ استخاره نیست
Don't scare us with Reason's ban—bring wine and let us feast
that sheriff in our province holds no power in the least.
ما را ز منعِ عقل مترسان و می بیار
کآن شِحنه در ولایتِ ما هیچ کاره نیست
Ask your own eyes who strikes us down in woe
dear heart, the blame is neither fate nor stars that glow.
از چشم خود بپرس که ما را که می‌کُشد؟
جانا گناهِ طالع و جرمِ ستاره نیست
With eyes kept pure she's glimpsed like a crescent moon
not every eye can mirror that moon-fragment's boon.
او را به چشمِ پاک توان دید چون هلال
هر دیده جایِ جلوهٔ آن ماه‌پاره نیست
Seize the chance, embrace the libertine's bold way
like treasure's secret trail, it's not revealed to everyone.
فرصت شمر طریقهٔ رندی که این نشان
چون راهِ گنج بر همه کس آشکاره نیست
Hafez's tears have moved you not in any view
amazed am I your heart stays hard as flinted blue.
نگرفت در تو گریهٔ حافظ به هیچ رو
حیرانِ آن دلم که کم از سنگِ خاره نیست
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 8/10. This poem contains powerful statements about love's path. The opening verse 'there is a path, the path of love, that has no shore—there, except that they give up the soul, there is no remedy' is a profound expression of love's all-consuming nature. The verse about the sheriff having 'no power' in the lover's province is a bold statement of love's sovereignty. The observation that 'not every eye is a place for the manifestation of that moon-piece' shows the need for purity to see beauty. The poem's combination of mystical insight and practical wisdom makes it very engaging.
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