Poem #77
English Translation
Persian
A nightingale held a rose leaf bright within its beak
and in that leaf and song it poured out tender, aching shrieks.
بُلْبُلی، بَرگِ گُلی خوش‌رَنْگ در مِنْقار داشت
و اندر آن بَرْگ و نَوا، خوش ناله‌هایِ زار داشت
I asked, 'Within love's union why lament and cry?'
It said, 'The Beloved's dazzling glance drove me to sigh.'
گفتمش: «در عِیْنِ وَصْل، این نالِه و فَرْیاد چیست؟»
گفت: «ما را جِلْوِه‌یِ مَعْشوق در این کار داشت»
If Friend refused to sit with us, let no complaint now be
a king fulfilled in fortune shuns the beggar's plea.
یار اگر نَنْشَسْت با ما نیست جایِ اِعْتِراض
پادشاهی کامْران بود، از گدایی عار داشت
Our pleas and playful airs fall short before her light
blessed the soul whose portion touched the darling bright.
دَرنمی‌گیرد نیاز و نازِ ما با حُسْنِ دوست
خُرَّم آن کز نازنینان، بَخْتِ بَرخوردار داشت
Rise up and fling our souls upon that Artist's pen
whose turning compass etched such marvels born again.
خیز تا بر کِلْکِ آن نَقّاش، جان، اَفْشان کُنیم
کاین هَمِه نَقْشِ عَجَب در گَرْدِشِ پَرْگار داشت
If you're devotee of love, let scandal leave your face
Sheikh San'an pledged his cloak within the vintner's place.
گر مُریدِ راهِ عِشْقی، فِکْرِ بَدنامی مَکُن
شِیْخِ صَنْعان، خِرْقِه، رَهْنِ خانِهٔ خَمّار داشت
How sweet that Qalandar's hour through every stage he dwelt
he held the angels' beads within his girded belt.
وَقْتِ آن شیرین‌قَلَنْدَر خوش که در اَطْوارِ سِیْر
ذِکْرِ تَسْبیحِ مَلَک در حَلْقِه‌یِ زُنّار داشت
Hafez's gaze beneath that houri palace glow
beheld the style of gardens where the running rivers flow.
چَشْمِ «حافظ»، زیرِ بامِ قَصْرِ آن حوری‌سِرِشْت
شیوِه‌یِ جَنّاتُ تَجْری تَحْتِهَا الاَنهار داشت
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 7/10. This poem contains a dialogue with a nightingale, creating an engaging narrative structure. The reference to Sheikh San'an (a famous Sufi story about a sheikh who pawned his cloak at a wine-house for love) adds cultural depth. The verse about the Qalandar having 'the remembrance of the angel's glorification in the circle of the belt' is a beautiful fusion of spiritual and worldly imagery. The final verse's reference to the Quranic phrase 'gardens beneath which rivers flow' adds spiritual dimension. The poem's narrative structure and cultural references make it engaging.
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