Poem #91
English Translation
Persian
O you who are absent from my sight, I entrust you to God
you burned my soul, yet in my heart I cherish you.
ای غایب از نظر به خدا می‌سپارمت
جانم بسوختی و به دل دوست دارمت
Until I drag my shroud beneath the earth
do not believe I will ever let go of your skirt.
تا دامنِ کفن نکشم زیرِ پایِ خاک
باور مکن که دست ز دامن بدارمت
Reveal the prayer-niche of your eyebrow so that at dawn I may raise my hands in prayer
and gently circle them about your neck.
محرابِ ابرویت بنما تا سحرگهی
دستِ دعا برآرم و در گردن آرمت
If I must seek out Harut of Babylon
I will weave a hundred charms until I lead you home.
گر بایدم شدن سویِ هاروتِ بابلی
صد گونه جادویی بکنم تا بیارمت
I pray to go before you, O unfaithful physician
inquire about your patient once more, for still I wait for you.
خواهم که پیش میرمت ای بی‌وفا طبیب
بیمار باز پرس که در انتظارمت
I have wept a hundred streams beside my cheeks
to water the seed of love that lets me plant you in my heart.
صد جوی آب بسته‌ام از دیده بر کنار
بر بویِ تخمِ مهر که در دل بکارمت
You shed my blood and spared me grief's torment
I gratefully accept the daggered wink of your coquetry.
خونم بریخت وز غمِ عشقم خلاص داد
منت پذیرِ غمزهٔ خنجر گذارمت
I weep, and all I want from this torrent of tears
is to nourish the seed of love I plant for you within my heart.
می‌گریم و مرادم از این سیلِ اشک‌بار
تخمِ محبت است که در دل بکارمت
Grant me your grace so that with my heart aflame
I may scatter tear-born pearls at your feet without cease.
بارم ده از کرم سویِ خود تا به سوزِ دل
در پای دم‌به‌دم گهر از دیده بارمت
Hafez, wine and beauty and wild ways are not your estate
yet you indulge a little and then leave me all the same.
حافظ شراب و شاهد و رندی نه وضعِ توست
فی‌الجمله می‌کنی و فرو می‌گذارمت
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 7/10. This poem expresses longing for the absent beloved. The reference to Harut (a fallen angel in Islamic tradition) adds cultural depth. The verse about making 'a hundred streams of water' from the eye to plant 'the seed of love' is a beautiful image. The observation that Hafez does things and then abandons them is a self-aware statement. The poem's combination of emotional intensity and cultural references makes it engaging.
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