Poem #94
English Translation
Persian
I have a complaint, a complaint against that heart-delighting Friend
if you know Love, hear this tale.
زان یارِ دل‌نوازم، شُکری است با شکایت
گر نکته‌دانِ عشقی، بشنو تو این حکایت
I served without wage or favor
O God, let no one serve a master who gives no heed.
بی‌مزد بود و مِنَّت، هر خدمتی که کردم
یا رب مباد کس را، مخدومِ بی‌عنایت
No one gives water to the thirsty-lipped libertines
it seems those who know the saints have left this land.
رندانِ تشنه‌لب را، آبی نمی‌دهد کس
گویی ولی‌شناسان، رفتند از این ولایت
O heart, do not twist in her lasso-like tress
for there you will see severed heads innocent of any crime.
در زلفِ چون کمندش، ای دل مپیچ کآن جا
سرها بریده بینی، بی‌جرم و بی‌جنایت
Your eye drank our blood with coquetry, and you approve
O Soul, it is not right to support the shedder of blood.
چشمت به غمزه ما را، خون خورد و می‌پسندی
جانا روا نباشد، خون‌ریز را حمایت
In this black night of mine, the path is lost
come forth from a corner, O star of guidance.
در این شبِ سیاهم، گم گشت راهِ مقصود
از گوشه‌ای برون آی، ای کوکبِ هدایت
Whichever way I turned, my terror only grew
beware this desert and this endless road.
از هر طرف که رفتم، جز وحشتم نَیَفزود
زِنهار از این بیابان، وین راهِ بی‌نهایت
O Sun of Beauties, my heart boils within me
for one hour, shelter me in the shadow of your grace.
ای آفتابِ خوبان، می‌جوشد اندرونم
یک ساعتم بِگُنجان، در سایهٔ عنایت
This path has no end; how can we define it?
For in the beginning of your guidance lie a hundred thousand stages.
این راه را نهایت، صورت کجا توان بست؟
کِش صد هزار منزل، بیش است در بِدایت
Though you have ruined my honor, I will not turn from your door
injustice from the Beloved is sweeter than favor from a rival.
هر چند بردی آبم، روی از درت نتابم
جور از حبیب خوش‌تر، کز مُدَّعی رعایت
Love will come to your aid, even if like Hafez
you can recite the Quran by heart in all fourteen traditions.
عشقت رسد به فریاد، ار خود به سانِ حافظ
قرآن ز بر بخوانی، در چاردَه روایت
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 8/10. This poem contains powerful statements about love and devotion. The verse 'injustice from the beloved is sweeter than from the claimant, attention' is a profound statement about love's acceptance. The observation that the path has 'a hundred thousand stages' in the beloved's guidance is a striking image of love's complexity. The verse about severed heads 'without crime and without sin' in the beloved's tress is a powerful image. The final verse's reference to reading the Quran 'in fourteen traditions' shows Hafez's learning. The poem's combination of emotional intensity and philosophical depth makes it very engaging.
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