Poem #97
English Translation
Persian
You sit like a crown upon the heads of all the country's beauties
truly all heart-stealers ought to pay you tribute.
تویی که بر سرِ خوبانِ کشوری چون تاج
سِزَد اگر همهٔ دلبران دهندت باج
Your two playful eyes have conquered China and Abyssinia
Machin and India pay tribute to the curve of your tress.
دو چشمِ شوخِ تو برهم زده خطا و حبش
به چینِ زلفِ تو ماچین و هند داده خراج
The whiteness of your face is bright as the cheek of day
the blackness of your hair is the darkness of night.
بیاضِ رویِ تو روشن چو عارضِ رخِ روز
سوادِ زلفِ سیاهِ تو هست ظلمتِ داج
Your honeyed mouth gives worth to Khidr's water of life
your sugar lips steal the market from Egypt's sweets.
دهانِ شهدِ تو داده رواج آبِ خضر
لبِ چو قندِ تو برد از نباتِ مصر رواج
In truth I shall find no cure for this sickness
for the heart's pain you give, O soul, admits no remedy.
از این مرض به حقیقت شفا نخواهم یافت
که از تو دردِ دل ای جان، نمی‌رسد به علاج
Why do you break my soul with such hard-heartedness?
my frail heart is as delicate as glass.
چرا همی‌شکنی جانِ من ز سنگدلی؟
دلِ ضعیف که باشد، به نازکی چو زجاج
Your lip is Khidr, your mouth the Water of Life
your stature is a cypress and your body carved from ivory.
لبِ تو خضر و دهانِ تو آبِ حیوان است
قدِ تو سرو و میان، موی و بر، به هیئت عاج
A king like you fell into Hafez's heart
yet the smallest mote of dust from your door would suffice.
فتاد در دلِ حافظ هوایِ چون تو شهی
کمینه ذرهٔ خاکِ درِ تو بودی کاج
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 7/10. This poem praises the beloved's beauty using geographical and cultural references. The verse about China, Abyssinia, Machin, and India giving tribute to the beloved's tress is a striking image of universal appeal. The reference to Khidr and the water of life adds spiritual dimension. The observation that the heart is 'in delicacy like glass' is relatable. The poem's combination of geographical imagery and emotional expression makes it engaging.
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