Poem #98
English Translation
Persian
If in your creed the lover's blood is lawful
then all our welfare rests in whatever you decree.
اگر به مذهبِ تو خونِ عاشق است مباح
صلاحِ ما همه آن است کان تو راست صلاح
The blackness of your tress is the Maker of Darkness
the whiteness of your moon-bright face is the Splitter of Dawn.
سوادِ زلفِ سیاهِ تو جاعِلُ الظُّلُمات
بیاضِ رویِ چو ماهِ تو، فالِقُ الاصباح
No one escapes the curve of your lasso-like hair
nor finds salvation from the bow of your brow and the arrow of your eye.
ز چینِ زلفِ کمندت کسی نیافت خلاص
از آن کمانچهٔ ابرو و تیرِ چشم، نجاح
A spring runs from my eyes beside my cheeks
so deep no seasoned sailor dares its middle current.
ز دیده‌ام شده یک چشمه در کنار روان
که آشنا نکند در میان آن، ملاح
Your lip, like the Water of Life, is the soul's strength
our earthly being draws its spirit from that source.
لبِ چو آبِ حیاتِ تو هست قوتِ جان
وجودِ خاکیِ ما را از اوست ذکرِ رواح
I gave your ruby lip a kiss with a hundred laments
my heart's desire I won from it with a hundred thousand pleas.
بداد لعلِ لبت بوسه‌ای به صد زاری
گرفت کام دلم زو به صد هزار الحاح
A prayer for your soul is the constant litany of the longing
joining evening to morning without a break.
دعایِ جانِ تو وردِ زبان مشتاقان
همیشه تا که بود متصل مسا و صباح
Do not seek goodness, repentance, or piety from us, Hafez
no libertine or lover or madman ever offered such rectitude.
صلاح و توبه و تقوی ز ما مجو حافظ
ز رند و عاشق و مجنون کسی نیافت صلاح
Cultural Context
US Interest Rank: 7/10. This poem contains Arabic phrases from the Quran ('maker of darknesses,' 'splitter of dawns') creating a fusion of religious and romantic imagery. The verse about the beloved's religion permitting 'the blood of the lover' is a bold statement. The observation that 'from libertine and lover and mad, no one found goodness' is a self-aware statement. The poem's combination of Quranic references and romantic devotion may intrigue readers interested in Sufi poetry.
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