Rumi: Ghazal 436 [The Fragrance of Thy Wine]
![Rumi: Ghazal 28 [The Color of God]](https://alisalami.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Rumi.jpg)
“Who knocks at my gate?” he queried with a voice clear. “Naught but a meek slave,” I returned, “Thy serf, ready to adhere.” “And what dost thou seek herein?” he pressed. “O luminary of night,” quoth I, “To proffer thee my best.” “How long wilt thou tarry?” he posed in query. “Till thou beckon,” was […]
Rumi: Ghazal 1197 [The Gown of Concord]
If fire be thy companion, then enter and blaze thou bright! In the Eve of Parting, like a taper burn ’til morning light! Thou bear’st the weight of contraries, yet harmony thou dost weave; When they rend thine attire, stitch thou the Gown of Concord to achieve. In harmony, flesh and spirit find the soul’s […]
Rumi: Ghazal 1317 [Weeping Eye]
Behold, the mock sovereign strides with pomp and steed, Laden and ponderous, in his gilded garment indeed. He spurns death and asks: “Whence comes destiny?” Death answers from all sides: “Behold, here I be.” Death says: “O fool, where is thy power and sheen, Thy wealth, thy pride, thy anger, thy scorn so keen? Where […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 14 [Beds of Thorns]
![Hafiz: Ghazal 14 {Pillow of Stone]](https://alisalami.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/hafiz-1024x683.jpg)
To my dear heart I thus did say, “O queen of radiant mien, Extend, I pray, thy grace to me, a soul by fortune seen.” But she, in tones both clear and keen, did thus to me relay, “He wanders lost, who obeys heart’s whims, and from wisdom does stray.” “Stay thee a moment, […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 10 [Ecstasy of Soul]
Last eve, our spiritual Pir did voyage from sacred mosque to worldly tavern. Brethren, what course now shall we chart? What action shall we take? We, the acolytes, find our Pir straying to the tavern; how then shall we turn our gaze towards the sacred direction in prayer? Let us then claim sanctuary amidst the […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 8 [Saki, Arise]
Saki, arise… fill the goblet, present it. Bury the sorrows of the world beneath the earth! Hand me the wine cup so I might cast off this sky-colored cloak upon me. To the wise, drunkenness may bear ill repute, but we yearn not for fame or renown. Serve the wine, how long shall this wind […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 3 [Speak Now of Music]
Should Shiraz’s fair, our humble love requite, And in her grace, our hearts’ affections light, For but the mole upon her cheek so bright, We’d yield Samarkand and Bukhara outright. Saki, pour forth the remnants of our wine, For in heaven’s realm, these joys shan’t intertwine. No Ruknabad’s stream, nor Musalla’s shade, Will grace […]
Rumi: Ghazal 189 [Dance, Dance]
For sooth, the spring hath souls anew arrayed, Dance now, O branch, in tender verdure’s shade. As Joseph’s trek did sweeten Egypt’s glade, Begin thy dance, let joyfulness not fade. O king, by love’s own milk so sweetly reared, Advance, surge forth, as lion unfeared. Thou art thine father’s apple, so endeared, Join now […]
Rumi: Ghazal 2130 [Whirlwind of Madness]
O lovers, O ardent souls, the sight of His visage ensnares the mind, casting one into a whirlwind of madness and fervor. Characters transform, worlds crumble in disarray. Commence the quest for the Beloved, let the marketplace collapse; like the river’s current, surge forward headlong, turning the world upside down. In the realm of love, […]
Rumi: Ghazal 28 [The Color of God]
O sovereign of our flesh and spirit, O enchantress who lures forth our laughter and reveals our splendor, O who adorns our gaze with kohl, O radiance that illuminates our inner eye. O fair one, at thy splendor even the moon trembles when it beholds thy splendor; our life-blood is an offering for thy affection; […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 89 [The Darkest Kohl]
O Sovereign, forge a divine intercession that my heart’s companion may return unharmed, liberating me from this grievous plight. Impart unto me the dust from the trail of my beloved’s passage, that I might adorn my worldly eyes with it as if it were the darkest kohl. Mourn, for yon visage, those tresses, that countenance, […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 91 [O Fickle Healer of Hearts]
O Beloved, shrouded from our mortal gaze, I commend thy essence to the Almighty’s keeping. Thou hast kindled in my breast a flame so fierce, yet my affection knows no bounds, engulfing both my heart and very soul in its consuming fervor. I shall cling unto the hem of thy garment, unwavering, till the very […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 14 {Pillow of Stone]
To my beloved I said: “O empress of splendor, grant this unfortunate one your mercy,” to which she replied: “Abandoned and destitute, he who gives in to the whims of his heart goes astray.” “Stop for a moment, do not go away,” I asked her. “How can someone who has grown up in your house […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 10 [A Verse of Beauty]
Last eve, our spiritual Pir did voyage from sacred mosque to worldly tavern. Brethren, what course now shall we chart? What action shall we take? We, the acolytes, find our Pir straying to the tavern; how then shall we turn our gaze towards the sacred direction in prayer? Let us then claim sanctuary amidst the […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 6 [A Sip of Wine]
Who shall carry this petition to the court of the sovereign of all graces? Let not the monarch in his splendor neglect the humble, whose gratitude elevates the throne. I mourn and implore my Creator to overcome the diabolical rival, hoping for heavenly favor, that the shooting star may help. My beloved, when your sable […]
Hafiz: Ghazal 4 [Moon-faced Beauties]
O gentle breath of dawn, whisper in the ear of the graceful hind: It is you who have led us into the wilderness and into the open country to wander! Oh, old craftsman of delights, why do you not seek the lips sweetened by sugary food? A wonder, indeed! O blossom, does vanity born of […]
Hafiz’s Ghazal 5: The Love of Fortune
Hafiz’s Ghazal 5: The Love of Fortune The heart slips away from me, O guardians of souls, for the love of God, lend your helping hand. Alas, the hidden ailment shall reveal itself! Our ship is stranded, motionless. O favorable wind, arise! Blow! Perhaps we shall glimpse the familiar face of the Beloved once more. […]