In the twilight between earthly longing and celestial wonder, the verses of Hatef Isfahani resonate like murmurs from an ancient dream. His ghazal—rich in metaphor and steeped in mysticism—invites us to wander through a garden of emotions, where every image is a portal to realms beyond time and space. Below, we explore the original Persian text alongside a poetic English translation, and then reflect on the deep symbolism woven through each couplet.

The Original Ghazal

دو چشمم خون‌فشان از دوری آن دلستانستی
که لعلش گوهرافشان، سنبلش عنبرفشانستی

چه سان خورشید رویت را مه تابان توان گفتن؟
که از روی تو تا ماه از زمین تا آسمانستی

حرامم باد دلجوییّ پیکانش اگر نالم
ز زخم ناوکی کز شست آن ابرو کمانستی

غمش گفتم نهان در سینه دارم ساده‌لوحی بین
که این سر در جهان فاش است و پندارم نهانستی

در این بستان به پای هر صنوبر جویی از چشمم
روان از حسرت بالای آن سرو روانستی

بیا شیرین‌زبانی بین که همچون نیشکر خامه
شکربار از زبان هاتف شیرین‌زبانستی

A Poetic Translation to English

I.
My two eyes bleed with the ache of your absence,
O beloved, whose ruby lips scatter jewels, and whose tresses exude amber light.

II.
How can I compare your radiant face to a shining moon?
For your visage spans the vastness—from earth to sky, as endless as the celestial orb.

III.
I must not soothe the arrow of your charm with my lament;
For my fragile heart is already pierced by the wound of your arched brow.

IV.
I confess—I hide your sorrow deep within my breast, a naive admission;
Yet my soul, laid bare before the world, reveals no secret thought.

V.
In this enchanted garden, beneath each noble pine, my eyes wander in search,
And longing flows freely over the graceful cypress of my desire.

VI.
Come, O mellifluous tongue, behold the sweetness akin to raw sugar and cream;
Your words cascade like ambrosia, a testament to your enchanting eloquence.

Reflections on the Mystic Imagery

Hatef Isfahani’s words are not merely a recounting of beauty—they are a meditation on the interplay of light and shadow, longing and fulfillment. In the opening verse, the poet speaks of eyes that weep blood, an evocative image of pain and passion intertwined. This visceral portrayal sets the tone: love, in its intensity, is both a wound and a wonder.

The second couplet lifts the reader into a realm where the beloved’s face outshines even the celestial bodies. Here, the moon—often the muse of poets—is rendered small against the infinite expanse of the lover’s radiance, suggesting that true beauty transcends the physical and touches the eternal.

In the third verse, the metaphor of an arrow and a bow emerges—a delicate reminder that even the softest glance, the slightest arch of an eyebrow, can wound deeply, piercing the very heart of the admirer. The imagery is as tender as it is sharp, encapsulating the paradox of love’s dual nature: its power to both heal and hurt.

The fourth couplet offers a glimpse into the poet’s inner world. His confession of harboring sorrow, despite his outward simplicity, hints at a soul laid bare by love’s intensity. There is an honesty here, a vulnerability that transcends pretense and speaks to the universal human experience of exposed feelings.

The garden in the fifth couplet serves as a symbolic sanctuary—a realm where every pine and cypress is a silent witness to the seeker’s yearning. The natural imagery bridges the gap between the mundane and the mystical, suggesting that the search for love is as natural as the growth of trees, as perennial as the seasons.

Finally, the call to the “mellifluous tongue” in the closing couplet is an invitation to partake in a shared sweetness. The language becomes a potion—sugar and cream combined—infusing the air with a delight that is as ephemeral as it is intoxicating.

Concluding Thoughts

In this ghazal, Hatef Isfahani does more than celebrate beauty; he creates a landscape where every word is a brushstroke painting the vast panorama of love and longing. The interplay between the celestial and the earthly reminds us that our deepest emotions are not confined by the limits of time or space—they echo in the universe, timeless and transcendent.

May these verses, rendered in both Persian and English, serve as a gentle reminder: love, with all its mystical pain and transcendent beauty, is the eternal muse that inspires our souls to dream beyond the horizon.