For years, our book was pledged to wine, Ghazal 203 by Hafez

By @hamed | poet: Hafez Shirazi

سال‌ها دفترِ ما در گرو صَهبا بود

رونقِ میکده از درس و دعایِ ما بود

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نیکیِ پیرِ مغان بین که چو ما بدمستان

هر چه کردیم به چشمِ کَرَمَش زیبا بود

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دفترِ دانش ما جمله بشویید به مِی

که فلک دیدم و در قصدِ دلِ دانا بود

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از بتان آن طلب ار حسن شناسی ای دل

کاین کسی گفت که در علمِ نظر بینا بود

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دل چو پرگار به هر سو دَوَرانی می‌کرد

و اندر آن دایره سرگشتهٔ پابرجا بود

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مُطرب از دَردِ محبت عملی می‌پرداخت

که حکیمانِ جهان را مژه خون پالا بود

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می‌شکفتم ز طرب زان که چو گُل بر لبِ جوی

بر سرم سایهٔ آن سروِ سَهی بالا بود

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پیرِ گلرنگِ من اندر حقِ اَزْرَق‌پوشان

رخصتِ خُبث نداد ار نه حکایت‌ها بود

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قلبِ اندودهٔ حافظ بَرِ او خرج نشد

کاین مُعامِل به همه عیبِ نهان بینا بود

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Description:

English Translation:

For years, our book was pledged to wine,
The prosperity of the tavern was from our study and prayer.

See the goodness of the old Magi, for like us, drunkards,
Whatever we did, in his gracious eyes, was beautiful.

Let us wash our books of knowledge with wine,
For I have seen the sky and it was intent on the heart of the wise.

If you seek beauty, O heart, ask of those idols,
For this was said by one who was insightful in the science of perception.

My heart, like a compass, revolved in every direction,
And in that circle, it was a perpetually lost wanderer.

The musician played a tune of the pain of love,
Which made the sages of the world shed tears from their eyes.

I blossomed with joy, for like a flower by a stream,
The shadow of that tall cypress was above me.

My saffron-robed old man would not permit evil against the blue-robed ones,
Otherwise, there would have been many stories.

Hafez’s sorrowful heart was not spent on him,
For this dealer was insightful into everyone’s hidden faults.