It was not fate that killed this weary one with your sword, Ghazal 209 by Hafez

By hamed @hamed | poet: Hafez Shirazi | 3 4

قتلِ این خسته به شمشیرِ تو تقدیر نبود

ور نه هیچ از دلِ بی‌رحمِ تو تقصیر نبود

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منِ دیوانه چو زلفِ تو رها می‌کردم

هیچ لایق‌ترم از حلقهٔ زنجیر نبود

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یا رب این آینهٔ حُسن چه جوهر دارد؟

که در او آهِ مرا قُوَّتِ تأثیر نبود

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سر ز حسرت به درِ میکده‌ها بَرکردم

چون شناسایِ تو در صومعه یک پیر نبود

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نازنین‌تر ز قَدَت در چمنِ ناز نَرُست

خوش‌تر از نقشِ تو در عالمِ تصویر نبود

***

تا مگر همچو صبا باز به کویِ تو رَسَم

حاصلم دوش به جز نالهٔ شبگیر نبود

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آن کشیدم ز تو ای آتشِ هجران که چو شمع

جز فنای خودم از دستِ تو تدبیر نبود

***

آیتی بود عذابْ اَنْدُهِ حافظ بی تو

که بَرِ هیچ کَسَش حاجتِ تفسیر نبود

***


Description:

English Translation:

It was not fate that killed this weary one with your sword,
Or else there would be no fault in your heartless soul.

When I, a madman, released your tresses,
Nothing was more fitting for me than a chain.

O Lord, what essence does this mirror of beauty have?
That my sighs had no power to influence it.

I raised my head from sorrow to the doors of the tavern,
As there was no sage in the monastery who knew you.

Nothing more delicate than your stature grew in the garden of grace,
Nothing more beautiful than your image in the world of painting.

So that perhaps like a gentle breeze I might reach your street again,
My result yesterday was nothing but the nighttime lamentation.

What I suffered from you, O fire of separation, was like a candle,
There was no remedy but my own annihilation from your hand.

A verse was the torment of Hafez's sorrow without you,
Which needed no interpretation for anyone.


English Translation for Ghazal

English translation for Ghazal.

متن غزل

Original poem in Persian

hamed
@hamed Sept. 6, 2024, 3:49 p.m.

Explanation of the Ghazal

In this ghazal, Hafez expresses deep sorrow and longing for his beloved. He uses vivid imagery and symbolism to convey his pain and the intensity of his love.

hamed
@hamed Sept. 6, 2024, 3:49 p.m.

Key Themes:

Love and Loss: The poet laments the loss of his beloved and the pain of separation.
Spiritual Suffering: The poet's love is depicted as a spiritual journey filled with pain and longing.
Fate and Free Will: Hafez explores the interplay between fate and free will in human affairs.

hamed
@hamed Sept. 6, 2024, 3:49 p.m.

Key Persian terms and nuances:

شمشیر: Sword
حُسن: Beauty
میکده: Tavern
صبا: A gentle breeze

hamed
@hamed Sept. 6, 2024, 3:50 p.m.

This ghazal is a powerful expression of human emotion, exploring themes of love, loss, and the search for meaning. Hafez uses vivid imagery and symbolism to convey his message.