Last night our spiritual guide came from the mosque to the tavern: Ghazal 10 by Hafez

Last night our spiritual guide came from the mosque to the tavern: Ghazal 10 by Hafez

By @hamed on July 29, 2024

Last night our spiritual guide came from the mosque to the tavern: Ghazal 10 by Hafez

By hamed @hamed | poet: Hafez Shirazi

دوش از مسجد سوی میخانه آمد پیر ما

چیست یاران طریقت بعد از این تدبیر ما

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ما مریدان روی سوی قبله چون آریم چون

روی سوی خانهٔ خَمّار دارد پیر ما

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در خرابات طریقت ما به هم منزل شویم

کاین‌چنین رفته‌ است در عهد ازل تقدیر ما

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عقل اگر داند که دل در بند زلفش چون خوش است

عاقلان دیوانه گردند از پی زنجیر ما

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روی خوبت آیتی از لطف بر ما کشف کرد

زان زمان جز لطف و خوبی نیست در تفسیر ما

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با دل سنگینت آیا هیچ درگیرد شبی

آه آتشناک و سوز سینهٔ شبگیر ما

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تیر آه ما ز گردون بگذرد حافظ خموش

رحم کن بر جان خود پرهیز کن از تیر ما

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Description:

English Translation:

Last night our spiritual guide came from the mosque to the tavern.
What strategies can the followers of the path adopt after this?

We, his disciples, how can we face the Qibla (direction of prayer) when
Our guide’s face is turned towards the wine-seller's house?

Let us all meet in the tavern of the path,
For such is the destiny decreed for us from eternity.

If reason knew how happy the heart is in the bonds of her tresses,
The wise would become mad in pursuit of our chains.

Your beautiful face revealed to us a sign of divine grace,
Since then, nothing but grace and goodness is in our interpretation.

With your heart of stone, will you ever be touched one night
By our fiery sighs and the burning of our nighttime heart?

May Hafez’s silent arrow of sighs pierce the heavens,
Have mercy on your own soul and beware of our arrow.


hamed
@hamed July 29, 2024, 3:07 p.m.

A Brief Explanation of the Translation

Spiritual Paradox: The poem presents a paradox between the spiritual path (represented by the mosque) and the worldly pleasures (represented by the tavern).
Sufi Undertones: As with many of Hafez's ghazals, there are strong Sufi undertones, with wine often symbolizing divine love and the tavern representing a spiritual path.
Love and Devotion: The poet expresses a deep love and devotion to a beloved, often seen as a symbol of the divine.

hamed
@hamed July 29, 2024, 3:07 p.m.

Key Themes:

Spiritual Paradox: The poem explores the tension between the spiritual and the worldly.
Love and Devotion: The poet expresses a deep love and devotion to a beloved.
Sufi Mysticism: The poem reflects Sufi mystical concepts such as divine love, unity, and the path to enlightenment.