Quatrain 4 from Rubaiyat of Saadi Shirazi
چون دل ز هوای دوست نتوان پرداختدرمانش تحمل است و سر پیش انداخت
یا ترک گل لعل همی باید گفتیا با الم خار همی باید ساخت
Description:
English Translation:
Since one cannot free the heart from the desire of a friend,
The remedy is endurance and bowing the head.
Either one must say farewell to the ruby lip,
Or endure the pain of thorns with the rose.
Analysis of the Quatrain:
This quatrain by Saadi Shirazi delves into the complexities of love and the challenges of unrequited or difficult love. Let's break down the lines:
Line 1: چون دل ز هوای دوست نتوان پرداخت
"Since one cannot free the heart from the desire of a friend,"
The poet begins by acknowledging the powerful and inescapable nature of love. The heart, he suggests, is often unable to free itself from the longing for a beloved.
Line 2: درمانش تحمل است و سر پیش انداخت
"The remedy is endurance and bowing the head."
This line offers a practical solution to the heart's longing: patience and humility. The lover is advised to endure the pain of unrequited love and to accept their situation.
Line 3: یا ترک گل لعل همی باید گفت
"Either one must say farewell to the ruby lip,"
The poet presents a difficult choice: to give up on the beloved entirely. The "ruby lip" is a metaphor for the beloved's beauty and allure.
Line 4: یا با الم خار همی باید ساخت
"Or endure the pain of thorns with the rose."
The final line offers another option: to accept the pain that comes with love. The image of a rose with thorns suggests that beauty and pain are often intertwined in love.
Themes explored in the quatrain:
The inevitability of love: The poet suggests that love can be a powerful and consuming force that is difficult to resist.
The pain of unrequited love: The quatrain explores the suffering that can come with unrequited or difficult love.
The choice between love and pain: The poet presents a difficult choice: to give up on love or to endure the pain that comes with it.
The beauty and pain of life: The image of a rose with thorns suggests that life is full of both joy and sorrow.