Quatrain 92 from Rubaiyat of Saadi Shirazi
By
@hamed
|
8
6
ای بیتو فراخای جهان بر ما تنگما را به تو فخرست و تو را از ما ننگ
ما با تو به صلحیم و تو را با ما جنگآخر بنگویی که دلست این یا سنگ؟
Description:
English Translation:
Literal:
"Oh, without you, the vastness of the world feels narrow to us.
We take pride in you, but you feel shame from us.
We are at peace with you, but you are at war with us.
In the end, you will realize whether this is a heart or a stone."
Poetic:
"Without your love, the world feels so confined,
Your grace is our pride, yours, a burden you bind.
We seek your peace, but you wage endless strife,
Will you realize, one day, that this is life?"
Analysis:
This quatrain by Saadi Shirazi expresses a deep sense of longing and unrequited love. The speaker is addressing a beloved who seems indifferent to their affection.
Lines 1-2: The speaker expresses a sense of confinement and isolation without the beloved's presence. The world, which should be vast and full of possibilities, feels narrow and constricting. The speaker also expresses pride in their beloved, but suggests that the beloved feels ashamed or burdened by this affection.
Lines 3-4: This part of the quatrain is a direct address to the beloved, accusing them of being at war with the speaker's love. The final line poses a rhetorical question, suggesting that the beloved will eventually realize the depth of the speaker's feelings and regret their indifference.
Deeper Meaning
This quatrain explores themes of love, longing, and rejection. The speaker's emotional turmoil is evident in their words, as they grapple with the pain of unrequited love. The image of the world feeling narrow without the beloved highlights the centrality of this person in the speaker's life.
Key Themes:
Unrequited love: The central theme is the pain and frustration of loving someone who does not love you in return.
Longing: The speaker expresses a deep longing for the beloved's affection.
Contrasting emotions: The quatrain contrasts the speaker's feelings of peace and love with the beloved's perceived feelings of war and indifference.
This quatrain is a poignant expression of human emotion. It captures the universal experience of longing for love and the pain of rejection. Saadi's masterful use of imagery and metaphor creates a vivid picture of a heart broken by love.