Quatrain 128 from Rubaiyat of Saadi Shirazi
ای بیرخ تو چو لالهزارم دیدهگرینده چو ابر نوبهارم دیده
روزی بینی در آرزوی رخ توچون اشک چکیده در کنارم دیده
Description:
English Translation:
Literal:
"O without your face, my eyes are like a tulip garden.
Weeping like a spring cloud, my eyes have been.
One day you will see, in longing for your face,
Like tear dropped from eye am beside you."
Poetic:
"My eyes, a tulip bed, since you've been gone,
Weep like spring clouds, their beauty overthrown.
One day you'll see me, weeping for your sight,
My tears like dewdrops in the fading light."
Analysis:
This quatrain by Saadi Shirazi paints a vivid picture of a heartbroken lover.
The Suffering Lover: The speaker compares their eyes to a tulip garden and a weeping cloud, both symbols of beauty and sorrow. This suggests that their eyes have lost their luster due to the absence of their beloved.
Longing for the Beloved: The speaker expresses a deep longing for the beloved's face. The image of the beloved's eyes as tears suggests that the speaker's suffering is so intense that they can almost see the beloved's eyes as tears beside them.
A Hope for Reunion: The speaker expresses a hope that one day the beloved will see them in their state of suffering. This suggests a desire for reconciliation and a belief that the beloved may eventually return.
Themes:
Love and Loss: The central theme is the pain of separation from a beloved.
Nature Imagery: The use of nature imagery (tulip garden, spring cloud) enhances the emotional impact of the poem.
Hope and Desperation: The speaker expresses both hope for a reunion and despair over their current situation.