Hafiz

[NikolaiI]

I am creating this thread about Hafiz's poetry.



LADY that hast my heart within thy hand,
Thou heed’st me not; and if thou turn thine ear
Unto the wise, thou shalt not understand—
Behold the fault is thine, our words were clear.
For all the tumult in my drunken brain
Praise God! who trieth not His slave in vain;
Nor this world nor the next shall make me fear!

My weary heart eternal silence keeps—
I know not who has slipped into my heart;
Though I am silent, one within me weeps.
My soul shall rend the painted veil apart.
Where art thou, Minstrel! touch thy saddest strings
Till clothed in music such as sorrow sings,
My mournful story from thy zither sweeps.

Lo, not at any time I lent mine ear
To hearken to the glories of the earth;
Only thy beauty to mine eyes was dear.
Sleep has forsaken me, and from the birth
Of night till day I weave bright dreams of thee;
Drunk with a hundred nights of revelry,
Where is the tavern that sets forth such cheer!

My heart, sad hermit, stains the cloister floor
With drops of blood, the sweat of anguish dire;
Ah, wash me clean, and o'er my body pour
Love's generous wine! the worshippers of fire
Have bowed them down and magnified my name,
For in my heart there burns a living flame,
Transpiercing Death's impenetrable door.

What instrument through last night's silence rang?
My life into his lay the minstrel wove,
And filled my brain with the sweet song he sang.
It was the proclamation of thy love
That shook the strings of Life's most secret lyre,
And still my breast heaves with last night's desire,
For countless echoes from that music sprang.

And ever, since the time that Hafiz heard
His Lady's voice, as from a rocky hill
Reverberates the softly spoken word,
So echoes of desire his bosom fill.

[blazeofglory]

I like Hafiz beyond limits. I have read so many poems of this Sufi writer. I am happy that you have started this thread about one of the great Sufi writers.

I have read one poem by one Sufi writer and now I forgot the name of the poet. The poem is " the conference of the birds" and this poem rings in my ear every time. I like mystic poets.

All I feel when I read a poem of this quality is I go purged and transformed. Things will be clear to me and the clouds of doubts will escape and the rays of faith fall on me.
I do not know I seem oftentimes contradictory in my writings and some posters have already pointed out but the fact is that I write what I feel at the moment.
I oftentimes feel there is a maker of this universe and that maker is the wholeness of everything combined of all unit-selves, of being, of non-being into one great whole. I start becoming aware of some great truth that even the earth, the sun, the moon and the rest of stars,k galaxies are not inanimate full of chaos and indeed the problem is with us, with our inability to understand this great truth. Such revelations descend upon me at times when I read such beautiful mystic poems.

[Pryderi Agni]

It's amazing, isn't it, how the Sufis are so relevant even today? I was just watching a BBC documentary on Omar Khayyam who, though not a Sufi, was certainly influenced by the easy-going otherworldly Stoicism of the age.

Can we consider some other Sufi poets? I'd love to know more about them.

[mono]

I purchased a copy of Hafiz's poetry some years ago, translated by Daniel Ladinsky, whom many call the Coleman Barks of Rumi's poetry. Like a lot of poetry, I still pick it off the shelf from time to time, reviewing old works, since especially Sufi poetry one reads more by chance than in a repetitious manner. Two of my favorites:

When You Wake

Wayfarer,
We are like two cups of water
That god poured in a vase.

I am one with you beyond
Recognition.

Of course
Whatever dreams
You have of this world
I can also say are mine.

Odd,
But it is true,

"Water" can sleep.

When you wake, dear one,
Do not be frightened,

We will be swinging a rope
Around Muhammad,

Watching the Sun
So joyously laugh and skip

In the middle of our Unbelievable
Divine
Union.

The Tender Mouth

What will
The burial of my body be?

The pouring of a sacred cup of wine

Into the tender mouth of
The earth

And making
My dear sweet lover laugh

One more
Time.

[NikolaiI]

I like Hafiz beyond limits. I have read so many poems of this Sufi writer. I am happy that you have started this thread about one of the great Sufi writers.

I have read one poem by one Sufi writer and now I forgot the name of the poet. The poem is " the conference of the birds" and this poem rings in my ear every time. I like mystic poets.

All I feel when I read a poem of this quality is I go purged and transformed. Things will be clear to me and the clouds of doubts will escape and the rays of faith fall on me.
I do not know I seem oftentimes contradictory in my writings and some posters have already pointed out but the fact is that I write what I feel at the moment.
I oftentimes feel there is a maker of this universe and that maker is the wholeness of everything combined of all unit-selves, of being, of non-being into one great whole. I start becoming aware of some great truth that even the earth, the sun, the moon and the rest of stars,k galaxies are not inanimate full of chaos and indeed the problem is with us, with our inability to understand this great truth. Such revelations descend upon me at times when I read such beautiful mystic poems.

I would like to read that poem some time. Yes it seems that Hafiz has attained some state of divine consciousness or God-realization, and it really shows in his works. Therefore they are so valuable.

[NikolaiI]

I purchased a copy of Hafiz's poetry some years ago, translated by Daniel Ladinsky, whom many call the Coleman Barks of Rumi's poetry. Like a lot of poetry, I still pick it off the shelf from time to time, reviewing old works, since especially Sufi poetry one reads more by chance than in a repetitious manner. Two of my favorites:

These two were very nice, thanks for sharing.

So what langauge were these poems originally written in? Some of them read very well in English.

[mortalterror]

His Divan vaguely reminds me of Horace and his Odes. Much better than Rumi, but still not as good as Firdawsi.

[blazeofglory]

I would like to read that poem some time. Yes it seems that Hafiz has attained some state of divine consciousness or God-realization, and it really shows in his works. Therefore they are so valuable.

I have read so many poems and nothing inspired me more than his and Kabir's

[mono]

These two were very nice, thanks for sharing.

So what langauge were these poems originally written in? Some of them read very well in English.

Persian, if I remember correctly, and, I agree, Ladkinsky did a beautiful job translating Hafiz's works, but I have had little room for comparisons, seeing that not many translations exist in English, let alone superior ones, as the most translated of the Sufi poets irrefutably seems Rumi. Ladinsky, though I have seen mostly his translations published, unfortunately, has received some criticism as to providing idiomatic rather than literal translations - a debatable subject on which nearly everyone has an opinion, especially with such a topic as Sufism, where so much symbolism, spirituality, and religion exist.

The Foundation for Greatness

Greatness
Is always built upon this foundation:
The ability
To appear, speak, and act
As the most
Common
Man.

[NikolaiI]

I Know The Way You Can Get

I know the way you can get
When you have not had a drink of Love:

Your face hardens,
Your sweet muscles cramp.
Children become concerned
About a strange look that appears in your eyes
Which even begins to worry your own mirror
And nose.

Squirrels and birds sense your sadness
And call an important conference in a tall tree.
They decide which secret code to chant
To help your mind and soul.

Even angels fear that brand of madness
That arrays itself against the world
And throws sharp stones and spears into
The innocent
And into one's self.

O I know the way you can get
If you have not been drinking Love:

You might rip apart
Every sentence your friends and teachers say,
Looking for hidden clauses.

You might weigh every word on a scale
Like a dead fish.

You might pull out a ruler to measure
From every angle in your darkness
The beautiful dimensions of a heart you once
Trusted.

I know the way you can get
If you have not had a drink from Love's
Hands.

That is why all the Great Ones speak of
The vital need
To keep remembering God,
So you will come to know and see Him
As being so Playful
And Wanting,
Just Wanting to help.

That is why Hafiz says:
Bring your cup near me.
For all I care about
Is quenching your thirst for freedom!

All a Sane man can ever care about
Is giving Love!

[NikolaiI]

Several Times in the Last Week

Ever since Happiness heard your name
It has been running through the streets
Trying to find you.

And several times in the last week,
God Himself has even come to my door-
Asking me for your address!

Once I said,
“God,
I thought You knew everything.
Why are You asking me
Where Your lovers live?”

And the Beloved replied,

Indeed, Hafiz, I do know Everything –
But it is fun playing dumb once in a while.
And I love intimate chat
And the warmth of your heart’s fire.

Maybe we should make this poem into a song-
I think it has potential!

How far does this refrain sound,
For I know it is a Truth:

Ever since Happiness heard your name,
It has been running through the streets
Trying to find you.
And several times in the last week,
God Himself has come to my door-
So sweetly asking for your address,
Wanting the beautiful warmth of your heart’s fire.

[YesNo]

I have started reading Daniel Ladinsky’s translation of Hafiz poems in a book called “The Gift”.

Here is information about Daniel Ladinsky: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ladinsky

Here is information about Hafiz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafez

Here is a link to Shahriar Shahriari’s pages containing Hafiz poems in the original and other information: https://www.hafizonlove.com/index.htm

[YesNo]

Gertrude Lowthian Bell has also done a translation of Hafiz poems along with a commentary published in 1897: http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/hafiz.htm

There is an audio of her translations here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPEZ_WuBTeA