Translation: Everyone who became an intimate of the heart, remained in my love’s sanctuary and the one who didn’t understand this remained in denail Don’t fault my heart if it shed its veil. Thank God it didn’t stay veiled in its imagination The Sufis redeemed all the clothes they pawned for wine Only…
Hafez and Estrella Morente
Hafez Ghazal 271 Don’t ask me how many complaints I have about her black hair For I became so undone because of her that its beyond telling Let no one abandon heart and faith in hope of fidelity I did this. Don’t ask me how sorry I am. With one innocent drink that…
Hafez-Show me your face and make me forget my existence
Perhaps my favorite of Hafez’s ghazals at the moment… Hafez Ghazal 250 Show me your face and make me forget my existence Tell the wind to take the harvest of the burned Since we gave up our heart and eyes to the storm of affliction Say, “Come flood of sorrow, tear this house…
Baba Taher-The sorrow of your love
غم عشقت بیابون پرورم کرد هوای بخت بی بال و پرم کرد موكه سر در بيابو نم شب و روز سرشك از ديده بارا نم شب و روز Translation: The sorrow of your love has made me wander in deserts The fleeting illusion of happiness (with you) clipped my wings Day…
‘Attar – The Three Butterflies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjn3NZuCj38 Were all really three butterflies In the world of love, we are a legend The first came near the candle and said “I have found the meaning of love” The second fluttered its wing near the flame and said, “I’ve been burned by the fire of love” The third threw himself into the fire Yes,…
Rumi-Dancing Atoms
My translation: Arise oh day! The atoms are dancing! For him the spheres and wind are dancing Souls ecstatic with joy are dancing I’ll whisper in your ear where they are dancing Each atom in the wind or desert Is good-natured, like this, we are enchanted Each atom, whether happy or sad Is…
Rumi – I do not know myself
What is to be done, O Muslims? for I do not know myself. I am neither Christian, nor Jew, nor Magian, nor Muslim. I am not of the East, nor of the West, nor of the land, nor of the sea; I am not of Nature’s quarry, nor of the heaven circling above….
‘Attar and Carminho
The Soul’s Dilemma Once again, each day, I travel the path of your love Every night without fail I mourn your absence anew. My soul lacks the courage to love one such as you- and my heart lacks the strength to abandon you too -‘Attar From Love’s Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition. New World…
Hafez- “Last night the wind brought…”
An interesting translation in rhyming verse… Last night, the wind brought wind of my Loved Friend who’d gone away. I too shall yield my heart unto the wind: let come what may. At length my loving comes to this: I have no confidant but blazing lightning every night and dawn wind…
Hafez- “For years my heart asked of me” Ghazal 143
One of my favorite poems from my favorite poet, rendered into excellent English verse-quite a feat. سالها دل طلب جام جم از ما می کرد آنچه خود داشت ز بیگانه تمنا می کرد “For years my heart inquired of me‚” BY HAFEZ TRANSLATED BY DICK DAVIS Read the translator’s notes For years my heart inquired of…