translation of Hafez
Hey wine boy! Keep giving us more to drink
Love’s not something we endure or outthink.
The musky flower’s perfume in the breeze
Buzzes bees blindly to its core to drink.
Bound to the world, my beloved jangles
Chains of existence to sever the link.
The holy man knows best. If he insists,
Paint prayer rugs with rags and wine-colored ink!
We who’d drown in love know the wave’s terror.
Those with closed hearts, safe on the shore, don’t sink.
My selfish verse made me notorious.
(Truth remains hidden when the liars speak).
Hafez, don’t run away from his presence.
When caught by him, release the world and sing.
From Ghazal Games: Poems (Ohio University Press, 2011) by Roger Sedarat. Copyright © 2011 Roger Sedarat. Reprinted with permission of the poet.