Introducing Hafiz
My roommate introduced me to this poet and I thought I'd share some of his work while I'm trying to stave off my paper a little longer.
-----------------------
Forever Dance
I am happy even before I have reason.
I am full of Light even before the sky
Can greet the sun or the moon.
Dear companions,
We have been in love with God
For so very, very long.
What can Hafiz now do but Foever Dance!
------------------------------
2
Brothers, attend
How you shall spend
This fleeting treasure
Of days that pass:
Fill your measure
With present pleasure,
The deep sweet glass,
And love and leisure,
And sunny grass.
Let the pious thunder
Of heaven and hell--
He drinks as well;
Let the proud man rear
His lofty towers--
Have you no fear
The little flowers
That grow thereunder
Shall last as long--
Or little song.
Not our Most High Lord
The Sultan's sword
Can more command,
When he comes to die,
Than you and I
Of simple birth
Can ask of earth--
A little land
In which to lie.
And, even now,
Who more woudl ask
The blue sky under:
A little grass,
Wine in glass,
One's liberty
and Love and wonder:
This, HAFIZ, is Felicity.
--------------------------------
(one of my personal favorites:)
If You Don’t Stop That
I used to live in
A cramped house with confusion
And Pain.
But then I met the Friend
And started getting drunk
And singing all
Night.
Confusion and pain
Started acting nasty,
Making threats,
With talk like this,
“If you don’t stop ‘that’ -
All that fun -
We’re
Leaving.”
----------------------------------------
The Earth Braces Itself
The earth braces itself for the feet
Of a lover of God about to
Dance.
The sky becomes very timid
When a great saint starts waving his arms
In joy,
For the sky knows its prized fixtures.
The sun, moon and planets
Could all wind up
Rolling so wild on the floor!
My dear, this world, its laws,
Our perceptions,
Are such a minute part of existence.
Should not all of our suffering and sadness
Be like this:
As just dropped from an infant’s palm
That is asleep against the breast
Of God?
The earth braces itself for the feet of Hafiz.
The sky pulls a mirror from its pocket
And is practicing looking
Coy,
For the Beloved has at last
Opened His arms
And is inviting my heart to eternally
Dance!
The day candle (sun) has forgotten the hour;
The whole world has gone joyously mad.
Look,
The Sun’s sweet cheeks are blushing
In the middle of the night
Desiring the rampage of the feet
Of God’s lovers.”
--------------------------------------
This Sky
This
Sky
Where we live
Is no place to lose your wings
So love, love,
Love.
------------------------------------
Tiny Gods
Some gods say, the tiny ones,
'I am not here in your vibrant, moist lips
That need to beach themselves upon
The golden shore of a
Naked body.'
Some gods say, 'I am not
The scarred yearning in the unrequited soul;
I am not the blushing cheek
Of every star and
Planet-
I am not the applauding Chef
Of those precious secretions that can distill
The whole mind into a perfect wincing jewel, if only
For a moment;
Nor do I reside in every pile of sweet warm dung
Born of the earth's
Gratuity.'
Some gods say, the ones who we need to hang,
'Your mouth is not designed to know His,
Love was not born to consume
The luminous
Realms.'
Dear ones,
Beware of the tiny gods frightened men
Create
To bring an anesthetic relief
To their sad
Days.
-----------------------
Forever Dance
I am happy even before I have reason.
I am full of Light even before the sky
Can greet the sun or the moon.
Dear companions,
We have been in love with God
For so very, very long.
What can Hafiz now do but Foever Dance!
------------------------------
2
Brothers, attend
How you shall spend
This fleeting treasure
Of days that pass:
Fill your measure
With present pleasure,
The deep sweet glass,
And love and leisure,
And sunny grass.
Let the pious thunder
Of heaven and hell--
He drinks as well;
Let the proud man rear
His lofty towers--
Have you no fear
The little flowers
That grow thereunder
Shall last as long--
Or little song.
Not our Most High Lord
The Sultan's sword
Can more command,
When he comes to die,
Than you and I
Of simple birth
Can ask of earth--
A little land
In which to lie.
And, even now,
Who more woudl ask
The blue sky under:
A little grass,
Wine in glass,
One's liberty
and Love and wonder:
This, HAFIZ, is Felicity.
--------------------------------
(one of my personal favorites:)
If You Don’t Stop That
I used to live in
A cramped house with confusion
And Pain.
But then I met the Friend
And started getting drunk
And singing all
Night.
Confusion and pain
Started acting nasty,
Making threats,
With talk like this,
“If you don’t stop ‘that’ -
All that fun -
We’re
Leaving.”
----------------------------------------
The Earth Braces Itself
The earth braces itself for the feet
Of a lover of God about to
Dance.
The sky becomes very timid
When a great saint starts waving his arms
In joy,
For the sky knows its prized fixtures.
The sun, moon and planets
Could all wind up
Rolling so wild on the floor!
My dear, this world, its laws,
Our perceptions,
Are such a minute part of existence.
Should not all of our suffering and sadness
Be like this:
As just dropped from an infant’s palm
That is asleep against the breast
Of God?
The earth braces itself for the feet of Hafiz.
The sky pulls a mirror from its pocket
And is practicing looking
Coy,
For the Beloved has at last
Opened His arms
And is inviting my heart to eternally
Dance!
The day candle (sun) has forgotten the hour;
The whole world has gone joyously mad.
Look,
The Sun’s sweet cheeks are blushing
In the middle of the night
Desiring the rampage of the feet
Of God’s lovers.”
--------------------------------------
This Sky
This
Sky
Where we live
Is no place to lose your wings
So love, love,
Love.
------------------------------------
Tiny Gods
Some gods say, the tiny ones,
'I am not here in your vibrant, moist lips
That need to beach themselves upon
The golden shore of a
Naked body.'
Some gods say, 'I am not
The scarred yearning in the unrequited soul;
I am not the blushing cheek
Of every star and
Planet-
I am not the applauding Chef
Of those precious secretions that can distill
The whole mind into a perfect wincing jewel, if only
For a moment;
Nor do I reside in every pile of sweet warm dung
Born of the earth's
Gratuity.'
Some gods say, the ones who we need to hang,
'Your mouth is not designed to know His,
Love was not born to consume
The luminous
Realms.'
Dear ones,
Beware of the tiny gods frightened men
Create
To bring an anesthetic relief
To their sad
Days.