Hafiz (1315-1390)


Hafiz was a Persian poet who lived in the 14th century.



We Should Talk About This Problem

There is a Beautiful Creature
Living in a hole you have dug.

So at night
I set fruit and grains
And little pots of wine and milk
Beside your soft earthen mounds,
And I often sing.

But still, my dear,
You do not come out.

I have fallen in love with Someone
Who hides inside you.

We should talk about this problem—
Otherwise,
I will never leave you alone.




       




Manic Screaming

We should make all spiritual talk
Simple today:

God is trying to sell you something,
But you don’t want to buy.

That is what your suffering is:
Your fantastic haggling,
Your manic screaming over the price!




       




Would You Think It Odd?

Would you think it odd if Hafiz said,

“I am in love with every church
And mosque
And temple
And any kind of shrine
Because I know it is there
That people say the different names
Of the One God.”

Would you tell your friends
I was a bit strange if I admitted
I am indeed in love with every mind
And heart and body.

O I am sincerely
Plumb crazy
About your every thought and yearning
And limb
Because, my dear,
I know
That it is through these
That you search for Him.




       




For A While

We have all come to the right place.
We all sit in God’s classroom.

Now,
The only thing left for us to do, my dear,
Is to stop
Throwing spitballs for a while.




       




Someone Should Start Laughing

I have a thousand brilliant lies
For the question:
How are you?

I have a thousand brilliant lies
For the question:
What is God?

If you think that the Truth can be known
From words,
If you think that the Sun and the Ocean
Can pass through that tiny opening
Called the mouth,

O someone should start laughing!
Someone should start wildly laughing—
Now!