Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

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Lastnightithappenedjustbeforethebreak

Ofdawn:theweightuponmyspiritwas

Thenliftedoff,andinthatdrearymurk

Ofnight,theygavemethewaterof

Eternallife.Thebeamthatflashedoutfrom

TheEssencemademeselfless,andthebrew

TheygavemefromtheCupofRadiant

TheophanyrevealedtometheAttributes...

Fromhereonin,myfacewillturntoface

Themirrorofthatall-reflectivecharm

Andbeauty,wheretheseportentsweremadeknown

TomeabouttheEssence’srevelation.

...Forallthishoneyandthissugarwhich

Flowsfrommyspeechisbutthedividend

Ofpatiencetheybequeathedmefromthatpen:

Myreedthat’sfilledwithsugaryhoney-dew.^31

Here,inanallusiontotheWaterofLife,thepoetclearlystatesthathewasgivena
radiantvisionthatilluminatedhissoulandmadehimimmortalandforeverintoxi-
cated.ThefactthathenarratestheQur’āniceventashavinghappenedpersonally
tohim,savinghimfromdarkness,indicatesthathehaskeptalivethememoryof
thatpre-Eternaldayandthusbecomehimself,asapoet,amirrorreflectingthat
beauty.Recollectingthetasteofthatprimordialevent,onefindstheallusiontohis
‘sugary’verseinthefinalline,thesugar-canefromwhichsugaroriginates,astock
metaphorinclassicalPersianpoetryfortheBeloved.Sothepoembecomesthe
placeandtime(noteonceagainhere:timeandspaceareconfused)wherethatpre-
Eternalepiphanyisevoked,arousingthememoryofthelistenerorreaderand
favouring him with a poetic glimpse of the intoxicating beauty of the divine
Essence.ThemanyboaststhatḤāfiẓmakesabouthisversebeingredolentwiththe
fragranceofBeloved’stresses^32 orinduedwiththescentoftheGardenofParadise
duringthetimeofAdam,^33 orhisclaimthatthefruitsofhispenaresweeterthan
sugar,^34 bearwitnesstothissameidea,indicatingthathispoetryaimsatreanimat-
ingthememoryofthesoul’spre-Eternallifethroughmediumofstimulidrawnfrom
therealmofthesenses.^35
Butletuscomebacktoourpoemofpre-Eternity.Inordertounderstandthe
visionofloveandbeautyinḤāfiẓ,itisnecessaryheretoponderthenotionof
theamorousmelancholicpassionknownasgham(love’sgrief)thatissocentral
toPersianlovepoetryandsocloselyassociatedtotheexperienceoflove.Ghamis
thegriefgeneratedbypininginlove,conveyingthesenseofdesolationexperienced
bythelongingloverrackedwithlover’swoesandcares.Inthispoem,itisjuxta-
posed(inv.5)todelightandjoy(thePerso-Arabicterm‘ayshusedheredenotesthe
unfeelingdelightonegleansfromsuperficialpleasuresandcarelessamusements)

ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry