154andsorrowcantheheartbecleansedofallregardandconcernfortheself.That
purificationcausesthewinewithintheheart’sCup-mirror–thewinethatisalsothe
‘love’thattheheartisenamouredof–tobecomepureandstrainedclear.^78 Itisthis
winethatintoxicatestheheart,whichputsitinastatecommensuratetoitsreal
nature.Thenatureoftheheartistobeamirror,tocontemplatethemysterieswhich
itreflectsandwhich,inturn,itreflectsbacktotheiroriginalauthor–itsBeloved.
ForBelovedwishedtocontemplateHimselfwithinaninfinitevarietyofmirrors.
Butwhoisreallyaninitiate?‘Where’,heasks–sinceitisimpossibletodiscourse
aboutthesemysteries–‘isanadeptinthemysteries?’^79 The‘secretofsolitude’(rāz-
ikhalwat)experiencedbyonewhoisintimatewiththeBeloved,firealonereveals.
Thecandlehereisthemodel:silent,itilluminatesbyitsflametheassembly.^80
Similarly,thefieryconflagrationcausedbythepoet–lover’swordsrevealswell
enough‘theburningconditionofhisheart’.^81 Besides,hisvisageitselfbearstesti-
monytothemarkofloveandissufficienttobetrayhim.^82 Aboveall,histearsreveal
hisexperienceoflove’sgrief.^83 Byconcealinghissecretheknowsthatheisworking
towardssalvation,^84 andyet,alreadyhavinglosthisheart,thesecretshallinthe
endcomeout!^85 Whatisultimatelyrevealedbythe‘secret’onwhichthepoetstakes
hislifebecomesexposedthroughhisownconduct;thatistosay,Ḥāfiẓ’scombat
withthehypocrisyofthefakeSufi.Whenhisadversary,ameddlingbusybody,
reproacheshimforbeingalibertinelover,Ḥāfiẓinturnaccuseshimof‘actingin
oppositiontothemysteriesofthemundusinvisibilis’.^86
Andyetitiswellknownthatthereisnothingmoreconducivetospeechthan
conversingaboutsecrets,soḤāfiẓentreatsGodtogivehimaconfidantwithwhom
hemaysharehisthoughts.^87 However,sincethatconfidantafterwhomhehankers
isalwaysonewhoissupremelyabsent–theBeloved^88 –heendsupbecominghis
ownpersonalconfidant.^89 Infact,Ḥāfiẓacknowledgeshimselftopossessnotrue
confidantsavethewind,^90 forahumanconfidantforhissecretdoesnotactually
exist.^91 Inlove’ssanctuary,onecannotexpressoneselfthroughconversation^92 since
‘Therealltheorgansofone’sbodymustbetransformedintoeyesandears’,^93 which
iswhathereferstoasthe‘earoftheheart’(gūsh-i dil).^94 Nonetheless,akindof
communityinwhichspiritualexchangesandconversation(ṣuḥbat)couldtakeplace
didexistforḤāfiẓ.Thiscommunityconsistedofthoseintimatelyfamiliarwiththe
realitiesoftheheart,whoweretheheart’sadepts(ahl-idil)and‘votariesofwine’.^95
AmongthiscommunityofloversaCupwaspassedround,eachhandingittohis
fellowintheturnoftheircircle,theirboutsforminganendlessroundofdrinks.^96
Theseloversarethewisemysticalwayfarers,anditistheyalone,alongwiththe
VintnerorWineseller,whohavecognizanceofthesecret.^97
Amongstthiscommunity,atacertainpointinhislife,Ḥāfiẓtestifiedtohisown
experiencethathewas‘aguardianofmyownsecretandcognizantofmyown
momentofmysticalconsciousness[Ḥāfiẓ-irāz-ikhwudu‘ārif-ivaqt-ikhwīsham]’.^98 We
mustthereforeassesstheimportancethathehimselfattachedtohisownliterary
monument:thisshortDīvānofsome500poemsthattookhimsome50yearsto
compose:
ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry