JalÆlal-D∞nDavÆn∞’s
Interpretationof √Æfiæ
CarlW.Ernst
OneoftheperennialdebatesaboutthepoetryofḤāfiẓhasrevolvedaroundthe
interpretationofhispoetry,whetheritshouldproperlybeconsideredpartof
theseculartraditionofPersiancourtpoetry,orwhetheritshouldbeinterpretedin
somekindofmysticalorallegoricalsenseinrelationtoSufism.Thisquestionhas
beendiscussedsincetheverydawnofEuropeanOrientalistscholarship,having
formedasignificantpartofthelaboursofSirWilliamJonesandhissuccessors.
Withoutattemptingtosummarizethedetailsofthisextensivedebate,wecantake
arecentexampleasanindicationofhowhotlythisquestioncanbeargued;Ihave
inmindtheoverviewtothemulti-authoredarticleonḤāfiẓintheEncyclopaedia
Iranica,pennedbythedistinguishedscholarandeditoroftheEncyclopaedia,Dr
EhsanYarshater.Hewrites:
ItwasonlynaturalthataSufisticinterpretationshouldbeappliedtothepoems
ofHafez,ignoringintheprocessmanyindicationstothecontrary.Somecom-
mentatorsandevensomeWesterntranslatorsofHafez,notablyWilberforce
Clarke,atranslatoroftheDivān(London,1974),satisfiedthemselves,tothepoint
ofutterabsurdity,thateverysinglewordwrittenbyHafezhadamysticalmean-
ingandnolineofHafezactuallymeantwhatitsaid.ThereadingofHafezascod-
ifiedpoetryimplyinganesotericmeaningforeachlineorwordpropoundedthe
viewthathisghazalscanbereadattwolevels,oneapparent,theotherhidden–
thelatterrepresentingtheintendedmeaning.DecipheringHafez’sunderlying
meaninggrewintoanesotericart,notdissimilartotheexplanationsofferedby
theaddictsof‘conspiracytheories’(q.v.)inpoliticalaffairs....Then,acknowledgingsomeambiguityintheapplicationoftheterm‘ārif(gnostic)to
Ḥāfiẓ,DrYarshatermakesitquiteclearthatherejectsanysignificantassociationof
thepoetwithinstitutionalSufism:
Ontheotherhand,ifby‘ārefismeanta‘mystic,’thatis,apersonwhobelieves
inthetheoryandpracticeofSufism,isattachedtoacertainOrderorthecir-
cleofaSufimentor(pīr)orakhānaqāh,orallowstheclarityofhismindtobe
cloudedbytheirrationalandobfuscatedbythewoollythinkingofsomeSufis