Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

Ortheymayfallunderthesuspicionofbelongingtothegroupofthemobwho

are‘likebeasts’(Qur’ān7:179).Thisisbecausethelustfulonesofdelicate

temperament, whose intended prayer direction is the acceptance of the

masses,arerebuffedbythoseferociousattacksfromconcentratingonthe

sacredtargetoflove.

(Persianverse):Sufi,passusbyinsafety,forthisredwine/stealsheartand

religionfromyouinamannerthat–don’task![Ḥāfiẓ]^24

Myfriends,haulbackyourreinsfromthetavernroad;/becauseḤāfiẓtrav-

elledbythispath,andnowhe’spoor.^25

Anddespitethefactthatdeceptiveandficklelovedemandstheconcealingof

secretsfromtheperspectiveofGod’sessentialpower,fromtheperspectiveof

theperfectionofthebeloveditdemandsmanifestationandrevealing.Every

momentinavisualandvisionarylocationsheisdisplayedinadifferentway

totheheartandeyeoftheastonishedlover.Withglancesmixedwithele-

ganceandlooksmostexciting,sheplacesthewordsdescribingherown

beautyonthetongueofthatsilentone,andthenwiththetongueofthe

assaultofdivinewrath,shebeginstoreproachandinterrogatethatunfortu-

natewretch.Itisherethatthecryarisesfromthelovers’disposition.

(Persianverse):Sheshowedherface,andherselfdescribedherface;/since

thingsareso,whydoesithurtmyheart?

Throughoutthisintroduction,Davānīassumesthatthesetwoperspectives–the
concealmentofthesecretoflove,anditsrevelation–framethecharacterofpoetry
aroundtheinteractionoftheloverandthebeloved.Headducesadditionalproof
fromtheḥadīthoftheProphet,particularlythewell-knownsaying,‘Iwasahidden
treasure,andIlongedtobeknown’,whichmakesthemanifestationoftheuniverse
theresultofthedivineself-disclosure.
Davānītheninsertsanotherdigressionwhichhecallsareminder(tadhkira),
devotedtotheconceptofloveasthatwhichjoinstogetherextremesandunites
opposites.Loveachievesthesegoalsbothbyconcealingsecretsandbygivingindi-
cationsthatremoveveils.Heexplainstheseambiguitiesasusualwithillustrative
verses:

(Persianverse):Hiseyebrowsaysno,buthiseyessayyes!

(Persianverse):Thatlongingisworthahundredsoulswhenthelover/says

‘Idon’twantto’,butwantstowithahundredsouls.

Davānīgoeson,inapassagedensewithallusionstoSufidoctrines,todescribehow
thiscosmicroleofloveencompassestheunfoldingemanationofthedifferentlev-
elsofexistence,andtheirperfectionwhichisattainedthroughtheSealofthe

Ḥāfiẓ and the Persian Sufi Tradition 205