Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

8

ThemostimportantcontemporarymasterlyricalpoetwasSalmānSāvajī(d.
778/1376),whoresidedinTabriz,theothermajorculturalcapitalcityofPersiadur-
ingthisperiod.Salmānwas‘themostfrequentlyimitatedpoetofhisownage’.^37 The
greatKubrāwīSufiShaykh‘Alā’al-DawlaSimnānī(659/1261–736/1326)utteredno
hyperboleatallwhenheassertedthat‘thelikeofSimnām’spomegranatesand
Salmān’spoemscannotbefoundanywhere’.^38 Eventoday,scholarsjudgeSalmānto
be‘oneofthesupremePersianpoetsofhisperiod:hisghazals,afterthoseofSa‛dī,
Rūmī,andḤāfiẓ,fallintothefirst-classcategory’.^39 Salmān’sghazalssometimespar-
allelthoseofḤāfiẓsocloselythatitisclearthattheybothimitatedandcopiedeach
other’spoetry,^40 andinoneline,whereḤāfiẓboaststhathisownpoeticabilities
excelbothSalmānandKhwājū,itisclearthatSalmānwasoneofhistouchstonesof
poeticexcellence.^41
Besidethesesuperficialcommonalitiesofrhetoricandimage,rhymeandmetre
sharedbetweenthem,andasidefrom–andevenmoreimportantthan–this
respectful literary rivalry, Salmān and Ḥāfiẓ were both inspired by the same
radicalReligionofLove.Erosisthemainconcernoftheirverse,asSalmānboldly
declares:

Ihavenojobbutlove.Toplaythelover’sparttome

Iscreedandfaith.Eachmanfollowssomesectandfaith

Whichishisown.OfwhatconcerntoyouisSalman’sfaith?^42

Eschewingthepedestrianconventionsof‘Muslim’exotericpietyjustlikeḤāfiẓ,

SalmānvauntsbeingahereticonthePathofLove,glorifyinghispursuitof‘blame’

and‘ill-fame’inghazalafterghazal:

IfbeingaMuslimliesinnotadoringmortalbeauty

Andrenouncingwine,wellIforonedeclaremyself

Alifetimeheretic–ifeveronceIwasaMuslim!

Thebestpathinloveisblackeningone’sname,Salmān

Takeitfromme:mylifeisspentinpursuitofill-fame.^43

TheReligionofLoveonlyobtainsprobityandrighteousnessthroughill-fame.Piety

onthePathofLoveisrealizedbybeingtaintedwithreproachandafflictionwith

thestigmaofpublicrebuke.Inrespecttothisworld’swilesandwaystheloveris

alwaysunwise–heisafool.Thelover’spursuitofshameandnotorietyispoles

apartfromtheascetic’sreasonablepietyandcalculatedself-servingunctuousmoral

rectitude,forasḤilālīsaysinaverse:

Abandonallshameandgoodnameinthelane

Wherelove’sgameisplayed,fortheinspired

Libertine’sartdoesnotsitwellwithholypiety.^44

ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry