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AlthoughafewpanegyricalghazalstotheserulersandpatronswerepennedbyḤāfiẓ,
histrueaddresseeremainsthebeloved/Belovedsui generis,nothis/hertemporal
incarnations.AsGhanīemphasizes,‘becauseofthefluctuationsofpoliticalfortunes
infourteenth-centuryPersia–wherecliquesinpowertodaywereoftenreplacedby
partiesopposingthemtomorrow–Ḥāfiẓusuallyextolledthepersonheaimedto
praise[mamdūḥ]asabeloved[ma‘shūq],usingalover’sromanticlanguageandthe
ghazal’seroticlexiconforthispurpose,whichwasoneofpeculiaritiesofthestyleof
hisghazalcomposition’.Thiswasnotapersonalidiosyncracyonhispart,hereiter-
ates,forduringthisperiod‘allwritersandpoetsgenerallyavoidedallbutindirect
allusionstotopicalaffairs,veilingtheirpersonalfeelingsingeneralstatements’.^243
SoevenwhenḤāfiẓnamednamesandpraisedprincesbyroyaltitlesorpatrons
withtheirhabituallaudatorysobriquets,thepoet’skeydiscourseremainsunintelli-
gibletothoseunfamiliarwiththeallusivelanguageofEros.^244 Thepraisehevoiced
ofthepersonalitiesofpatrons,princesorviziersdoesnotconcernanymatter-of-
facthistoryoftheircircumstances,butistobetakensymbolically,notliterally.^245
Theirpersonagesfiguremoreoftenthannotasmetaphorsconveyingadeepermes-
sagepertainingtohisethicalteachings,generalviewsonsocialreform,malāmatī
spiritualityorerotic–metaphysicalvision.^246 Infact,the least important ideainany
ghazalbyḤāfiẓthathaspanegyricalovertonesisthephysicalpersonoftheso-called
objectofpraise(mamdūḥ).Ḥāfiẓ’ssophisticatedlyricsarelovesongs,paeansin
praiseofErosbothhumananddivine.Passioninloveanddispassionvis-à-visall
worldlyattachmentsarehistwograndthemes:‘Thedervishhasnoneedtobric-a-
bracfromtheprince’scourt.Allweownisatatteredcloakgoneupinflames’^247 ;
‘Theworldandallitsaffairsisnoughtuponnought:Ihaveverifiedthispointa
thousandtimes.’^248 Whileclearlyproudofthefactthathispoetrywaswidely
admiredandreadinprincelycircles,^249 Ḥāfiẓalsovauntshisindependenceofkingly
patronageanddeclaresthathewillnotbothertoreturn‘thegreetingsofanyking
whodonothumblyabasethemselveskissthethresholdofthisdoor’.^250 Addressing
themonarch,hedeclares:‘WeshallnotruinthereputationofSufipovertynorfor-
sakeourcontentment[qanā‘at]withGod.GotelltheKingthateveryone’sdaily
breadhasbeenpreordainedbyProvidence.’^251 AlthoughḤāfiẓwasnotbyany
meansarepublican,inthefree-spiritedavocationofhiscreedoflovehewasan
independentspiritpetulantlyimpatientofallpoliticalauthority,boastingthat‘the
loverdoesnotfearanyjudge,nortremblebeforestatepolice’.^252 Emerson,Ithink
rightly, intuited that ‘intellectual liberty, which is a certificate of profound
thought’^253 isthecentralhallmarkofḤāfiẓ’sthought.Freedom–‘bygraceofthe
bounty-of-Amor[dawlat-i ‘ishq]’^254 –frompalaceandcourt,collegeandseminary,
ministerandmullah–expressedasakindofekstasis,anexitfromself,anintoxica-
tion,isthesourceofallphysicalandspiritualpleasureforḤāfiẓ,asheexclaims:
Whatbliss!–Thatinstantofdisassociation,
Whenblessedbylicenceofintoxication,
Iexorcizemytiesfrombothvizierandprince.^255ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry