Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

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rarefiedandimmaterialheavenlyconfigurations,toitsdensestandmostvisible
embodimentsonearth.
PertinentherealsoisaversefromanotherofḤāfiẓ’sghazals–withitsreference
tothe‘thread’or‘string’,likeastrandoftheBeloved’shair,thatlinkstheentire
chainofBeingfromthehighesttolowestplanes:

Zulfathazārdilba-yakītār-imūbi-bast,

Rāh-ihazārchāragarazchār-sūbi-bast.

Yourtresshasboundathousandheartswithinonesinglestrand

Andblockedoneverysidethepathofathousand

remedy-makers[whowoulduntiesuchknots].^16

Thesameghazalinvokestheintoxicatedsamā‘:

Muṭribchipardasākht,kidarparda-yisamā‘

Barahl-iwajduḥāldar-ihāyihū!bibast.

Whatcurtain-tunestruckupthisminstrel?

Whoplayedanddrewasamā‘curtain

ClearacrosstheHowlingGate

Beforethesefolkofecstasy

Andrapture.^17

Wethusget,fromtoptobottom,throughthe‘stringofBeing’whichlowersthe
‘wine’:

a) Theangelicplaneofimmaterialcelestialimageswherethe‘wine’ispurelight.

b) The intermediary plane where visionary mystics and poets perceive these
celestialimages,invisibletoordinaryhumans,andtransmutethemintovisible
form–asif‘pouringwine’–forthebenefitofreceptivesouls(privileged
painterssuchasSulṭān-Muḥammadservethisspiritualpurposetoo,adignity
accordedtofigurativeartiststhatwasforeshadowedundertheTimurids,and
fullyrecognizedintheSafavidandthenMughalandfinallyOttomandomains,
eversincetheofficialendorsementoffigurativeart,bythehighestclericaland
royalauthoritiesinTabrīzandHerāt,withBihzād’sroyaledictofappointment
in1522ADasthemaẓhar-i nawādir-i ṣuwar,or‘manifestationoftheraritiesof
theimage-configurations’).

c) Theintoxicatingeffectofthethickening,visible‘wine’.

d) Thetipsysingersandmusiciansrespondingtothe‘wine’.

e) Thedancerstothemusicandsonginspiredbythe‘wine’.

ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry