Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

262

Makeloveatnightwithoutfear,forinthemetropolisoflove

Thosewhogobynightinstealtharewellknowntothechiefofpolice.

The meaning of this line may be that the lovers are themselves like thieves
(shabraw)whosneakaroundatnight,andthepolicealreadyknowwhotheyare,but
donotprosecutetheminthecityoflove.Alternatively,itmaybethattheshabru-
vānarerealcriminals,whomightposeapotentialthreattothelovers–acategory
ofpeoplewhoalsogoaboutatnightinpursuitofillicitlove.Ratherthanprosecut-
ingthem,thenightwatchmenareprotectingthemfromtherealcriminals.
Itmaynotbeinappropriatetoaskwhythewatchmanappearshere,sincethe
watchmanissignificantnotonlytoSanā’ī’sAlbapoem,butalsototheAlbapoemsof
theTroubadours.Asmentioned,theword‘policeman’(‛asas)occursasahapax
legomenonintheḤāfiẓiancorpus,and‘nightwatchman’(pāsibān)occursbuttwice.
Thereare,however,twootherpatrollingdangerstobeavoided:the‘royalpolitical
police’(shaḥna)andtheviceofficer(muḥtasib).Themuḥtasibenforcesfairbusiness
practicesandensuresthatpublicmoralityisnotviolatedbydrinkersorlovers.To
Ḥāfiẓ,themuḥtasibisasharp-eyed(42:1)spoilerofthepleasuresofwine(144:4)
andasmasherofthechalice(146:7),greatlytobefeared(278:4,290:7),perhaps
becauseofhisroleinenforcingthecriminalizationofwineinShīrāz(354:4).Like
someotherofficials,notablypreachers,themuḥtasibisguiltyofposing(195:9),he
isdrunkwithhypocrisy(riyā),andshouldbedefiedwhereverpossible(290:7,280:
2b).InḤāfiẓ’sShīrāz,themuḥtasibsometimespatrolledwiththeroyalpolitical
police(shaḥna,48:9)againstwine,thoughthepoetdismissesthelatterasineffec-
tual(73:4),evenbeseechingthe‘constableoftheconvivium’(shaḥna-yimajlis)to
preventḤāfiẓ’sbelovedfromdrinkingwithanyrival(116:11).Ourchiefwatchman,
themīr-i‘asas,ishere(261:5)associatedwiththepossibleinterruptionoflovers’
trysts,thoughdependingonhowwereadthisline(assuggestedabove),hemayin
actualitybefacilitatingthem.Likewise,themetaphoricalpāsibān,inthefollowing
lineofḤāfiẓ,protectsthephantomtrystthattakesplaceintheseclusionofthe
lover’sheart(319:8):

Pāsibān-iḥaram-idilshuda-amshabhamashab

tādarīnpardajuzandīsha-yiūnagudhāram.

I’vebecomewatchmanoftheprecinctsoftheheartatnightallnight

Forbiddingentrybehindthecurtaintoallbutthoughtofhim.

Bycontrast,themuḥtasibisanadversary,whomḤāfiẓboldlyconfrontswiththefact
ofhisstatusaslover(338:1a;seealso355:8):

Mannayānrind-amkitark-ishāhidusāgharkunam

muḥtasibdānadkimanīnkār-hākamtarkunam.

ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry