
Born in 1315, Shamseddin Mohammad, known as Hafiz, grew up in the city of Shiraz where he studied the Qur’anic sciences. In his youth he learned the Quran rigorously and assumed the epithet ‘Hafiz’ which means the one who knows the Quran by heart. Also known as the ‘Tongue of the Hidden’ and the ‘Interpreter of Secrets’, Hafiz utilizes grand religious ideas and mingles them with Sufistic teachings, thereby creating a kind of poetry which baffles interpretation.

Ghazal 1, Magian Master
O Saki! Pass around and offer the wine cup, for;
Love which seemed easy at first is an uneasy lore.
The breeze made her tress waft the scent of a musk skin;
The musky curls of her black tress wore many hearts thin.
How can I feel safe and secure in the Beloved’s abode?
For the bell cries: “Bind up your bundles! Take the road!”
In wine, dye your prayer mat if the Magian Master says;
For, the Traveler alone is privy to the secrets of the Ways.
The night dark, the waves dreadful, the whirlpools roar;
Do they know our state, the light-burdened on the shore?
I followed my fancy; ill fame was all my lot;
How can it be a secret when off my chest it’s cut?
Hafiz! If you seek the beloved’s presence, stay anear;
Relinquish worldly ways when you find one so dear.
الا یا ایها الساقی ادر کأسا و ناولها
که عشق آسان نمود اول ولی افتاد مشکلها
به بوی نافهای کاخر صبا زان طره بگشاید
ز تاب جعد مشکینش چه خون افتاد در دلها
مرا در منزل جانان چه امن عیش چون هر دم
جرس فریاد میدارد که بربندید محملها
به می سجاده رنگین کن گرت پیر مغان گوید
که سالک بیخبر نبود ز راه و رسم منزلها
شب تاریک و بیم موج و گردابی چنین هایل
کجا دانند حال ما سبکباران ساحلها
همه کارم ز خود کامی به بدنامی کشید آخر
نهان کی ماند آن رازی کز او سازند محفلها
حضوری گر همیخواهی از او غایب مشو حافظ
متی ما تلق من تهوی دع الدنیا و اهملها
بیستم مهرماه، روز بزرگداشت لسان الغیب، حافظ شیرازی گرامی باد.
By: Maryam Yaghoob pour & Sara Ahmadi