CXXII º
By Hafez
Whoever takes sides with the men of God,
God will protect him from disaster under any circumstance.
I will not say the story of friendship except to my friend.
For only a friend safeguards the words of a friend.
O heart, live in such a way that if your foot slips
An angel catches you with two praying hands.
If you do not want the beloved to break his promise,
Hold onto the end of your string so that she may hold on to hers.
Zephyr, if you see my heart hanging from her tress,
Will you please tell it to stay where it is.
When I told her, “Keep my heart safe!”, she said:
“What can a [God’s] servant do? May God keep it safe.”
Let my head and gold, and my heart and soul be sacrificed for that beloved
Who honors the right of friendship and love.
Where is the dust of the road on which you pass,
So that Hafez may keep it as a remembrance from the morning breeze?
—
º From The Poems of Hafez
Translated from Persian by Reza Saberi.
