Ghazal 65

خوش‌تر ز عیش و صحبت و باغ و بهار چیست؟

ساقی کجاست؟ گو سببِ انتظار چیست؟

هر وقتِ خوش که دست دهد، مغتنم شمار

کس را وقوف نیست که انجامِ کار چیست

پیوندِ عمر بسته به مویی‌ست، هوش دار

غمخوارِ خویش باش، غمِ روزگار چیست؟

معنیِ آبِ زندگی و روضهٔ ارم

جز طَرفِ جویبار و میِ خوشگوار چیست؟

مستور و مست هر دو چو از یک قبیله‌اند

ما دل به عشوهٔ که دهیم؟ اختیار چیست؟

راز درونِ پرده چه داند فلک؟ خموش

ای مدعی! نزاعِ تو با پرده‌دار چیست؟

سهو و خطایِ بنده گَرَش اعتبار نیست

معنیِ عفو و رحمتِ آمُرزگار چیست؟

زاهد شرابِ کوثر و حافظ پیاله خواست

تا در میانه خواستهٔ کردگار چیست

More pleasant than the pleasure (the manifestations of glories of the Absolute One, God) and the

enjoyment of the garden and the spring (the world, adorned with trees and flowers) is what ?

Where is the Saki (the Murshid)? Say: — "The cause of our waiting is what ?" Every pleasant moment that appeareth, reckon plunder

Delay is to none.

For the end of work— is what ? The fetter of life is bound by

a single hair: keep sense: Be thy own grief-devourer. Time's grief is what?.

The meaning of the Water-of-Life and the garden of Iram (Paradise), Save the bank of the

rivulet and the wine (of love, the cause of eternal life) pleasant-tasting is what ? 5.

The austere one (the Abid, or the Zahid)— and the intoxicated one (the profli- gate) both are of one family

To whose glance, shall we give our heart? choice is what ? 4.

The garden of Kram. See the Kuran, P. Disc

20, 2V; to xxxviii; Ouseley's Persian Collec- tions, Vol. iii, No. I, p. 32.

Of this garden, God said

— " Iram is possessed of pillars like to which nothing was made in cities." The water of life is found in the 'Zulmat (the Land of Darkness).

See Wilberforce Clarke's translation (out of the Persian) of the Sikandar Nama-i-Nizami,

cantos 68 — 70. This couplet is the confirmer of couplet I.

khosh-tar ze 'ish o sohbat o bagh o bahar chist?

saghi kojast? gu sabbe anatzar chist?

har vaght khosh ke dast dahad, maghatanam shamar

kas ra vaghuf nist ke anjame kar chist

piunde 'omr baste be muii-st, hush dar

ghamkhuare khish bash, gham ruzegar chist?

ma'ni ab zendegi o ruz-ye arm

joz taraf juibar o mi khushguar chist?

mastur o mast har do cho az yek ghabile-and

ma del be 'eshve ke dahim? akhtiar chist?

raz darune parde che danad falak? khamush

ey mad'i! naza'e to ba parde-dar chist?

shu o khataye bande garash a'tabar nist

ma'ni 'fu o rahamte amorazgar chist?

zahed sharab kusr o hafez piyale khuast

ta dar miane khuasat-ye karadgar chist