Yousef e Gomgashteh/Lost Joseph
| یوسف گم گشته (حافظ) | |
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يوسف گم گشته باز آيد به كنعان غم مخور اي دل غمديده حالت به شود دل بد مكن گر بهار عمر باشد باز بر تخت چمن دور گردون گر دو روزي بر مراد ما نرفت هان مشو نوميد چون واقف نئي از سر غيب اي دل ار سيل فنابنياد هستي بر كند در بيابان گر به شوق كعبه خواهي زد قدم گر چه منزل بس خطرناك است و مقصد بس بعيد حال ما در فرقت جانان و ابرام رقيب حافظا در كنج فقر و خلوت شبهاي تار |
كلبهء احزان شود روزي گلستان غم مخور وين سر شوريده باز آيد به سامان غم مخور چتر گل در سركشي اي مرغ خوشخوان غم مخور دائما يكسان نباشد حال دوران غم مخور باشد اندر پرده بازيهاي پنهان غم مخور چون ترا نوح است كشتيبان ز طوفان غم مخور سر زنشها گر كند خار مغيلان غم هيچ راهي نيست كانرا نيست پايان غم مخور جمله ميداند خداي حال گردان غم مخور تابود وردت دعا و درس قرآن غم مخور |
Lost Jospeh (Hafez)
Your lost Joseph will return to Canaan, do not grieve
This house of sorrows will become a garden, do not grieve
Oh grieving heart, you will mend do not despair
This frenzied mind will return to calm, do not grieve
When the spring of life sets again in the meadows
A crown of flowers you will bear, singing bird, do not grieve
If these turning epochs do not move with our will today
The state of time is not constant, do not grieve1
Lose hope not, for awareness cannot perceive the concealed
Behind the curtains hidden scenes play, do not grieve
Oh heart, should a flood of destruction engulf the world
If Noah is at your helm, do not grieve
As you step through the desert in desire of Ka’aba
The thorns may reproach you, do not grieve
Home may be perilous and destination out of reach
But there are no paths without an end, do not grieve
Our state in separation from friends and with demands of foes
The divine who turns circumstance knows all, do not grieve
Hafez, in the corner of poverty and loneliness of dark nights
Until your words echo prayers and lessons of Quran, do not grieve.
*References used: Ganjoor collection of poetry & Dehkhoda’s Loghatnameh.
*Photo Source: AP Photo/Ben Curtis
*Note: I tried to make this translation verbatim and minimize interpretation, however Hafez poems are very challenging to ‘translate’ because (a) a large part of the meaning of his poems are carried implicitly in the rhyme and structure of the couplets (b) many of the words Hafez uses have a multitude of meanings for which there is no single English equivalent, so any translation is much more simplistic than the original poem.
[1] Translation modified from “The spheres of time are not constant, do not grieve” to “The state of time is not constant, do not grieve” in March 2012.
wow, this is one of the most beautiful piece of writing and one of the most accurate translation of Hafez’s ghazals.You are such a talented writer!
Thank you for sharing your writings with us:)
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That was nice…
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[...] I’ve written earlier about the challenge of translating old Persian poems where the meaning is carried in the form of [...]
This is incredible. Thank you so much for your fantastic translation.
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This is my favourite piece of poetry, every time I read it; it charges me with hope and optimism. Well translated.
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As I read the poet. It looks wonderful and full of meanings.
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thanks for sharing this nice poem.
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WOw, great translation. Th
ere are so many other worthless translations of this poem/saying. Thanks!
Dan
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My fiance’s father open the book of Hafez poems to this poem and read it to me. It brought tears to my eyes and gave me hope. Before and since the reading I have struggled but I affirm to myself “do not grieve.” Thank you for your beautiful translation.
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Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
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