Most of Hafez’s poetry was in the form of ghazals. These relatively
short poems traditionally consisted of rhyming couplets and a refrain,
with each line sharing the same metre.
The refrain in the ghazal is a kind of anchor point through the
poem, and is often usually repeated at the end of the line. When the
ghazal is performed in public, the audience will commonly join in
with the refrain, particularly if they approve of the sentiments of
the rest of the poem.
According to tradition, Hafez was working in a bakery in Shiraz when
he encountered Shakh-e Nabaat (Persian for “Branch of Sugar Cane”).
He fell in love with her, and it’s to her that many of his poems are
addressed. However his love was intense and unsustainable and it
eventually led to failure and breakdown.
After a period of recovery, he embarked on poetic path of
realization. He began a long spiritual, physical and sexual journey
searching the world for something of Nabaat.
Over the next few months, Michael Zand will be
showcasing poetry in translation from all over the world at a blogsite called lexico,
starting with the work of Hafez.
Visit lexico at http://lexicoproject.wordpress.com/
Click here for the translation.