From the very beginning, and until the very end,
The one worthy of grace holds the cup of desire as friend.
That very moment I was about to repent of wine,
I said, “remorse will be the only fruit off this vine.”
I threw the lilly white prayer rug over my back;
Would rose red, like that of wine, make a Moslem cloak?
With out the lamp of the cup, my solitary seat is beyond sight;
Look- the back alley of the people of heart must have light!
Forget the jeweled cup, but nurture the sublime desire-
To the Rend, the water of the grape is rarest ruby fire!
Although our work appears a muddle, don’t think it easy-
Indeed, begging is the pride of Sultans in this country.
If you desire good name, O heart, don’t talk with the loose-
My dear, proof of ignorance lies with the seduced!
Spring, good friends and reciting poetry among us,
To not seize the wine cup from the beloved- what a loss!
Yesterday, a friend said, “Hafez drinks in secret”;
My dear, that is no crime when better done in private!
