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Sacred Poetry from Around the World

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Sufi / Muslim

14th Century

About Hafiz

Timeline (1320 - 1389)

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Translation by
Daniel Ladinsky

Original Language
Persian

The Thousand-Stringed Instrument

Themes

Heart

Lover and Beloved

Smile

Recommended Books

	Drunk on the Wine of Beloved: 100 Poems of Hafiz, Thomas Rain Crowe
	The Gift: Poems by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master, trans. Daniel Ladinsky
	The Hafez Poems of Gertrude Bell: With the Original Persian on the Facing Page, Gertrude Bell
	Hafez: Teachings of the Philosopher of Love, Haleh Pourafzal
	The Hand of Poetry: Five Mystic Poets of Persia, with Lectures by Inayat Khan, trans. Coleman Barks

More >>

The heart is
The thousand-stringed instrument.

Our sadness and fear come from being
Out of tune with love.

All day long God coaxes my lips
To speak,

So that your tears will not stain
His green dress.

It is not that the Friend is vain,
It is just your life we care about.

Sometimes the Beloved
Takes my pen in hand,
For Hafiz is just a simple man.

The other day the Old One
Wrote on the Tavern wall:

“The heart is
The thousand-stringed instrument

That can only be tuned with
Love.”

-- from The Gift: Poems by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master, trans. Daniel Ladinsky

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Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

About Hafiz

Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World