Two Ghazals
"The sky has never seen such a moon”
The sky has never seen such a moon, not even in its dreams,
No water could ever extinguish the fire of its light,
Look at my body, and look at my soul
From his cup of love, my soul is drunk, my body ruined
The tavern keeper became my heart’s companion
Love turned my blood into wine, and burned my heart
As my eyes fill with the image of his face, a voice resounds,
“Well done, cup. Excellent, wine.”
Looking into the ocean of love
My heart suddenly dove in, calling, “Find me!”
The face of the sun is Shams, the glory of Tabriz,
Our hearts, like clouds, trail after him.
“If there’s no trace of love”
If there’s no trace of love in his heart
Cover him like an angry cloud over the moon
Dry tree, don’t grow in that garden,
Poor thing, left without the shade of a tree
Even if you’re a pearl, don’t separate from this love,
Love is your father and your family
In the world of lovers, a deadly sickness strikes
Each day more painful than the last
If you see the blush of love in someone’s face
Know that he is no longer merely mortal
If you see a reed-flute, bent by love, grab it
Squeeze the reed until you taste the sweetest sugar
Shams of Tabriz lures you into his trap
Don’t look left or right, you can’t resist.
Translations from the Persian
By Brad Gooch & Maryam Mortaz
