Ghazal 200: Do you know what the harp and the lute are saying?
دانی که چنگ و عود چه تقریر میکنند؟
پنهان خورید باده که تعزیر میکنند
ناموس عشق و رونق عشاق میبرند
عیب جوان و سرزنش پیر میکنند
جز قلب تیره هیچ نشد حاصل و هنوز
باطل در این خیال که اکسیر میکنند
گویند رمز عشق مگویید و مشنوید
مشکل حکایتیست که تقریر میکنند
ما از برون در شده مغرور صد فریب
تا خود درون پرده چه تدبیر میکنند
تشویش وقت پیر مغان میدهند باز
این سالکان نگر که چه با پیر میکنند
صد ملک دل به نیم نظر میتوان خرید
خوبان در این معامله تقصیر میکنند
قومی به جد و جهد نهادند وصل دوست
قومی دگر حواله به تقدیر میکنند
فیالجمله اعتماد مکن بر ثبات دهر
کاین کارخانهایست که تغییر میکنند
می خور که شیخ و حافظ و مفتی و محتسب
چون نیک بنگری همه تزویر میکنند
Do you know what the harp and the lute are saying?
"Drink your wine in secret, for they are handing out punishment."
They take away the honour of love and the lustre of lovers;
they find fault with the young and rebuke the old.
Nothing has come of it but a darkened heart, and still
they hold the vain fancy that they are making the elixir.
They say: "Neither speak nor hear the secret of love."
It is a hard tale that they are telling.
We, outside the door, are deluded by a hundred deceptions;
who knows what they are planning within the veil?
They trouble the Magian elder's peace once again;
look at these wayfarers, what they do to the elder!
A hundred kingdoms of the heart can be bought with half a glance;
the beautiful fall short in this dealing.
One group has made union with the friend depend on effort and striving;
another group refers it to destiny.
In sum, put no trust in the constancy of the age,
for this is a workshop where things are changed.
Drink wine, for the shaykh and Hafez and the mufti and the censor,
when you look closely, all practise deceit.
Interpretation of the fal
These are times of severity and fault-finding; keep your joy quiet and do not tell your secret to everyone. From outside one cannot know what is happening behind the scenes, so do not judge quickly. Make your effort and trust in destiny as well. Do not count on things staying as they are, and beware of hypocrites.