How to Read a Hafez Poem: The Goblet of Jamshid

A guide to understanding Persia's finest poet.

Recent pieces by

John Halbrooks

(you should all jump on the Beowulf challenge) and

Kenza Saadi

(her analysis and translation of Hafez is fantastic) have inspired me to re-engage with Persian literature and share insights that may be helpful to the reader. Following Kenza’s lead, I will be tackling one of the most famous poems of Hafez, titled جامِ جم (The Goblet of Jamshid). Hafez is particularly difficult to understand; he revels in ambiguity and eschews any attempt to impose a single, correct interpretation. What is presented here is not the final word on Hafez; rather, I hope it is a helpful guide in your journey to read, understand, and enjoy this life-giving poet. As this is my first time experimenting with this format, I welcome all constructive feedback and suggestions on how to improve my presentation. And finally, please feel free to share your insights and interpretations relating to this poem. Everybody approaches Hafez from their own angle, so I would love to hear about your engagement with the poem.

I have relied on the Persian commentaries of Dr. Khaliqi and Dr. Harawi, and the translation of A.Z. Foreman.

The tomb of Hafez in Shiraz, Iran.

---

(1)

سال ها دل طلبِ جامِ جم از ما مى كرد   وآنچه خود داشت زِ بيگانه تمنّا مى كرد

For years, my questing heart kept asking me　
　　 where on earth Jamshed's ancient grail could be.
In search of something it already had,　
　　 it supplicated strangers ceaselessly.

Heart: In the usage of mystics, the heart is the link between the physical and metaphysical realms, and once purified, becomes the locus of manifestation of the Divine.

Goblet of Jamshid/Jamshid’s Ancient Grail: A goblet through which the viewer can see all the secrets of the world. Within Sufi poetry, the goblet of Jamshid is a metaphor for the refined, illuminated heart. It is the locus of beauty and truth, the place where the Beloved manifests, the site of the revelation of all the unattained and subtle secrets of creation.

Stranger: The Persian word بيگانه refers to a stranger or foreigner, but in mystical poetry, it is somebody who has not traversed the spiritual path. Many commentators believe that what is implied by بيگانه is the intellect, or those that try to reach the ultimate Truth through the intellect.

(2)

گَوهَرى كَز صدفِ كون و مكان بيرون است   طلب از گمشدگانِ لبِ دريا مى كرد

It sought a pearl that slipped the temporal shell　
　　 from wayward men that maunder by the sea.

Pearl: the pearl here represents the goblet of Jamshid.

Temporal shell: In the Persian, the words كون و مكان are used, which denote the entire material world. The pearl that is sought lies beyond the physical realm.

Wayward men: Most commentators believe that this is another allusion to the intellect, or those that rely on their rational faculty to reach Haqiqat (Ultimate Reality).

Sea: The sea here can also be read as a symbol of love and ma’rifah that one must immerse themselves within to obtain the pearl. The intellect is not only unable to dive into the sea of love and ma’rifah (gnosis) and obtain the pearl; rather it is shipwrecked and cannot even reach the shore safely.

(3)

مشكلِ خويش بر پيرِ مغان بردم دوش   كو بتأييدِ نظر حلِّ معمّا مى كرد

Last night I brought the Wineshop's Sage my problem,　
　　that where I had been blinded, he might see.　

Wineshop’s Sage: In the Persian it is Pīr Mughān (پيرِ مغان). In Persian literature, the Pīr Mughān is the guide on the path of love who must be obeyed unquestionably. In the poetry of Hafez, he is the Insān al-Kāmil (perfect man). The name evokes multiple connotations, drawing inspiration from Sufism, Zoroastrianism, and wine-sellers. There is much more to be said here, but that would require a separate post on the terminology employed by Hafez.

He might see: The translation is not entirely accurate. In the Persian, the word used in nazar (نظر), which means glance or attention. The special ability of the Wineshop’s Sage is that he is able to solve one’s problem with a single glance into his goblet.

(4)

ديدمش خرَّم و خوش دل قدحِ باده به دست   وندر آن آينه صد گونه تماشا مى كرد

I saw him, laughing, lift a cup of wine　
　　 wherein a thousand visions answered me.

The translation here is not exactly accurate. In the Persian, it is the Magian Sage who sees a hundred visions within the cup of wine, and not Hafez.

(5)

گفت اين جامِ جهان بين به تو كَى داد حكيم   گفت آن روز كه اين گمبدِ مينا مى كرد

Said I to him: "When did God gift you with　
　　 this grail revealing all reality?"
Said he: "The day His Mind Almighty raised　
　　the heavens' vault of lapis lazuli."

Grail: The goblet of wine within the hand of the Magian Sage is the Goblet of Jamshid.

Heaven’s vault of lapis lazuli: the blue sky. The Sage’s response indicates that it is not something acquired, but is something that inheres within our nature and has always existed; it only needs one to purify their self to see it.

Keep in mind that Hafez approached the sage to solve the problem outlined in the first few verses, namely: where is the Goblet of Jamshid? When he visits him and saw that which he desired in the hand of the sage, he discards his initial query and instead asks: when was the Goblet of Jamshid given to you? The change in Hafez’s line of query, and the fact that the Magian Sage answered his initial question without speech, is an indication of the power of the Magian Sage’s nazar (see verse 3 above).

(6)

بيدلى در همه احوال خدا با او بود   او نميديدش و از دور خدايا مى كرد

His heart was gone for God, though God was there.　
　　He cried O God because he could not see.

Heart was gone for God: The Persian word بيدلى denotes a forlorn lover, one who has lost their heart.

Though God was there: The Persian is an allusion to the Qur’anic verse ‘And He is with you wherever you go’ (57:4).

Here the sage reinforces what he just said to Hafez: that which he has sought for years has always been within him, but he remains blind to it.

(7)

گفت آن يار كزو گشت سرِ دار بلند   جرمش اين بود كه اسرار هويدا مى كرد

Said he: "Recall the smitten Al-Hallaj  　
　　they hanged on high upon the gallows tree...
His crime was that he told the world of things　
　　meant to be contemplated privately.

Al-Hallaj: Husayn b. Mansur al-Hallaj was a Sufi figure famous (or infamous) for his ecstatic utterances. One of these ecstatic utterances, namely his statement “I am Truth”, led to charges of heresy, and his execution via hanging. The defenders of Hallaj believe that what he said was not blasphemous, but that in any case, he should have refrained from sharing it as the laypeople cannot fathom the depths of his spiritual union with God.

The purpose of the Magian Sage mentioning this story is to say: do not ask of me to reveal the secrets, or else I will share the same fate as Hallaj. You must go in search of the discovery of these secrets.

(8)

فيضِ روح القدس ار باز مدد فرمايد   ديگران هم بكنند آنچه مسيحا مى كرد

Were the Holy Ghost to lend its grace again, 　
　　others like Christ would help the blind to see."　

Holy Ghost: Refers to the archangel Gabriel, the carrier of revelation. Within the Qur’an he is said to have come to the aid of Jesus on 3 different occasions (2:78, 2:253, 5:110).

The Magian Sage is encouraging Hafez to seek out the grace of God, for those assisted by the Holy Spirit will do extraordinary things. The inspiration to perform these feats comes from another realm, and is not something that arises from one’s own actions or ability.

(9)

گفتمش سلسلۀ زلفِ بتان از پىِ چيست؟   گفت حافظ گله اى از دلِ شيدا مى كرد

Said I: "Why do the locks of beauty bind me?"　
　　"Because of Hafiz' love-crazed heart" said he.

locks: Locks here refers both to chains, and to the tresses and curls of the Beloved’s hair.

The Magian Sage does not answer his question, but responds sarcastically: so long as you are ensnared in the twists and curls of the lover’s locks, do not ask about this question. You know very well why these locks of beauty bind you.

The poem does not explain how Hafez’s problem was solved. What must be done to acquire the Goblet of Jamshid? Perhaps through this last verse, Hafez hints at the idea that through the path of crazed love and ensnarement in the chains of the Beloved’s tress can one attain the Goblet of Jamshid.