• ^9 
3 Memoirs of Hafct 
racter, he mingled with the gayest young 
people, and equally pleased every body, 
liis poetry consists only in songs, wliicli 
have been collected after bis death. Two 
or three he e follow, which show the 
mind of this Oriental Anacreon. 
“ Young 'Dan, pour some wine into my 
glass 5 for the cup of the tulip is full of the 
brilliant colour of that liquor. Why all 
this frivolous discourse ? Why nut cease 
vour insensate words ? Leave that fierceness 
and proud disdain. Remember that Time 
has consumed the glittering robe of the 
Czesars, and the crown of the Kayanian 
monarchs has fallen into dust. The short 
sigh of the zephyr may teach you how fleet¬ 
ing is youth. Pour me out, young man, 
tiiat salutary medicine, which heals the cha¬ 
grins of the mi.nd. Trust not to the deceit¬ 
ful caresses of Time, and his seductive at¬ 
tractions j woe to him who does not guard 
against his malice. Give me, give me, a 
glass of that liquor, that we may not draw 
noon us tlie just reproaches due to Avarice. 
Use all the gifts of Fortune to procure the 
juice of the vine. Will the morose and 
austere leave any thing behind them ? 
O Hafez! your verses, although written in 
Persian, are" spread over Egypt, and Syria, 
even to the Greek empire, and Rei.” 
ANOTHER SONG. 
c* Two affectionate friends, and two glasses 
•f old wine, a tranquil indolence, a book, 
and the shade of a grove, arc blessings which 
i would not sacrifice for all the happiness of 
this world and the other, though all mankind 
should fall at my feec, to persuade me to re¬ 
nounce them. Whoever sacrifices the happi¬ 
ness of a life peaceable, and without ambition 
for the gifts of fortune, is an insensate, who 
sells Joseph for a paltry sum. In the day of 
misfortune We must triumph over sorrow by 
a cup full of wine, for there is nobody in 
v;hom we can place confidence. Amidst the 
u-hirlwinds, which combat in this garden, 
we cannot distinguish the rose from the jessa¬ 
mine. Come with me ! neither your austere 
piety nor my libertinism will change any 
tiling in the state of the onive'-se. Have pa¬ 
tience, O niy heart ; the master of the world 
will not abandon this precious gem to the 
destructive hands of the author of all evil. 
The world is corrupted \ its constitution is 
rui'.ied. O Harez! what in this misfortune 
would avail the s.kill of the most wise phy¬ 
sician, and the advice of the most rigid 
Brahman.” 
It is mentioned, that the Sultan Ab- 
irved, "ho reigned at Bagdad, pas¬ 
sionately desired to draw Hafez to that 
place; but, however pressing the desires 
which he expressed to the poet, he could 
never prevail upon h'm to quit his coun- 
try; he preferred a morsel of dry bread, 
a Fersian Fed. [Nov 
in the place where he had been used 
live, and had no desire of seeing a 
strange country. He sent neveriheiess 
the following song, written in honour of 
the Sultan Alimed. 
Praises to the all-powerful God, for the 
virtues with which he has enriched Ahmed 
Awis Hassan Ilkhani, the king, son of a king, 
emperor and shoot of ao imperial family, 
that we may justly call the soul of the world I 
If the moon had not begun to exist before 
your birth, the prophet would not have 
needed, in order to prove his mission, to se¬ 
parate it in two! You are the prodigy of the 
power of Mahomet, and the most excellent 
gift of divine goodness ; in you are united 
glory of birth, splendour of virtue, and all 
which conciliates affection. Far from thee 
be the pernicious looks of the evil eye it is 
you who are my soul, it is you who are the 
object of my love. It is not to the roses of 
Persia that the flower of my life owes its 
bloom and its beauty. Long live the Tigris, 
whose waters bathe the walla of Bagdad, and 
the sweet odour of its vines. You wound the 
heart like a fine head of hair upon a handsome 
face. The power of Chosroes and the glory 
of Genghizkan were united to give thee 
birth.” 
Hafez had also a mind fertile in repar¬ 
tee and agreeable pleasantry; many of 
them are preserved, and the following is 
one instance. 
The Emir Timour Courcan, having 
become master of the province of Far?, 
put Schaji Mansour to death. Hafez 
was then Jiving; Timour sent for him, 
and, when he was present, said, “I 
have subjugated with this sword the 
greatest part of the earth, and I have 
depopulated a large number of towns and 
provinces to augment the glory and 
riches of Saraarcand and Bokhara, which 
are the usual places of my residence, and 
the seat of my empire. Notwitlistand- 
ing, you, w!io are but a contemptible 
man, you pretend to give Snmnrcand 
and Bokhara, in return for a small black 
mote, vvhici) raises the beauty of a hand¬ 
some face, as you liave said in one of 
your verses, ‘If this young beauty of 
8chiraz would accept tlie homage of my 
heart, I would give Samarcand and 
Bokhara, for that mote which auvments 
her ciiarms.’ ” Hafez kis.'cd the ground 
before the prince, and said, “Alas! 
prince, it is througli this extravagance of 
* This is a very common superstition ; but 
Mr. Douce’s admirable notes upon Shake¬ 
speare are so well known as to render it 
necessary only to refer the reader to them. 
VoU i. p. -lyo. seq. 2r, 
mine 
