S. R. Faruqi:

(1) Oh what fire is hidden in the heart of home-destroying love?
A fire seems to be smoldering through my whole body.

(2) Although the garden abounds in the joyous color red of rose and poppy,
everything here seems to be on fire in her absence.

(3) The soles of my feet are covered with blisters,
as if live embers were buried under each and every step of love.

(4) All mansions of the heart burned ceaselessly, turned to ash.
What a city! And how recklessly set alight by love.

(5) The heat and cold of the times have upset the even tenor of life.
My heart is water sometimes, at other times fire.

(6) Why shouldn't her fiery temperament burn me all the time?
I count for no more than a handful of straw whereas she is both a peri and fire.

(7) The love that fires the world can never be tainted by lust--
the fish lives by water, the salamander by fire.

(8) Ever since the dawn of eternity, hearts have been roasted like kebabs.
It's not just today that love's fire has been burning, my friends.

(9) Pieces of my heart never fell from my eyes before like live coals.
Now it's usual--my lap, my sides packed full of fire all the time

(10) Lovers breasts, oh Lord, are always burning.
What kind of fire, Lord, did you put in their hearts?

(11) They punish and hurt, the cold spirits of those whose souls are burnt, oh Mir.
Fan them a bit with the hem of your garment, because the fire in their hearts is now dead.

 

FWP:

(inspired by SRF's translation)

(1) In home-burning passion-- what hidden fire!
In my whole body flares up a single fire.

(2) Although the whole garden is full of tulips and roses--
without her, it all seems to be on fire.

(3) My feet are all covered with blisters--
as if every step on the path of passion is fire.

(4) The whole edifice of the heart burned down to ashes.
To what kind of a city, ah! has love set fire?

(5) The heat and cold of the world now keep me unbalanced.
If my heart is sometimes water, it's sometimes fire.

(6) How should her fiery temperament not burn me?
I am no more than a handful of straw-- she is a Pari of fire.

(7) How could world-burning passion feel desire?
The life of the fish is water, the salamander lives in fire.

(8) From eternity, my friends, livers have turned into kabobs.
It's not as if passion only nowadays catches fire!

(9) Formerly, liver-bits used to fall like sparks
from time to time, into my lap. Now, it's full of fire.

(10) Oh Lord, their breasts keep on burning all the time!
In the lovers' hearts you've put-- what kind of a fire?

(11) The coldness of the burnt-out ones is deadly, Mir!
Just fan them a little, for their hearts have lost their fire.

 

Zahra Sabri:

Zahra Sabri is a special guest translator for this site.

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