An omen from Hafez
Ghazal 174
Glad tidings, O heart, that once again the dawn wind has come back;
the hoopoe of good news is returned from the marches of Sheba.
Lift up once more, O bird of dawn, the strain that David sang,
for Solomon the rose is come again upon the wind of air.
Where is the mystic who might read the language of the lily,
and ask it why it took its leave, and why it has come back?
Kindness it showed, and bounty too — the grace that God bestowed on me —
that the moon-cheeked idol has come back by the road of faithfulness.
The tulip caught the scent of heady wine on the breath of dawn;
its heart was branded — and in hope of cure it has come back.
My eye stayed fixed and watching on the road this caravan had gone,
until at last the camel-bell's clear voice came back to my heart's ear.
Though Hafez struck in his vexation and broke the pact he swore,
behold his grace — that with pure grace he has come back to our door.