Ode 1

SAKI, for God's love, come and fill my glass;

Wine for a breaking heart, O Saki, bring!

For this strange love which seemed at first, alas!

So simple and so innocent a thing,

How difficult, how difficult it is!

Because the night-wind kissed the scented curl

On the white brow of a capricious girl,

And, passing, gave me half the stolen kiss,

Who would have thought one's heart could bleed and break

For such a very little thing as this?

Wine, Saki, wine—red wine, for pity's sake!

O Saki, would to God that I might die!

Would that this moment I might hear the bell

That bids the traveller for the road prepare,

Be the next stopping-place or heaven orn hell!

Strange caravan of death—no fears have I

Of the dark journey, gladly would I dare

The fearful river and the whirling pools;

Ah! they that dwell upon the other side,

What know they of the burdens that we bear?

With lit-up happy faces having died,

What know they of Love's bitter mystery,

The love that makes so sad a fool of me?

A fool of HAFIZ!—yea, a fool of fools.