Between Hope and Despair

Vahshi Bafqi, a 16th-century Persian poet, is renowned for his deeply emotional and sorrowful poetry. His verses often reflect the torment of love, the anguish of separation, and the helplessness of a heart consumed by longing. In this ghazal, the poet laments his suffering, questioning how to endure the agony of love’s fire. With vivid imagery of a hidden beloved, restless nights, and unfulfilled desires, the poem beautifully captures the raw pain of waiting for someone who may never return.

🌿 A sigh on my lips, a wound in my heart, a fire in my soul—what shall I do?

To endure such distance, to burn like this—what shall I do?

💫 Like the moon, you remain hidden while I, love-struck and torn,

Cannot bear this separation—how shall I mourn?

✨ I am lost in the madness of love, weary of this pain,

Neither able to stay nor leave—what choice remains?

🌙 If, in this world, my only companion is the midnight sigh,

With no hope, no remedy in sight—what shall I try?