by Hafiz
(translated by Daniel Ladinsky)
Every child has known God,
Not the God of names,
Not the God of don’ts,
Not the God who ever does Anything weird,
But the God who knows only four words,
And keeps repeating them, saying:
“Come dance with Me, come dance.”
About Hafiz
Sufi mystic poet Hafiz (Shams-ud-din Muhammad Hafiz) was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1315. Hafiz became a poet at the court of Abu Ishak and also taught at a religious college. He is one of the most celebrated of the Persian poets, expressing love and spirituality, while also targeting religious hypocrisy. His influence can be felt to this day, as many of his poems are used as proverbs or sayings, and are found in the lyrics of Persian traditional music. He died in 1390.
