The House of Sorrow

This beautiful and melancholic ghazal by Mohammad Quli Salim Tehrani, a lesser-known 17th-century Persian poet, captures the essence of heartbreak and despair. Written in the Indian style of Persian poetry, it reflects deep emotional turmoil and the struggle of a soul yearning for solace. The poet's words paint a vivid picture of a heart turned into a house of sorrow, longing for love and peace.

My heart has become a house of grief, what shall I do?

A page from the book of sorrows it became, what shall I do?

I sat by your door, hoping for your glance,

But my patience and composure left me, what shall I do?

The garden of my heart will never bloom again,

For the cypress of my hope has broken, what shall I do?

How can I return to the alley of love?

Where I am now known as the disgraced one, what shall I do?

Salim, if I laugh despite this sorrow, it’s no wonder,

For my grief has become my constant companion, what shall I do?