The Wounds of Separation

Vahshi Bafqi, a 16th-century Persian poet, is renowned for his deeply emotional and sorrowful poetry. His verses often capture the torment of love, the pain of longing, and the agony of unfulfilled desires. In this ghazal, the poet expresses the grief of a love lost, where the beloved has departed, leaving the lover in tears and despair. Through vivid imagery of sleepless nights, unending sorrow, and the plea for kindness, the poem beautifully encapsulates the universal ache of separation and the desperate hope for a reunion.

🌿 You stole my heart and left me drowning in despair,

How can one escape love’s snare once caught in its snare?

You left, never to return—oh, tell me why?

How many promises must you break before you say goodbye?

Like a candle, I burn, drowning in tears each night,

Bound in sorrow’s embrace until the morning light.

O cruel beloved, have mercy on this wounded heart,

For no soul has ever lived untouched by love’s art.