Rumi: The Drunken Camel & the Beloved | Ghazal 1828 of Divan

باز نِگار می‌کَشَد چون شُتُرانْ مِهارِ من
یارکُشی‌‌ست کارِ او بارکَشی‌‌ست کارِ من

Once again, the Beloved pulls my reins like camels,
His job is killing the lovers; mine is to bear the load.

پیش روِ قِطارها کرد مرا و می‌کَشَد
آن شُترانِ مَست را جُمله دَرین قِطارِ من

He placed me ahead of the caravan and now draws forth,
those intoxicated camels all within my caravan.

اُشتُرِ مَستِ او مَنَم خارپَرَستِ او مَنَم
گاه کَشَد مِهارِ من گاه شود سَوارِ من

I am His intoxicated camel, I am her thorn-lover.
At times He pulls my reins; at times He rides upon me.

اُشُترِ مَستْ کَف کُند هر چه بُوَد تَلَف کُند
لیک نداند اُشتُری لَذَّتِ نوشْخوارِ من

The love-mad camel becomes intoxicated and ruins all in its path,
Yet no camel knows the delight of my chewing.

راست چو کَف بَرآوَرَم بر کَفِ او کَف اَفْکَنم
کَف چو به کَفِّ او رَسَد جوش کُند بُخارِ من

Truly, when my foam of love rises and meets His,
The moment they touch, the steam of my soul begins to boil.

کار کُنم چو کِهْتران بار کَشَم چو اُشْتُران
بارِ کِه می‌کَشَم بِبین عِزَّتِ کار و بارِ من

I work like the lowliest, I carry loads like camels,
Yet look whose load I carry; see the honor of my burden.

نرگسِ او زِ خونِ من چون شِکَنَد خُمارِ خود
صبر و قَرارِ او بَرَد صبرِ من و قَرارِ من

When His narcissus eyes break their drunken stupor with my blood,
His patience and rest steal away my patience and rest.

گشته خیالِ رویِ او قبلۀ نورِ چَشمِ من
وان سُخنانِ چون زَرَش حَلْقۀ گوشوارِ من

The vision of His Face has become the qibla of my eyes’ light,
And His golden-like words, the loops of my earrings.

باغ و بهار را بگو لافِ خوشی چه می‌زنی؟
من بِنِمایَمَت خوشی چون بِرَسَد بهارِ من

 

Tell the garden and the spring: why do you boast of joy?
I will show you joy when my own spring arrives.

میْ چو خوری بگو به میْ بر سَرِ من چه می‌زَنی؟
در سَرِ خود ندیده‌یی بادۀ بی‌خُمارِ من؟

When you drink wine, tell the wine: why do you strike my head?
Have you not seen within your head my wine, which brings no hangover?

بازِ سپیدی و بُرو میرِ شکار را بگو
هر دو مرا تویی بلی میرِ من و شکارِ من

You are a white falcon, go! Tell the master of the hunt:
You are both to me—yes, my master and my prey.

مَطْلَعِ این غَزَل شُتر بود از آن دراز شُد
زُ اشْتُر کوتَهی مَجو ای شَهِ هوشیارِ من

The opening of this ghazal was with a camel—hence, it stretched long.
Do not ask a camel for brevity, O my sober king!

Rumi, Divan, Ghazal 1828: The Drunken Camel & the Beloved 

Translated by Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani, 17 June 2025

 

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In this episode of the Rumi Podcast, we dive deep into Ghazal 1828 from Rumi’s Divan-i Shams Tabrizi, exploring his mystical symbolism through the image of the camel—a metaphor for the spiritual seeker, drunk with divine love’s overwhelming pull. Rumi’s poetry invites us to reflect on spiritual surrender, divine madness, and the paradox of ecstatic challenges. Rumi illustrates the lover’s journey toward the Beloved, where self-transcendence becomes the path to divine union. This wisdom offers insights into spiritual awakening, inner transformation, and soulful resilience.