See How the Roses Burn!

“See How the Roses Burn!” was written by Shams-ud-din Muhammad, known commonly by his pen name, Hafez. Hafez lived in medieval Persia (modern-day Iran) in the fourteenth century and wrote hundreds of poems; some scholars believe he wrote more poems that have been lost. Hafez is immensely popular in Iran to this day. The German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) idolized Hafez and popularized his works by translating them into German. Hafez was also an important influence on the American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, who translated “See How the Roses Burn!” from Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall’s German into English.

“See How the Roses Burn!” is from the Divan of Hafez, a collection of poems likely compiled after Hafez’s death. This collection is a standard text in Iranian households today. The version of the poem referenced in this guide, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s English translation, is a monorhyme love poem of four lines (a quatrain). This form is called a rubāʿī (or chāhārgāna) in Persian poetry. Like all of Hafez’s works, “See How the Roses Burn!” is heavily informed by the poet’s Sufi spirituality, a mystical subsect of Islam. “See How the Roses Burn!” explores the classic Sufi themes of love, death, and connection to the divine.

Poet Biography

While Hafez is one of the most important cultural figures in Iranian history, much of his personal life remains a mystery. Hafez, or Hafiz, is a pen name for Shams-ud-din Muhammad (also spelled Sams-al-Din Mohammad). Scholars disagree on the exact dates of his birth and death, but estimate that Hafez lived between the years of 1315 and 1390 CE, making him a contemporary of the English poet Chaucer. Some scholars say Hafez was the son of a coal merchant who worked as a baker’s assistant and calligrapher/draftsman.

Hafez spent most of his life in Shiraz, a city in southern Persia. He may have experienced one (or more) period(s) of exile due to his subversive writings. However, as a poet he was frequently supported by court patrons. It is believed that Hafez married and had at least one son. Hafez studied Sufism under another mystic poet, Muhammad Attar of Nishapur. Their relationship became mythologized; there are several parables about Hafez and Attar.

Poem Text

See how the roses burn!

  Bring wine to quench the fire!

Alas! the flames come up with us,—

  We perish with desire.

Hafez, translated by Ralph Waldo Emerson. “See How the Roses Burn.” c.1389. Academy of American Poets.

Summary

The poem opens in a dramatic moment: The rattled first-person speaker marvels at roses as they burn. The speaker first commands the reader to look at what is happening (Line 1), then orders the reader to bring wine to quench the flames (Line 2).

This attempt to quench the fire appears to be unsuccessful: The third line opens with an exclamatory lament (“Alas!”, line 3). The speaker observes that the fire has risen with “us,” using the first-person plural to include the reader. The fire, now identified with “desire” (Line 4), figuratively kill both the speaker and reader.