"I Want Both of Us"

My yoga teacher read this poem to us at the end of class yesterday, and I loved it so much, I wanted to share it here. To me, it's a celebration of life - we all have our burdens, but let's celebrate the beauty, and find beauty in daily existence.

I Want Both of Us
By Hafiz

I want both of us
To start talking about this great love -
As if you, I, and the Sun were all married
And living in a tiny room,
Helping each other to cook,
Do the wash,
Weave and sew,
Care for our beautiful
Animals.

We all leave each morning
To labor on the earth's field.
No one does not lift a great pack.

I want both of us to start singing like two
Traveling minstrels
About this extraordinary existence
We share,
As if
You, I, and God were all married
And living in
A tiny
Room.

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According to Booklist, Hafiz is "less well known in the U.S. than his Sufi predecessor, Rumi," but "is so beloved in Iran that he outsells the Koran." Ralph Waldo Emerson apparently called him "a poet's poet," which to me is insulting - it implies his work isn't accessible to regular old human beings.

I wasn't able to find a good English-language website or book about Hafiz's life and work, but there are three well-regarded English translations of his poetry: The Gift, The Subject Tonight is Love, and I Heard God Laughing.

Here's a great image I found on Flickr of a mural in Minneapolis (courtesy of BJHokansen):