پیر ما در خدمت جام است و بس
ذکر او در صبح و در شام است و بس
عشق را از مذهب و مکتب چه کار
عشق از دل بردن نام است و بس
زاهد خود خواه خواهد وصل یار
این خیالش سر به سر عام است و بس
دلبرم صیاد و من آهوی او
مرغ دل را زلفی و دام است و بس
سینه پور آواز و مُ هر است بر زبان
طاعت بی مِهر دشنام است و بس
حق شناسی بازی طفلان مدان
کردنش در کشتن کام است و بس
جز اهُرامزد باطل جملگی
مهربان در عشق یک رام است و بس
Our master is in the service of the cup—and that’s enough.
His chant is voiced by morning and evening—and that’s enough.
What has love to do with creed and doctrine?
Love is for taking his name in the heart—and that’s enough.
The selfish ascetic wants union with the beloved.
This fancy of his is pervasive—and that’s enough.
My darling is the hunter, and I’m the deer.
For the bird of the heart, there’s a hair and a trap—and that’s enough.
My voice fills my breast, but a seal is on my lips.
Obedience without mercy is abuse—and that’s enough.
Don’t think that knowing God is child’s play;
It’s done by killing desire—and that’s enough.
Except Ahuramazda, all is vain.
Mihraban is in love with the single God of peace—and that’s enough.
Notes
1. The “cup” (jām) is the mystic’s heart, which reveals the entire world.
2. This verse refers to a snare for birds, held open by a hair until the bird enters.
3. This verse plays on the similarity of muhr , meaning a seal (like a wax seal on a letter or a bottle), and mihr or mehr, “mercy, compassion.” In the Gujarati transcription, this line ends with dušnām ast o bast, which is a mistake, since the end-rhyme is -ast o bas.
7. The Zoroastrian term for God is Ahuramazda. The phrase “the single God of peace” (rām-i yiktā) describes Rām (or Ram, Ramish), a name for the aspect of divinity known as “worthy of worship” (Avestan yazata, Middle Persian īzad) concerned with peace (not to be confused with the Hindu avatar Rāmā).
Translated by Carl Ernst, 21/11/2025
This is the fifteenth poem in Khorshed’s songbook, and the fifteenth in the Persian series of Persian poems written by young Merwan with the takhallus or pen-name “Mihrabān”. As with the entire series, this is the only source available and very little is known about it. It bears the number (15), has a pencil check mark on the upper left and ends with a double separation line. See introductory Tavern-Talk about it here.
Type of composition and meter
This is a ghazal. The meter goes like this:
= – = = / = – = = / = – = (ramal maḥzūf musaddas)
Transcriptions and transliterations
Persian and Indian scripts transliteration tables are available here.
Roman transliteration of the edited Persian
Devanagari transliteration of the edited Persian
Telugu transliteration of the edited Persian-language poem
Source material
Faithful transcription of the original poem
Roman transliteration of the original poem
Devanāgarī transliteration of the original poem
Roman letter-for-letter transliteration of the edited Persian
pīr-i mā dar ḫidmat-i jām ast o bas
ḏikr-i ū dar ṣubḥ o dar šām ast o bas
ʿišq-rā az maḏhab o maktab či kār
ʿišq az dil burdan -i nām ast o bas
zāhid-i ḫwud ḫwāh ḫwāhad waṣl-i yār
īn ḫayāl-iš sar bi sar ʿām ast o bas
dilbar-am ṣayyād o man āhū-yi ū
murġ-i dil-rā zulf-i o dām ast o bas
sīna pūr āwāz o muhr ast bar zabān
ṭāʿat-i bī mihr dušnām ast o bas
ḥaqq šināsī bāzī-yi ṭiflān ma-dān
kardan-iš dar kuštan-i kām ast o bas
juz ahurāmazd bāṭil jumlagī
mihrabān dar ʿišq-i yik rām ast o bas
Devanagari transliteration of the edited Persian-language poem (in Persian script)
पीर-ए मा दर ख़िदमत-ए जाम अस्त ओ बस
ज़िक्र-ए ऊ दर सुब्ह ओ दर शाम अस्त ओ बस
इश्क़-रा अज़ मज़हब ओ मकतब चि कार
इश्क़ अज़ दिल बुर्दन-ए नाम अस्त ओ बस
ज़ाहिद-ए ख़्वुद-ख़्वाह ख़्वाहद वस्ल-ए यार
ईन ख़्याल-इश सर बि-सर आम अस्त ओ बस
दिलबर-अम सय्याद ओ मन आहू-ए ऊ
मुर्ग़-ए दिल-रा ज़ुल्फ़-ए ओ दाम अस्त ओ बस
सीना पूर-ए आवाज़ ओ मुहर अस्त बर ज़बान
ताअत-ए बी-मिहर दुश्नाम अस्त ओ बस
हक़्क़-शिनासी बाज़ी-ए तिफ़लान म-दान
कर्दन-इश दर कुश्तन-ए काम अस्त ओ बस
जुज़ अहुरामज़्द बातिल जुमलगी
मिहरबान दर इश्क़-ए यिक राम अस्त ओ बस
Telugu transliteration of the edited Persian-language poem (in Persian script)
పీర్-ఏ మా దర్ ఖిద్మత్-ఏ జామ్ అస్త్ ఓ బస్
జిక్ర్-ఏ ఊ దర్ సుబ్హ్ ఓ దర్ శామ్ అస్త్ ఓ బస్
ఇశ్క్-రా అజ్ మజ్హబ్ ఓ మక్తబ్ చి కార్
ఇశ్క్ అజ్ దిల్ బుర్దన్-ఏ నామ్ అస్త్ ఓ బస్
జాహిద్-ఏ ఖ్వుద్-ఖ్వాహ్ ఖ్వాహద్ వస్ల్-ఏ యార్
ఈన్ ఖ్యాల్-ఇశ్ సర్ బి-సర్ ఆమ్ అస్త్ ఓ బస్
దిల్బర్-అమ్ సయ్యాద్ ఓ మన్ ఆహూ-ఏ ఊ
ముర్ఘ్-ఏ దిల్-రా జుల్ఫ్-ఏ ఓ దామ్ అస్త్ ఓ బస్
సీనా పూర్-ఏ ఆవాజ్ ఓ ముహర్ అస్త్ బర్ జబాన్
తాఅత్-ఏ బీ-మిహర్ దుశ్నామ్ అస్త్ ఓ బస్
హఖ్ఖ్-శినాసీ బాజీ-ఏ తిఫ్లాన్ మ-దాన్
కర్దన్-ఇశ్ దర్ కుశ్తన్-ఏ కామ్ అస్త్ ఓ బస్
జుజ్ అహురామజ్ద్ బాతిల్ జుమ్లగీ
మిహర్బాన్ దర్ ఇశ్క్-ఏ యిక్ రామ్ అస్త్ ఓ బస్
Source material
There is only one source material for this composition, three pages from Khorshed songbook. Please find them here. Reproduced with permission of Asha and Sudam Wagh.
Faithful transcription of the original Persian-language poem (in Gujarātī script)
In some cases, the available scan of the songbook made in 2016 shows tears that make some characters or words difficult to read or illegible. Here, the word “ઝાહેદે” remains clear despite the tear on line 3. The sign ✔ is a check mark done in pencil.
Editorial conventions: text deleted · xxx deleted illegible · ^text^ above line · \text\ below line |text turnunder
| ✔ | (૧૫) |
પીરે માદર ખીદમતે જામસ્તો બસ ; ઝીકરે ઉ દર સુવહો દર શામસ્તો બસ
ઈશ્કરા અઝ મઝહબો મકતબ ચે કાર : ઈશ્ક અઝ દીલ બુરદને નામસ્તો બસ
ઝાહેદે ખુદ ખાહ ખાહદ વસ્લે યાર : ઈન ખીયાલશ સરબસર આમસ્તો બસ
દીલબરમ સય્યાદ વ મન આહુયે ઉ : મુરગે દીલરા ઝુલ્ફે ઉ દામસ્તો બસ
સીનાપુર આવઝ ઓ મોહોર^સ્ત^ xxx બર ઝબાન
તાઅતે બી મેહેર દુશના મસ્તો બસ્ત : હક શનાસી બાઝીએ તીફલાન મદાન
કરદનશ દર કુશ્તને કામસ્તો બસ : જાુઝ અહુરામઝદ બાતેલ જાુમલગી
“મહેરબાન” દર ઈશ્કે યક રામસ્તો બસ
Roman letter-for-letter transliteration of the original Persian-language poem (in Gujarātī script)
| ✔ | (15) |
pīre mādar khīdmate jāmasto bas ; jhīkre u dar suvaho dar śāmasto bas
īśkrā ajh majhhabo maktab che kār : īśk ajh dīl burdane nāmasto bas
jhāhede khud khāh khāhad vasle yār: īn khīyālaś sarbasar āmasto bas
dīlbaram sayyād va man āhuye u: murge dīlrā jhulphe u dāmasto bas
sīnāpur āvajh o mohor^ast^ xxx bar jhabān
tāate bī meher duśnā masto bast: hak śanāsī bājhīe tīphlān madān
kardanaś dar kuśtane kāmasto bas: jujh ahurāmajhd bātel jumalgī
“maherbān” dar īśke yak rāmasto bas
Devanāgarī letter-for-letter transliteration of the original Persian-language poem (in Gujarātī script)
| ✔ | (१५) |
पीरे मादर खीदमते जामस्तो बस ; झीकरे उ दर सुवहो दर शामस्तो बस
ईश्करा अझ मझहबो मकतब चे कार : ईश्क अझ दील बुर्दने नामस्तो बस
झाहेदे खुद खाह खाहद वस्ले यार : ईन खीयालश सरबसर आमस्तो बस
दीलबरम सय्यादव मन आहुये उ : मुरगे दीलरा झुल्फे उ दामस्तो बस
सीनापुर आवझ ओ मोहोर^स्त^ xxx बर झबान
ताअते बी मेहेर दुशना मस्तो बस्त : हक शनासी बाझीए तीफलान मदान
करदनश दर कुश्तने कामस्तो बस : जाुझ अहुरामझद बातेल जाुमलगी
“मेहेरबान” दर ईश्के यक रामस्तो बस