📜 Lyrics
The breeze is sweet and fragrant,
There's beauty on the flowers,
A thousand melodies abound,
Spring upon spring cascades.
Where are you going, cupbearer?
Come here, come this way,
What are you staring at?
Lift the jug, lift it high,
Fill the cup to the brim,
Pour it out over there,
Turn your gaze toward the garden,
Behold the moment unaware.
Those dark clouds gathering,
Have appeared upon the horizon,
That intoxicated throng advancing,
Moving toward the tavern's way.
What ill thought is this suspicion?
Don't mistake me for the weak,
Where is the thought of asceticism now?
I am still young, still young.
There is talk of worship,
There is concern for salvation,
Madness for reward abounds,
Fear of punishment lingers.
But listen here, O Sheikh,
You yourself are strange indeed,
Have youth and love
Ever truly parted ways?
I am beautiful in radiance,
My gestures spark sedition,
My breezes fragrant with perfume,
Why should not desire intensify?
Fateful faces, bewitching forms,
One here and one there,
Kindling passion for pleasure,
What is a mere mortal to do?
Come now, the matter is brief,
Your point of view
May be right, perhaps it is,
But I am still young, still young.
This wandering in the mountains,
This journey by the flowing streams,
The chirping of the nightingales,
The laughter of rosy-cheeked beauties.
If I have encountered someone,
Have I lost all worry and care?
When fortune smiled and slumbered,
One laughed while another wept.
These are the tales of love,
These are the flavorful years of youth,
Kindness flowing from one side,
Cheerful melodies from the other.
This sky and this earth,
Sights that gladden the heart,
They give life and being—
How could I abandon them here?
Death comes so near,
I cannot be certain.
No, no, not yet, not yet,
I am still young, still young.
Not sorrow's opening or closing,
Not the high or the low,
Not non-being or existence,
Not the covenant's promise.
Hope and despair are lost,
Senses lost, reason lost,
Vision beyond all else lost,
All things but wine are lost.
Let there be no lack in wine,
Let companionship from the cup remain,
Let this sitting together endure,
Let this intimacy last forever.
Strike up that melody, O musician,
Ecstasy-bringing, sorrow-removing,
The echo of the instrument's cry,
Sets my heart ablaze.
Let every lip resound,
O cupbearer, do not hold back,
Pour on, keep pouring,
I am still young, still young.
💡 Meaning & story
This beautiful poem is a famous creation of Hafiz Jalandhri, known by the title "I Am Still Young." This poem holds a special place in Urdu literature for its fluency, musicality, and liveliness.
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The Central Theme of the Poem
The fundamental subject of this poem is the splendor of nature, the fervor of youth, and a vibrant attachment to life. The poet says that when spring is all around, clouds gather overhead, and life is at its fullest bloom, then one should abandon thoughts of repentance and asceticism and savor these moments.
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A Brief Explanation of the Verses
1. Imagery and Address to the Cupbearer
In the opening stanza, the poet describes the beauty of the spring season. He says the breeze is pleasant and flowers shine with brilliance. In such a setting, he calls out to the cupbearer (one who serves wine) saying: do not look here and there, just keep filling the cup, for this season is meant for drinking and serving.
2. Dialogue with the Cleric and the Rejection of Asceticism
The poet addresses the "Shaikh" (a religious elder) saying that your talk of worship, reward, and punishment may be correct in their place, but youth and love cannot be separated from one another. When there are beautiful sights before us and the air is fragrant, it is natural for the heart to be captivated. He says:
"Your perspective may be right, but... I am still young."
3. Nature and Human Emotion
The poet mentions the wandering in mountains, the banks of rivers, the chirping of nightingales, and the laughter of the beloved. He calls these beautiful experiences of life "life-giving" (hayat afriin). He cannot believe that death could be so near that he should abandon all these things now.
4. The Ecstasy of Intoxication and Oblivion
In the final section, the poet wishes to live only in the present moment, heedless of the world and all it contains. He has no concern for high and low, nor any interest in the philosophies of the universe (the covenant of alast). He wants the musician to play such a melody as would erase all sorrows, and the cupbearer to keep pouring endlessly, for he is not yet ready to admit that he is old or that his courage has failed.
Lyrics & Meaning
