incorrect interpretation the european translator assumed that since hafez was a follower of sufism and love in sufism had sometimes been pederastic therefore the beloved should have been a young boy well i am looking at the persian version of the verses translated by henry wilberforce clarke and as person whose mother tongue is persian it seems to me that the beloved was an adult female rather than a young boy since hafez is using pronouns to refer to his beloved and the cupbeareand one could go both ways but in persian we always use the phrase 'lock of hair of the beloved' to refer to females since they have long hair you know besides anyone who is familiar with hafez poetry and have an advance understanding of medieval persian language would know that hafez is very unlikely to have pederastic inclinations i am well aware of the existance pederasty in many teachings of sufism and i have seen the pederastic sentiments in jami and saadi poems but not all persian poets that follow sufism have pederastic inclinations