Ghazal 1 of Hafez (7 couplets), in the original Persian as on Ganjoor, with a transliteration, a plain English translation, the meanings of key words and the traditional fâl-e Hâfez reading.
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COUPLET 1
اَلا یا اَیُّهَا السّاقی اَدِرْ کَأسَاً و ناوِلْهاکه عشق آسان نمود اوّل ولی افتاد مشکل‌ها
alâ yâ ayyoha-s-sâghi ader ka'san va nâvelhâ / ke eshgh âsân nemud avval vali oftâd moshkel-hâ
Come now, cupbearer, pass the cup around and hand it to me: love looked easy at first, but then the troubles came.
COUPLET 2
به بویِ نافه‌ای کآخِر صبا زان طُرّه بُگشایدز تابِ جَعدِ مشکینش چه خون افتاد در دل‌ها
be bu-ye nâfe'i k-âkher sabâ z-ân torre bogshâyad / ze tâb-e ja'd-e meshkinash che khun oftâd dar del-hâ
Waiting for the scent of musk that the morning breeze might at last loosen from that lock of hair, how much blood has fallen into hearts from the twist of those dark, musky curls.
COUPLET 3
مرا در منزلِ جانان چه امنِ عیش، چون هر دَمجَرَس فریاد می‌دارد که بَربندید مَحمِل‌ها
marâ dar manzel-e jânân che amn-e eysh, chon har dam / jaras faryâd midârad ke barbandid mahmel-hâ
What safe and easy pleasure can I have at the beloved's house, when every moment the caravan bell cries out, "Tie up your saddles, it is time to go"?
COUPLET 4
به مِی سجّاده رنگین کُن گَرَت پیرِ مُغان گویدکه سالِک بی‌خبر نَبْوَد ز راه و رسمِ منزل‌ها
be mey sajjâde rangin kon garat pir-e moghân guyad / ke sâlek bikhabar nabvad ze râh o rasm-e manzel-hâ
If the elder of the tavern tells you to, stain your prayer rug with wine: a traveller on the path is not ignorant of the ways and customs of each stage of the road.
COUPLET 5
شبِ تاریک و بیمِ موج و گِردابی چنین هایلکجا دانند حالِ ما سبک‌بارانِ ساحل‌ها؟
shab-e târik o bim-e mowj o gerdâbi chenin hâyel / kojâ dânand hâl-e mâ sabokbârân-e sâhel-hâ
A dark night, the fear of the waves, and a whirlpool this terrible: how could those who walk lightly on the shore know what we are going through?
COUPLET 6
همهْ کارم ز خودکامی به بدنامی کشید آخرنهان کِی مانَد آن رازی کَزو سازند مَحفل‌ها؟
hame kâram ze khodkâmi be badnâmi keshid âkher / nahân key mânad ân râzi k-az u sâzand mahfel-hâ
Doing as I pleased has brought my whole life to a bad name in the end. How can a secret stay hidden when people gather just to talk about it?
COUPLET 7
حضوری گر همی خواهی از او غایب مشو حافظمَتیٰ ما تَلْقَ مَنْ تَهْویٰ دَعِ الدُّنْیا وَ اَهْمِلْها
hozuri gar hami khâhi, az u ghâyeb masho Hâfez / matâ mâ talgha man tahvâ, da'-ed-donyâ va ahmelhâ
If you want to be in his presence, Hafez, do not be absent from him. When you meet the one you love, leave the world behind and let it go.
What this fâl tells you
The road that began easily may now feel harder than you expected. Tradition reads this ghazal as a call to stay faithful to what you love and not to worry about people who watch from the safe shore. The difficulty is part of the journey, not a sign that you chose wrongly.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -el-hâ (moshkel-hâ, del-hâ, mahmel-hâ, manzel-hâ, sâhel-hâ, mahfel-hâ). The first half-line is Arabic, the last half-line too.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| as-sâghi | the cupbearer (Arabic article al- + sâghi) (ساقی) dictionary | |
| ader | pass around! (Arabic imperative) (بگردان) | |
| کأسا | ka'san | a cup (Arabic) (جام) |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ناولها | nâvelhâ | hand it over! (Arabic imperative + "it") (به من بده) |
| نمود | nemud | seemed, appeared (past of nemudan) (به نظر رسید) dictionary |
| avval | at first dictionary | |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| oftâd | fell; happened, arose (پیش آمد) dictionary | |
| مشکل‌ها | moshkel-hâ | difficulties, problems dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| nâfe'i | a musk pod (from the musk deer) (کیسهٔ مشک) | |
| کآخر | k-âkher | that at last (= ke âkher) (که آخر) |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| torre | lock of hair, curl dictionary | |
| bogshâyad | may open, untie (باز کند) dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| tâb | twist, curl dictionary | |
| ja'd | curly hair (موی پیچ‌پیچ) | |
| مشکینش | meshkinash | its musky (dark and fragrant) + her (سیاه و خوشبوی او) |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| del-hâ | hearts dictionary | |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| منزل | manzel | stopping place, lodging; house dictionary |
| jânân | the beloved (معشوق) | |
| amn | safety, security dictionary | |
| eysh | pleasure, enjoyment dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| jaras | caravan bell (زنگ کاروان) | |
| فریاد | faryâd | cry, shout dictionary |
| می‌دارد | midârad | keeps (doing); here "keeps crying out" dictionary |
| barbandid | tie up! pack up! (plural imperative) (ببندید) dictionary | |
| محمل‌ها | mahmel-hâ | camel litters (seats for travellers on a camel) (کجاوه‌ها) |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| rangin | colored; stained dictionary | |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| گرت | garat | if ... you (= agar to-râ) (اگر به تو) |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| گوید | guyad | says, tells dictionary |
| sâlek | traveller on the spiritual path dictionary | |
| bikhabar | unaware dictionary | |
| نبود | nabvad | is not (old form) (نیست / نباشد) dictionary |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| rasm | custom, way dictionary | |
| منزل‌ها | manzel-hâ | stages of a journey dictionary |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| târik | dark dictionary | |
| bim | fear dictionary | |
| موج | mowj | wave dictionary |
| gerdâbi | a whirlpool dictionary | |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| هایل | hâyel | terrifying (ترسناک) |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| dânand | (they) know dictionary | |
| hâl | state, condition dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| sabokbârân | those with light loads, the carefree (آدم‌های بی‌دغدغه) | |
| sâhel-hâ | shores dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| کارم | kâram | my affairs, my work dictionary |
| khodkâmi | self-will, doing as one pleases (خودسری) | |
| کشید | keshid | pulled, led (to) dictionary |
| نهان | nahân | hidden (پنهان) dictionary |
| ماند | mânad | stays, remains dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| râzi | a secret (that) dictionary | |
| کزو | k-az u | that from it, about which (= ke az u) (که از آن) |
| sâzand | (they) make; here "hold" (gatherings) (برپا می‌کنند) dictionary | |
| محفل‌ها | mahfel-hâ | gatherings dictionary |
| hozuri | presence (with the beloved, or with God) dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| hami | old prefix of continuing action (= mi-) (می) | |
| khâhi | you want dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| ghâyeb | absent dictionary | |
| مشو | masho | do not be, do not become (نشو) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| متی | matâ | when (Arabic) (هرگاه) |
| ما | mâ | whenever (Arabic, with matâ "when-ever") (هرگاه) dictionary |
| talgha | you meet (Arabic) (ببینی) | |
| من | man | the one who, whom (Arabic) (کسی که) dictionary |
| tahvâ | you love (Arabic) (دوست داری) | |
| da' | leave! (Arabic imperative) (رها کن) | |
| ad-donyâ | the world (Arabic) (دنیا) dictionary | |
| ahmelhâ | neglect it, let it go (Arabic) (رهایش کن) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 1. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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