Ghazal 101 of Hafez (10 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
شراب و عیش نهان چیست؟ کارِ بی‌بنیادزدیم بر صفِ رندان و هر چه بادا باد
sharâb o eysh-e nahân chist kâr-e bibonyâd / zadim bar saf-e rendân o har che bâdâ bâd
What is secret wine and hidden pleasure? A thing without foundation. We have joined the ranks of the free spirits, come what may.
COUPLET 2
گره ز دل بگشا وز سپهر یاد مکنکه فکر هیچ مهندس چنین گره نگشاد
gereh ze del begoshâ v-az sepehr yâd makon / ke fekr-e hich mohandes chenin gereh nagoshâd
Untie the knot in your heart and do not think about the heavens: no geometer's mind has ever untied a knot like that.
COUPLET 3
ز انقلابِ زمانه عجب مدار که چرخاز این فسانه هزاران هزار دارد یاد
ze enghelâb-e zamâne ajab madâr ke charkh / az in fasâne hezârân hezâr dârad yâd
Do not be amazed at the upheavals of the age: the turning sky remembers thousands upon thousands of such tales.
COUPLET 4
قدح به شرطِ ادب گیر زان که ترکیبشز کاسهٔ سرِ جمشید و بهمن است و قباد
ghadah be shart-e adab gir z-ân ke tarkibash / ze kâse-ye sar-e jamshid o bahman ast o ghobâd
Hold the cup with due respect, for it is made from the skulls of Jamshid, Bahman and Qobad.
COUPLET 5
که آگه است که کاووس و کی کجا رفتند؟که واقف است که چون رفت تخت جم، بر باد؟
ke âgah ast ke kâvus o key kojâ raftand / ke vâghef ast ke chon raft takht-e jam bar bâd
Who knows where Kavus and Kay have gone? Who knows how Jamshid's throne was carried off by the wind?
COUPLET 6
ز حسرتِ لبِ شیرین هنوز می‌بینمکه لاله می‌دمد از خونِ دیدهٔ فرهاد
ze hasrat-e lab-e shirin hanuz mibinam / ke lâle midamad az khun-e dide-ye farhâd
I still see tulips springing up from the blood that Farhad wept, longing for Shirin's lips.
COUPLET 7
مگر که لاله بدانست بی‌وفاییِ دهرکه تا بزاد و بِشُد، جامِ می ز کف نَنَهاد
magar ke lâle bedânest bivafâyi-ye dahr / ke tâ bezâd o beshod jâm-e mey ze kaf nanahâd
Perhaps the tulip understood the faithlessness of time: from the day it was born until it faded, it never put the wine cup down.
COUPLET 8
بیا بیا که زمانی ز می خراب شویممگر رسیم به گنجی در این خراب آباد
biyâ biyâ ke zamâni ze mey kharâb shavim / magar resim be ganji dar in kharâb-âbâd
Come, come, let us be wrecked by wine for a while; perhaps we will find a treasure in this ruined world.
COUPLET 9
نمی‌دهند اجازت مرا به سِیرِ سفرنسیمِ بادِ مُصَلّا و آبِ رُکن آباد
nemidahand ejâzat marâ be seyr-e safar / nasim-e bâd-e mosallâ o âb-e roknâbâd
The breeze of Mosalla and the stream of Roknabad will not give me leave to go traveling.
COUPLET 10
قدح مگیر چو حافظ مگر به نالهٔ چنگکه بسته‌اند بر ابریشمِ طرب دلِ شاد
ghadah magir cho Hâfez magar be nâle-ye chang / ke baste-and bar abrisham-e tarab del-e shâd
Like Hafez, do not take up the cup except to the lament of the harp, for a happy heart has been tied to the silk strings of joy.
What this fâl tells you
Do not try to solve the riddles of fate or be surprised by the ups and downs of the world; even the greatest kings have passed. Tradition reads this fal as advice to stay where you are and enjoy what is near and dear, with music, friends and an open heart. A hidden treasure can be found in the most ordinary place.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -âd (bonyâd/bâd, nagoshâd, yâd, ghobâd, bâd, farhâd, nanahâd, âbâd, roknâbâd, shâd).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| sharâb | wine dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| eysh | pleasure, enjoyment dictionary | |
| نهان | nahân | hidden (پنهان) dictionary |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| zadim | we struck; zadan bar saf = to join (or charge into) the ranks dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| saf | row, rank dictionary | |
| rendân | free spirits, rogues who scorn hypocrisy dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| bâdâ | may it be! dictionary | |
| bâd | har che bâdâ bâd = come what may dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| begoshâ | open! lift! dictionary | |
| وز | v-az | and from (= va az) (و از) |
| sepehr | sky, the heavens dictionary | |
| یاد | yâd | memory; yâd kardan = to think of, mention dictionary |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| فکر | fekr | thought dictionary |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| مهندس | mohandes | geometer, mathematician dictionary |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| نگشاد | nagoshâd | did not open, did not lift dictionary |
| enghelâb | upheaval, turning dictionary | |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| مدار | madâr | do not have (old imperative of dâshtan) (نداشته باش) dictionary |
| چرخ | charkh | wheel; the sky as a turning wheel dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| فسانه | fasâne | tale, story (افسانه) |
| هزاران | hezârân | thousands dictionary |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| dârad | has; (with arze) shows dictionary | |
| قدح | ghadah | cup, goblet dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| shart | rule, condition dictionary | |
| adab | courtesy, good manners dictionary | |
| گیر | gir | take! yâd gir = learn! (بگیر) dictionary |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| tarkibash | its making, its composition dictionary | |
| کاسهٔ | kâse | bowl, cup dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| bahman | Bahman, an ancient Persian king dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| âgah | aware, informed (آگاه) | |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| raftand | they went dictionary | |
| واقف | vâghef | aware dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| raft | went dictionary | |
| takht | throne dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| هنوز | hanuz | still, yet dictionary |
| می‌بینم | mibinam | I see dictionary |
| می‌دمد | midamad | springs up, blossoms dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| مگر | magar | perhaps dictionary |
| bedânest | knew, understood dictionary | |
| bivafâyi | faithlessness dictionary | |
| dahr | time, the world, fate dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| beshod | went, passed away (رفت / گذشت) dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| کف | kaf | palm (of the hand) dictionary |
| ننهاد | nanahâd | did not set, did not put dictionary |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| zamâni | a moment dictionary | |
| kharâb | ruined; (in Hafez) drunk, wrecked by love dictionary | |
| shavim | we become, we will dictionary | |
| resim | we reach dictionary | |
| ganji | a treasure dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| نمی‌دهند | nemidahand | they do not give dictionary |
| ejâzat | permission (= ejâze) (اجازه) | |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| safar | journey dictionary | |
| نسیم | nasim | breeze dictionary |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| rokn | Rokn; âb-e roknâbâd = the Roknabad stream in Shiraz dictionary | |
| مگیر | magir | do not take; do not find (fault) (نگیر) dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| مگر | magar | except, unless dictionary |
| نالهٔ | nâle | moan, lament dictionary |
| چنگ | chang | harp dictionary |
| baste-and | they have tied dictionary | |
| abrisham | silk; the silk strings of an instrument dictionary | |
| tarab | joy, merriment dictionary | |
| shâd | happy; shâd kardan = cheer up dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 101. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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