Ghazal 110 of Hafez (8 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
پیرانه سَرم عشقِ جوانی به سر افتادوآن راز که در دل بِنَهفتم به درافتاد
pirâne-saram eshgh-e javâni be sar oftâd / v-ân râz ke dar del benahoftam be dar oftâd
In my old age, a young love came into my head, and the secret I had hidden in my heart spilled out.
COUPLET 2
از راهِ نظر مرغِ دلم گشت هواگیرای دیده نگه کن که به دامِ که درافتاد
az râh-e nazar morgh-e delam gasht havâgir / ey dide negah kon ke be dâm-e ke dar oftâd
Through the path of the eyes, the bird of my heart took flight. O eye, look: whose trap has it fallen into?
COUPLET 3
دردا که از آن آهوی مشکینِ سیه چشمچون نافه بسی خونِ دلم در جگر افتاد
dardâ ke az ân âhu-ye moshkin-e siyah-cheshm / chon nâfe basi khun-e delam dar jegar oftâd
Alas, because of that black-eyed, musky gazelle, much of my heart's blood has gathered in my liver, like musk in the deer's pod.
COUPLET 4
از رهگذرِ خاکِ سرِ کویِ شما بودهر نافه که در دستِ نسیمِ سحر افتاد
az rahgozar-e khâk-e sar-e ku-ye shomâ bud / har nâfe ke dar dast-e nasim-e sahar oftâd
Every pod of musk that fell into the hands of the dawn breeze came from the dust of the path at the top of your lane.
COUPLET 5
مژگانِ تو تا تیغِ جهانگیر برآوردبس کشتهٔ دل زنده که بر یکدگر افتاد
mozhgân-e to tâ tigh-e jahângir bar âvard / bas koshte-ye del-zende ke bar yekdegar oftâd
Since your eyelashes drew their world-conquering sword, many slain lovers with living hearts have fallen one on top of another.
COUPLET 6
بس تجربه کردیم در این دِیرِ مکافاتبا دُردکشان هر که درافتاد برافتاد
bas tajrobe kardim dar in deyr-e mokâfât / bâ dord-keshân har ke dar oftâd bar oftâd
We have tested it many times in this monastery of retribution: whoever picks a fight with the dreg-drinkers is overthrown.
COUPLET 7
گر جان بدهد سنگِ سیه، لعل نگرددبا طینتِ اصلی چه کُند، بدگهر افتاد
gar jân bedahad sang-e siyah la'l nagardad / bâ tinat-e asli che konad, bad-gohar oftâd
Even if a black stone gave its life, it would not become a ruby; what can it do against its own nature? It was born of base stuff.
COUPLET 8
حافظ که سرِ زلفِ بتان دست‌کشش بودبس طُرفه حریفی‌ست کَش اکنون به سر افتاد
Hâfez ke sar-e zolf-e botân dast-kashash bud / bas torfe harifi-st k-ash aknun be sar oftâd
Hafez, whose hand used to stroke the curls of beauties, has now met a strange match who has gone to his head.
What this fâl tells you
A late love or a hidden feeling is coming to the surface in this ghazal, and it cannot be kept secret for long. Tradition reads this fal as a sign that something fresh is entering your life even if you thought that season had passed. Be true to your own nature, and do not quarrel with people of simple, honest heart.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: oftâd ("fell"). qâfiye: -ar (sar, dar, jegar, sahar, yekdegar, bar, gohar). Several lines play on the compounds dar oftâdan and bar oftâdan.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| پیرانه | pirâne | old; pirâne-sar = in old age dictionary |
| saram | my head; over me dictionary | |
| javâni | youth; youthful dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| oftâd | fell; happened, arose (پیش آمد) dictionary | |
| وآن | v-ân | and that (= va ân) (و آن) |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| benahoftam | I hid dictionary | |
| dar oftâd | fell in; be dar oftâd = came out, was revealed; dar oftâdan bâ = to pick a fight with dictionary | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| مرغ | morgh | bird dictionary |
| delam | my heart dictionary | |
| گشت | gasht | became dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| نگه | negah | look; negah kon = look! (نگاه) |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| dâm | trap, net dictionary | |
| dardâ | alas! (افسوس) | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| âhu-ye | the gazelle of dictionary | |
| siyah | black (سیاه) | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| jegar | liver; khun-e jegar = deep grief dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| کوی | ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) |
| shomâ | you (polite) dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| نسیم | nasim | breeze dictionary |
| sehr | magic dictionary | |
| مژگان | mozhgân | eyelashes dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| tigh | sword, blade dictionary | |
| bas | much, many dictionary | |
| zende | alive dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| یکدگر | yekdegar | one another (یکدیگر) |
| tajrobe | experience, test dictionary | |
| کردیم | kardim | we did dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| bedahad | gives dictionary | |
| sang | stone dictionary | |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| نگردد | nagardad | does not become dictionary |
| tinat | nature, clay one is made of (سرشت) | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| botân | idols: the beauties dictionary | |
| dast-kashash | stroked by his hand dictionary | |
| harifi-st | is a companion, a match (= harifi ast) dictionary | |
| کش | k-ash | who ... him (= ke ash) (که او را) |
| aknun | now (حالا) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 110. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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