Ghazal 116 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
کسی که حُسن و خَطِ دوست در نظر داردمحقَق است که او حاصل بصر دارد
kasi ke hosn o khat-e dust dar nazar dârad / mohaghghagh ast ke u hâsel-e basar dârad
Whoever keeps the beauty and the soft down of the Friend's face before his eyes surely has the true harvest of sight.
COUPLET 2
چو خامه در رهِ فرمانِ او، سرِ طاعتنهاده‌ایم مگر او به تیغ بردارد
cho khâme dar rah-e farmân-e u sar-e tâ'at / nahâde-im magar u be tigh bardârad
Like a pen on the path of the beloved's command, I have laid down my head in obedience, unless the beloved lifts it off with a sword.
COUPLET 3
کسی به وصلِ تو چون شمع یافت پروانهکه زیرِ تیغِ تو هر دم سری دگر دارد
kasi be vasl-e to chon sham' yâft parvâne / ke zir-e tigh-e to har dam sari degar dârad
Only one who, like a candle, grows a new head under your blade every moment has won the permit (parvâne, also "moth") for union with you.
COUPLET 4
به پای‌بوس تو دستِ کسی رسید که اوچو آستانه بدین در، همیشه سر دارد
be pâybus-e to dast-e kasi resid ke u / cho âstâne bedin dar hamishe sar dârad
Only someone who, like the threshold, always keeps his head at this door has reached the privilege of kissing your feet.
COUPLET 5
ز زهدِ خشک ملولم، کجاست بادهٔ ناب؟که بویِ باده مدامم دماغ تر دارد
ze zohd-e khoshk malulam kojâ-st bâde-ye nâb / ke bu-ye bâde modâmam demâgh tar dârad
I am weary of dry asceticism. Where is pure wine, whose scent keeps my mind always fresh?
COUPLET 6
ز باده هیچت اگر نیست، این نه بس که تو رادمی ز وسوسهٔ عقل بی‌خبر دارد؟
ze bâde hichat agar nist in na bas ke to râ / dami ze vasvase-ye aghl bikhabar dârad
Even if wine gives you nothing else, is it not enough that for a moment it keeps you unaware of reason's nagging whispers?
COUPLET 7
کسی که از رهِ تقوا قدم برون ننهادبه عزمِ میکده اکنون رهِ سفر دارد
kasi ke az rah-e taghvâ ghadam borun nanahâd / be azm-e meykade aknun rah-e safar dârad
The one who never stepped off the road of piety is now setting out on the road to the tavern.
COUPLET 8
دل‌ِ شکستهٔ حافظ به خاک خواهد بردچو لاله، داغ هوایی، که بر جگر دارد
del-e shekaste-ye Hâfez be khâk khâhad bord / cho lâle dâgh-e havâyi ke bar jegar dârad
Hafez's broken heart will take to the grave, like a tulip, the burning mark of a longing it carries on its liver.
What this fâl tells you
Devotion that bows its head without complaint is honored in this ghazal. Tradition reads this fal as advice to let go of dry, joyless strictness and allow yourself a moment of lightness. Even the most careful person sometimes needs to take a new road; it may be your turn.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: dârad ("has"). qâfiye: -ar (nazar, basar, bar, degar, sar, tar, bikhabar, safar, jegar).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary | |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| khatt | line; here a painted line / the first down on the cheek dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| dârad | has; (with arze) shows dictionary | |
| محقق | mohaghghagh | certain, proven (مسلم) |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| hâsel | achieved, obtained dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| khâme | reed pen (قلم) dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| فرمان | farmân | command dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| نهاده‌ایم | nahâde-im | we have laid down dictionary |
| مگر | magar | perhaps? could it be that? (in questions) dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| tigh | sword, blade dictionary | |
| bardârad | lifts off, takes away dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| یافت | yâft | find (with nakhâhi: will not find) (پیدا کرد) dictionary |
| پروانه | parvâne | permit, license (with a pun on "moth") dictionary |
| zir | under dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| degar | again; other (= digar) (دیگر) | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| resid | arrived, came dictionary | |
| âstâne | threshold dictionary | |
| bedin | with this, in this (= be in) (با این) | |
| همیشه | hamishe | always dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| khoshk | dry, joyless dictionary | |
| malulam | I am weary (خسته‌ام) dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| nâb | pure dictionary | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| مدامم | modâmam | always ... my (= modâm marâ) dictionary |
| tar | wet, fresh dictionary | |
| هیچت | hichat | nothing for you (= hich to râ) dictionary |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| bas | much, many dictionary | |
| dami | a moment dictionary | |
| وسوسهٔ | vasvase-ye | whispering, nagging of dictionary |
| aghl | reason, intellect dictionary | |
| bikhabar | unaware dictionary | |
| taghvâ | piety dictionary | |
| قدم | ghadam | step dictionary |
| borun | out (= birun) (بیرون) dictionary | |
| ننهاد | nanahâd | did not set, did not put dictionary |
| azm | resolve, decision dictionary | |
| میکده | meykade | tavern dictionary |
| aknun | now (حالا) dictionary | |
| safar | journey dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| shekaste | broken; bent dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| khâhad | will (future auxiliary) dictionary | |
| bord | took away dictionary | |
| dâgh | brand, burning mark (like the dark spot in a tulip) dictionary | |
| havâyi | a longing, a desire (also: a breeze) dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| jegar | liver; khun-e jegar = deep grief dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 116. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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