Ghazal 12 of Hafez (13 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
ای فروغِ ماهِ حُسن، از روی رخشان شماآبِ‌روی خوبی از چاه زَنَخدان شما
ey forugh-e mâh-e hosn az ru-ye rakhshân-e shomâ / âb-e ru-ye khubi az châh-e zanakhdân-e shomâ
You whose shining face lights the moon of beauty: beauty itself owes its honor to the dimple in your chin.
COUPLET 2
عزم دیدار تو دارد جانِ بر لب آمدهباز گردد یا برآید؟ چیست فرمان شما؟
azm-e didâr-e to dârad jân-e bar lab âmade / bâz gardad yâ barâyad? chist farmân-e shomâ?
My soul, already at my lips, is set on seeing you. Shall it go back or leave? What is your command?
COUPLET 3
کَس به دور نرگست طرفی نبست از عافیتبِه که نفروشند مستوری به مستان شما
kas be dowr-e nargesat tarfi nabast az âfiyat / beh ke nafrushand masturi be mastân-e shomâ
Under the reign of your narcissus eyes, no one has gained any safety. Better not to sell chastity to those you have made drunk.
COUPLET 4
بخت خواب‌آلود ما بیدار خواهد شد مگرزان که زد بر دیده آبی، روی رخشان شما
bakht-e khâb-âlud-e mâ bidâr khâhad shod magar / z-ân ke zad bar dide âbi ru-ye rakhshân-e shomâ
Perhaps our sleepy fortune will wake, since your shining face has splashed water on its eyes.
COUPLET 5
با صبا همراه بفرست از رخت گل دسته‌ایبو که بویی بشنویم از خاک بستان شما
bâ sabâ hamrâh befrest az rokhat gol daste'i / bu ke buyi beshnavim az khâk-e bostân-e shomâ
Send a bunch of roses from your cheek along with the morning breeze, in hope that we catch a scent from the soil of your garden.
COUPLET 6
عمرتان باد و مراد ای ساقیانِ بزمِ جمگرچه جام ما نشد پُر مِی به دوران شما
omretân bâd o morâd, ey sâghiyân-e bazm-e jam / garche jâm-e mâ nashod por mey be dowrân-e shomâ
Long life and success to you, cupbearers at the feast of Jamshid, though our cup was never filled with wine in your time.
COUPLET 7
دل خرابی می‌کند، دلدار را آگه کنیدزینهار ای دوستان، جان من و جان شما
del kharâbi mikonad, deldâr râ âgah konid / zinhâr, ey dustân, jân-e man o jân-e shomâ
My heart is running wild; let the beloved know. Take care, friends, I beg you by my life and yours.
COUPLET 8
کی دهد دست این غرض یا رب که همدستان شوند؟خاطر مجموع ما، زلف پریشان شما
key dahad dast in gharaz yâ rab ke hamdastân shavand / khâter-e majmu'-e mâ, zolf-e parishân-e shomâ?
O Lord, when will it come about that these two join hands: my composed mind and your scattered hair?
COUPLET 9
دور دار از خاک و خون دامن، چو بر ما بگذریکَاندَر این ره کشته بسیارند، قربان شما
dur dâr az khâk o khun dâman cho bar mâ bogzari / k-andar in rah koshte besyârand ghorbân-e shomâ
Keep your hem away from the dust and blood when you pass by us, for on this road many have been slain as your sacrifice.
COUPLET 10
می‌کند حافظ دعایی، بشنو، آمینی بگوروزی ما باد لعل شَکَّرافشان شما
mikonad Hâfez do'â'i, beshno, âmini begu / ruzi-ye mâ bâd la'l-e shekar-afshân-e shomâ
Hafez is saying a prayer; listen and say "amen": may your sugar-scattering ruby lips be our daily bread.
COUPLET 11
ای صبا با ساکنانِ شهرِ یزد از ما بگوکِای سر حق‌ناشناسان گوی چوگان شما
ey sabâ bâ sâkenân-e shahr-e yazd az mâ begu / k-ey sar-e hagh-nâ-shenâsân gu-ye chowgân-e shomâ
Morning breeze, give our message to the people of the city of Yazd: "May the heads of the ungrateful be the ball for your polo mallets."
COUPLET 12
گرچه دوریم از بساط قُرب، همّت دور نیستبندهٔ شاه شماییم و ثناخوان شما
garche durim az basât-e ghorb, hemmat dur nist / bande-ye shâh-e shomâyim o sanâ-khân-e shomâ
Though we are far from the carpet of closeness, our devotion is not far: we are servants of your king and singers of your praise.
COUPLET 13
ای شَهنشاه بلند اختر، خدا را همّتیتا ببوسم همچو اختر خاک ایوان شما
ey shahanshâh-e boland-akhtar, khodâ râ hemmati / tâ bebusam hamcho akhtar khâk-e eyvân-e shomâ
O king of kings with a lofty star, for God's sake grant a favor, so that, like the stars, I may kiss the dust of your palace porch.
What this fâl tells you
Someone far away still holds you in their thoughts, and a message carried by a gentle wind may soon arrive. Tradition reads this fal as a sign that a sleeping fortune is about to wake. Stay loyal and grateful even when your cup is not yet full; distance does not weaken true devotion.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: shomâ. qâfiye: -ân (rakhshân, zanakhdân, farmân, mastân, bostân, dowrân, jân, parishân, ghorbân, afshân, chowgân, sanâ-khân, eyvân). Written from Shiraz to friends in Yazd; the last beyts praise a king.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| فروغ | forugh | light, radiance dictionary |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| shomâ | you (polite) dictionary | |
| khubi | goodness, beauty dictionary | |
| چاه | châh | well, pit dictionary |
| zanakhdân | chin; "apple of the chin" with a dimple ("well") is a classic image (چانه) | |
| azm | resolve, decision dictionary | |
| didâr | face; meeting dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| dârad | has; (with arze) shows dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| âmade | come; jân bar lab âmade = soul at the lips (about to die) dictionary | |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| گردد | gardad | becomes (بشود) dictionary |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| bar âyad | rises; comes true; comes out (برمی‌آید) | |
| فرمان | farmân | command dictionary |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| dowr | turn; the passing round of the cup; the age dictionary | |
| نرگست | nargesat | your narcissus (= your eyes) dictionary |
| tarfi | any gain; tarf bastan = to profit dictionary | |
| نبست | nabast | did not tie; tarfi nabast = gained nothing dictionary |
| نفروشند | nafrushand | they should not sell dictionary |
| مستان | mastân | the drunk ones dictionary |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| khâb-âlud | sleepy dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| bidâr | awake dictionary | |
| khâhad | will (future auxiliary) dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| مگر | magar | perhaps? could it be that? (in questions) dictionary |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| zad | struck; dam zad = breathed out, shone; âtash zad = set on fire dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| âbi | a drop of water dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| همراه | hamrâh | together with dictionary |
| befrest | send! dictionary | |
| rokhat | your face dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| daste'i | a bunch, a bouquet dictionary | |
| bu | scent dictionary | |
| buyi | a scent dictionary | |
| beshnavim | we may hear; buy shenidan = to smell dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| bostân | garden (باغ) | |
| omretân | your life dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| مراد | morâd | wish, desire dictionary |
| sâghiyân | cupbearers dictionary | |
| bazm | feast, party dictionary | |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| نشد | nashod | did not become dictionary |
| پر | por | full dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| می‌کند | mikonad | does, is doing dictionary |
| âgah | aware, informed (آگاه) | |
| کنید | konid | make! (plural) dictionary |
| dustân | friends dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| dahad | gives, may give dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| gharaz | aim, wish; dast dâdan = to come about dictionary | |
| همدستان | hamdastân | joined hands, allies dictionary |
| shavand | (they) become dictionary | |
| khâter | mind, heart dictionary | |
| مجموع | majmu' | gathered, composed (of the mind) dictionary |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| پریشان | parishân | scattered, disheveled; distressed dictionary |
| dâr | keep! hold! (imperative of dâshtan) dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| bogzari | you pass by dictionary | |
| کاندر | k-andar | for in (= ke andar) (که در) |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| کشته | koshte | slain dictionary |
| besyârand | are many dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| do'â'i | a prayer dictionary | |
| beshno | listen! dictionary | |
| begu | tell! say! dictionary | |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| sâkenân | dwellers dictionary | |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| k-ey | that, O... (= ke ey) (که ای) | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| gu-ye | ball of dictionary | |
| چوگان | chowgân | polo stick: image for a curved lock of hair dictionary |
| durim | we are far dictionary | |
| basât | carpet, court dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| bande | servant; humble "I" dictionary | |
| shâh | king dictionary | |
| shomâyim | we are yours dictionary | |
| boland | high; famous dictionary | |
| akhtar | star; fortune dictionary | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| bebusam | I may kiss dictionary | |
| همچو | hamcho | like (مثل) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 12. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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