Ghazal 120 of Hafez (12 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
بتی دارم که گِرد گل ز سُنبل سایه‌بان داردبهارِ عارضش خطّی به خونِ ارغوان دارد
boti dâram ke gerd-e gol ze sonbol sâyebân dârad / bahâr-e ârezash khatti be khun-e arghavân dârad
I have an idol who has a canopy of hyacinth curls around the rose of the face; the springtime of that cheek has written a line in the blood of the Judas-tree flower.
COUPLET 2
غبارِ خط بپوشانید خورشیدِ رُخَش یا رببقایِ جاودانش ده، که حُسنِ جاودان دارد
ghobâr-e khat bepushânid khorshid-e rokhash yâ rab / baghâ-ye jâvdânash deh ke hosn-e jâvdân dârad
The dust of that down has veiled the sun of the face. O Lord, give it everlasting life, for its beauty is everlasting.
COUPLET 3
چو عاشق می‌شدم گفتم که بُردم گوهرِ مقصودندانستم که این دریا چه موجِ خون‌فشان دارد
cho âsheq mishodam goftam ke bordam gowhar-e maghsud / nadânestam ke in daryâ che mowj-e khun-feshân dârad
When I was falling in love, I said, "I have won the pearl I wanted." I did not know what blood-spattering waves this sea has.
COUPLET 4
ز چشمت جان نشاید بُرد کز هر سو که می‌بینمکمین از گوشه‌ای کرده‌ست و تیر اندر کمان دارد
ze cheshmat jân nashâyad bord k-az har su ke mibinam / kamin az gushe-i karde-st o tir andar kamân dârad
No one can escape your eyes with his life: wherever I look, they are lying in ambush in some corner, with an arrow on the bow.
COUPLET 5
چو دامِ طُرِّه افشاند ز گَردِ خاطرِ عشاقبه غَمّازِ صبا گوید که راِزِ ما نهان دارد
cho dâm-e torre afshânad ze gard-e khâter-e oshshâgh / be ghammâz-e sabâ guyad ke râz-e mâ nahân dârad
When the beloved shakes out the net of those curls, free of the dust of lovers' hearts, they tell the tattletale breeze to keep our secret hidden.
COUPLET 6
بیفشان جرعه‌ای بر خاک و حالِ اهلِ دل بشنوکه از جمشید و کیخسرو، فراوان داستان دارد
beyafshân jor'e-i bar khâk o hâl-e ahl-e del beshno / ke az jamshid o keykhosrow farâvân dâstân dârad
Pour a sip of wine on the earth and hear the state of the people of heart, for the earth has many stories of Jamshid and Kay Khosrow.
COUPLET 7
چو در رویت بخندد گُل، مشو در دامَش ای بلبلکه بر گُل اعتمادی نیست، گر حُسنِ جهان دارد
cho dar ruyat bekhandad gol masho dar dâmash ey bolbol / ke bar gol e'temâdi nist gar hosn-e jahân dârad
Nightingale, when the rose laughs in your face, do not fall into its trap: the rose cannot be trusted, even if it has all the world's beauty.
COUPLET 8
خدا را، دادِ من بِسْتان از او ای شِحنهٔ مجلسکه می با دیگری خورده‌ست و با من سر گِران دارد
khodâ râ dâd-e man bestân az u ey shehne-ye majles / ke mey bâ digari khorde-st o bâ man sar-gerân dârad
For God's sake, officer of the party, get me justice from the beloved, who has been drinking with someone else and is cold and haughty with me.
COUPLET 9
به فِتراک ار همی‌بندی خدا را زود صیدم کنکه آفت‌هاست در تأخیر و طالب را زیان دارد
be fetrâk ar hami bandi khodâ râ zud seydam kon / ke âfat-hâ-st dar ta'khir o tâleb râ ziyân dârad
If you mean to tie me to your saddle strap, for God's sake catch me soon: delay holds many dangers and harms the seeker.
COUPLET 10
ز سروِ قَدِّ دلجویت مکن محروم چشمم رابدین سرچشمه‌اش بِنْشان که خوش آبی روان دارد
ze sarv-e ghadd-e deljuyat makon mahrum cheshmam râ / bedin sarcheshme-ash beneshân ke khosh âbi ravân dârad
Do not keep my eyes from your charming cypress stature; plant it by this spring, for my eye has sweet flowing water.
COUPLET 11
ز خوفِ هجرم ایمن کن اگر امّیدِ آن داریکه از چشمِ بداندیشان خدایت در امان دارد
ze khowf-e hejram imen kon agar ommid-e ân dâri / ke az cheshm-e badandishân khodâyat dar amân dârad
Free me from the fear of separation, if you hope that God will keep you safe from the eyes of the ill-wishers.
COUPLET 12
چه عذرِ بختِ خود گویم؟ که آن عیّار شهرآشوببه تلخی کُشت حافظ را و شِکَّر در دهان دارد
che ozr-e bakht-e khod guyam ke ân ayyâr-e shahr-âshub / be talkhi kosht Hâfez râ o shekkar dar dahân dârad
What excuse can I make for my own luck? That city-stirring rogue killed Hafez with bitterness, while keeping sugar in that mouth.
What this fâl tells you
Love may be a sea with surprising waves, and this ghazal warns you not to trust every smiling rose. Tradition reads this fal as advice not to delay: if you have something to decide, decide kindly and soon, because waiting can bring its own harm. Ask for fairness openly, and keep your heart's secret from gossip.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: dârad ("has"). qâfiye: -ân (sâyebân, arghavân, jâvdân, khun-feshân, kamân, nahân, dâstân, jahân, gerân, ziyân, ravân, amân, dahân).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| boti | an idol, a beauty dictionary | |
| dâram | I have dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| dârad | has; (with arze) shows dictionary | |
| bahâr | spring dictionary | |
| ârezash | her cheek (گونه) | |
| khatti | a line, a script; also the down on a cheek dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| ghobâr | dust; also a fine script, like the down of a cheek dictionary | |
| khatt | line; here a painted line / the first down on the cheek dictionary | |
| bepushânid | covered, veiled dictionary | |
| rokhash | his/her face dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| baghâ-ye | lasting life of dictionary | |
| deh | give! (= bedeh) (بده) dictionary | |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| jâvedân | forever (همیشه) | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| âshegh | lover dictionary | |
| می‌شدم | mishodam | I was becoming dictionary |
| گفتم | goftam | I said dictionary |
| bordam | I took dictionary | |
| گوهر | gowhar | pearl, jewel dictionary |
| مقصود | maghsud | goal, what one longs for dictionary |
| ندانستم | nadânestam | I did not know dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| daryâ | sea dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| موج | mowj | wave dictionary |
| چشمت | cheshmat | your eye dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| bord | took away dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| su | direction, side dictionary | |
| می‌بینم | mibinam | I see dictionary |
| کمین | kamin | ambush dictionary |
| gushe'i | a corner dictionary | |
| کرده‌ست | karde-st | has made (= karde ast) dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| tir | arrow dictionary | |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| dâm | trap, net dictionary | |
| torre | lock of hair, curl dictionary | |
| afshânad | scatters (over) dictionary | |
| khâter | mind, heart dictionary | |
| oshshâgh | lovers dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| گوید | guyad | says, tells dictionary |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| نهان | nahân | hidden (پنهان) dictionary |
| beyafshân | sprinkle!, pour! dictionary | |
| jor'e'i | a sip, a draught dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| hâl | state, condition dictionary | |
| ahl | people (of) dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| beshno | listen! dictionary | |
| فراوان | farâvân | abundant, great dictionary |
| dâstân | story dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| ruyat | your face dictionary | |
| bekhandad | laughs, blooms dictionary | |
| مشو | masho | do not be, do not become (نشو) dictionary |
| dâmash | its trap dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| bolbol | nightingale dictionary | |
| e'temâdi | any trust dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| bostân | garden (باغ) | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| khorde-st | has drunk (= khorde ast) dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| گران | gerân | heavy; sar gerân kardan = act haughty, turn away dictionary |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| hami bandi | you are tying dictionary | |
| zud | soon, quickly dictionary | |
| seydam | me ... a catch, your prey dictionary | |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| âfat-hâ-st | there are dangers (= âfat-hâ ast) dictionary | |
| tâleb | seeker dictionary | |
| ziyân | loss dictionary | |
| sarv | cypress (image of a tall beloved) dictionary | |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| چشمم | cheshmam | my eye dictionary |
| bedin | with this, in this (= be in) (با این) | |
| sarcheshme-ash | at its source, by this spring dictionary | |
| beneshân | plant! (بکار) dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| âbi | a drop of water dictionary | |
| khowf | fear (ترس) dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| dâri | you have dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| badandishân | ill-wishers dictionary | |
| khodâyat | God ... you dictionary | |
| amân | safety, protection dictionary | |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| گویم | guyam | I say dictionary |
| talkhi | bitterness dictionary | |
| کشت | kosht | killed dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| shekar | sugar dictionary | |
| dahân | mouth dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 120. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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