Ghazal 125 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
شاهد آن نیست که موییّ و میانی داردبندهٔ طلعتِ آن باش که آنی دارد
shâhed ân nist ke muyi o miyâni dârad / bande-ye tal'at-e ân bâsh ke âni dârad
True beauty is not having fine hair and a slender waist; be the servant of a face that has that indefinable "something."
COUPLET 2
شیوهٔ حور و پری گرچه لطیف است ولیخوبی آن است و لطافت که فُلانی دارد
shive-ye hur o pari gar che latif ast vali / khubi ân ast o letâfat ke folâni dârad
The ways of houris and fairies may be graceful, but real beauty and charm are what a certain someone has.
COUPLET 3
چشمهٔ چشمِ مرا ای گلِ خندان دریابکه به امّیدِ تو خوش آبِ روانی دارد
cheshme-ye cheshm-e marâ ey gol-e khandân dar yâb / ke be ommid-e to khosh âb-e ravâni dârad
O smiling rose, come to the spring of my eyes: in hope of you it has sweet flowing water.
COUPLET 4
گوی خوبی که بَرَد از تو؟ که خورشید آن جانه سواریست که در دست عِنانی دارد
gu-ye khubi ke barad az to ke khorshid ânjâ / na savâri-st ke dar dast enâni dârad
Who could win the ball of beauty from you? Even the sun on that field is not a rider who holds the reins.
COUPLET 5
دل نشان شد سخنم تا تو قبولش کردیآری آری سخنِ عشق نشانی دارد
del neshân shod sokhanam tâ to ghabulash kardi / âri âri sokhan-e eshgh neshâni dârad
My words reached the heart once you accepted them; yes, yes, the words of love leave their mark.
COUPLET 6
خَمِ ابرویِ تو در صنعتِ تیراندازیبُرده از دستِ هر آن کس که کمانی دارد
kham-e abru-ye to dar san'at-e tirandâzi / borde az dast-e har ân kas ke kamâni dârad
In the art of archery, the curve of your eyebrow has beaten everyone who owns a bow.
COUPLET 7
در رَهِ عشق نشد کَس به یقین محرمِ رازهر کسی بر حَسَبِ فکر، گُمانی دارد
dar rah-e eshgh nashod kas be yaghin mahram-e râz / har kasi bar hasab-e fekr gomâni dârad
On the road of love no one has truly been let in on the secret; each person has a guess according to his own thinking.
COUPLET 8
با خرابات نشینان ز کَرامات مَلافهر سخن وقتی و هر نکته مکانی دارد
bâ kharâbât-neshinân ze kerâmât malâf / har sokhan vaghti o har nokte makâni dârad
Do not boast of miracles to the people of the tavern: every word has its time and every subtle point its place.
COUPLET 9
مرغِ زیرک نزند در چمنش پرده سرایهر بهاری که به دنباله، خزانی دارد
morgh-e zirak nazanad dar chamanash parde-sarây / har bahâri ke be donbâle khazâni dârad
A clever bird does not pitch its tent in the garden of any spring that has an autumn following behind.
COUPLET 10
مدعی گو لُغَز و نکته به حافظ مفروشکِلکِ ما نیز زبانی و بیانی دارد
moddai gu loghaz o nokte be Hâfez mafrush / kelk-e mâ niz zabâni o bayâni dârad
Tell the pretender not to peddle riddles and clever points to Hafez: my pen too has a tongue and a way with words.
What this fâl tells you
Real charm is something you cannot measure, and this ghazal asks you to look for the deeper "something" in people and things. Tradition reads this fal as advice to speak at the right time and place, and not to build your home on a joy that will soon fade. Your words will be heard by the one who accepts them.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: dârad ("has"). qâfiye: -âni (miyâni, âni, folâni, ravâni, enâni, neshâni, kamâni, gomâni, makâni, khazâni, bayâni).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| shâhed | beauty, the beloved (classical sense) dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| مویی | muyi | fine hair, a hair dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| miyâni | a (slender) waist dictionary | |
| dârad | has; (with arze) shows dictionary | |
| bande | servant; humble "I" dictionary | |
| bâsh | be! dictionary | |
| âni | an indefinable charm, "that something" dictionary | |
| shive | manner, way dictionary | |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| لطیف | latif | gentle, delicate dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| khubi | goodness, beauty dictionary | |
| لطافت | letâfat | delicacy, charm dictionary |
| چشمهٔ | cheshme | spring, fountain dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| khandân | smiling, laughing dictionary | |
| dar yâb | seize! grasp! dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| gu-ye | ball of dictionary | |
| bord | took away dictionary | |
| jâ | place dictionary | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| savâri-st | is a rider (= savâri ast) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| enâni | reins dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| نشان | neshân | sign dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| sokhanam | my words dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| قبولش | ghabulash | it ... accepted dictionary |
| kardi | you made dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| neshâni | a sign, a clue; an address dictionary | |
| abru-ye | eyebrow of dictionary | |
| san'at | art, craft dictionary | |
| borde | has carried off, has won; az dast bordan = to outdo dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| نشد | nashod | did not become dictionary |
| یقین | yaghin | certainty; certainly dictionary |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| فکر | fekr | thought dictionary |
| gomâni | a guess, an opinion dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| کرامات | kerâmât | miracles of saints dictionary |
| ملاف | malâf | do not boast! (لاف نزن) |
| vaghti | a time dictionary | |
| نکته | nokte | point, subtle point dictionary |
| makâni | a place dictionary | |
| مرغ | morgh | bird dictionary |
| zirak | clever dictionary | |
| نزند | nazanad | does not strike; lâf zadan = to boast dictionary |
| چمنش | chamanash | its garden dictionary |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| bahâri | of spring dictionary | |
| donbâle | tail, what follows; be donbâle = behind it dictionary | |
| khazâni | of autumn dictionary | |
| modda'i | pretender, critic dictionary | |
| گو | gu | say! tell! (= begu) (بگو) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| مفروش | maforush | do not sell! (here: do not show off) (نفروش) dictionary |
| کلک | kelk | reed pen (قلم) |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| نیز | niz | also dictionary |
| zabâni | a tongue dictionary | |
| bayâni | eloquence, way with words dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 125. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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