Ghazal 127 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
روشنیِ طلعتِ تو ماه نداردپیشِ تو گُل، رونقِ گیاه ندارد
rowshani-ye tal'at-e to mâh nadârad / pish-e to gol rownagh-e giyâh nadârad
The moon does not have the brightness of your face; beside you, the rose has no more luster than a weed.
COUPLET 2
گوشهٔ ابرویِ توست منزلِ جانمخوشتر از این گوشه، پادْشاه ندارد
gushe-ye abru-ye tost manzel-e jânam / khoshtar az in gushe pâdshâh nadârad
The corner of your eyebrow is my soul's home; no king has a nicer corner than this.
COUPLET 3
تا چه کُنَد با رخِ تو دودِ دلِ منآینه دانی که تابِ آه ندارد
tâ che konad bâ rokh-e to dud-e del-e man / âyene dâni ke tâb-e âh nadârad
Who knows what the smoke of my heart will do to your face? You know a mirror cannot bear a sigh.
COUPLET 4
شوخیِ نرگس نگر که پیشِ تو بشکفتچشمْ دریده، ادب نگاه ندارد
shukhi-ye narges negar ke pish-e to beshkoft / cheshm-daride adab negâh nadârad
Look how bold the narcissus is to bloom in front of you: shameless, it has no manners.
COUPLET 5
دیدم و آن چشمِ دلْ‌سیه که تو داریجانبِ هیچ آشنا نگاه ندارد
didam o ân cheshm-e del-siyah ke to dâri / jâneb-e hich âshenâ negâh nadârad
I have seen it: that hard-hearted dark eye of yours pays no regard to any friend.
COUPLET 6
رَطلِ گرانم ده ای مریدِ خراباتشادیِ شیخی که خانقاه ندارد
ratl-e gerânam deh ey morid-e kharâbât / shâdi-ye sheykhi ke khâneghâh nadârad
Give me a heavy measure of wine, disciple of the tavern, to the health of a sheikh who has no Sufi lodge.
COUPLET 7
خون خور و خامُش نشین که آن دلِ نازکطاقتِ فریاد دادخواه ندارد
khun khor o khâmosh neshin ke ân del-e nâzok / tâghat-e faryâd-e dâdkhâh nadârad
Swallow your blood and sit quietly, for that delicate heart cannot bear the cries of one demanding justice.
COUPLET 8
گو برو و آستین به خونِ جگر شویهر که در این آستانه راه ندارد
gu borow o âstin be khun-e jegar shuy / har ke dar in âstâne râh nadârad
Tell anyone who has no way into this threshold to go and wash his sleeve in his heart's blood.
COUPLET 9
نی منِ تنها کشم تَطاولِ زلفتکیست که او داغِ آن سیاه ندارد؟
ney man-e tanhâ kesham tatâvol-e zolfat / kist ke u dâgh-e ân siyâh nadârad
I am not the only one who suffers the tyranny of your curls. Who is there who does not bear the mark of that black one?
COUPLET 10
حافظ اگر سجدهٔ تو کرد مکن عیبکافرِ عشق ای صنم گناه ندارد
Hâfez agar sajde-ye to kard makon eyb / kâfer-e eshgh ey sanam gonâh nadârad
If Hafez bowed down before you, do not blame him: O idol, an infidel of love commits no sin.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal is full of praise and patience: your beauty or your goal outshines everything else, and the lover waits quietly. Tradition reads this fal as advice to be gentle, avoid loud complaints, and let your devotion speak for itself. You are not alone in your longing; many share it.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nadârad ("does not have"). qâfiye: -âh (mâh, giyâh, pâdshâh, âh, negâh, khâneghâh, dâdkhâh, râh, siyâh, gonâh).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| rowshani | light, brightness dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| ندارد | nadârad | does not have dictionary |
| پیش | pish | in the eyes of, for dictionary |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| گیاه | giyâh | grass, weed dictionary |
| گوشهٔ | gushe | corner dictionary |
| abru-ye | eyebrow of dictionary | |
| tu-st | is (fold upon) fold dictionary | |
| منزل | manzel | stopping place, lodging; house dictionary |
| jânam | my soul dictionary | |
| khoshtar | sweeter, more pleasant dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| پادشاه | pâdeshâh | king dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| dud | smoke dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| âyene | mirror (آیینه) | |
| dâni | you know (می‌دانی) dictionary | |
| tâb | twist, curl dictionary | |
| shukhi | joking, teasing; shukhi makon = do not jest dictionary | |
| نرگس | narges | narcissus (image of the beloved's languid eye) dictionary |
| نگر | negar | look! see! (ببین) dictionary |
| beshkoft | bloomed, opened dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| daride | torn; cheshm-daride = shameless, bold (بی‌حیا) dictionary | |
| adab | courtesy, good manners dictionary | |
| نگاه | negâh | look; negâh dâshtan = to keep dictionary |
| didam | I saw dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| dâri | you have dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| âshenâ | friend, familiar one dictionary | |
| گرانم | gerânam | heavy ... me (= gerân marâ) dictionary |
| deh | give! (= bedeh) (بده) dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| مرید | morid | disciple dictionary |
| shâdi | joy dictionary | |
| sheykhi | a sheikh dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| khor | drink! eat! (imperative) (بخور / بنوش) dictionary | |
| khâmosh | silent (خاموش) | |
| نشین | neshin | sit! (بنشین) dictionary |
| نازک | nâzok | delicate dictionary |
| tâghat | endurance dictionary | |
| فریاد | faryâd | cry, shout dictionary |
| dâdkhâh | one who seeks justice dictionary | |
| گو | gu | say! tell! (= begu) (بگو) dictionary |
| borow | go! dictionary | |
| âstin | sleeve; jân dar âstin = ready to give one's life dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| jegar | liver; khun-e jegar = deep grief dictionary | |
| shavi | you become dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| âstâne | threshold dictionary | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| ney | reed flute dictionary | |
| tanhâ | alone; na be tanhâ = not only dictionary | |
| کشم | kesham | I bear, I suffer dictionary |
| zolfat | your curls dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| dâgh | brand, burning mark (like the dark spot in a tulip) dictionary | |
| siyâh | black dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| eyb | fault, flaw dictionary | |
| کافر | kâfer | unbeliever; here "a traitor to" dictionary |
| sanam | idol; the beloved (بت) | |
| گناه | gonâh | sin dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 127. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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