Ghazal 134 of Hafez (7 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
بلبلی خونِ دلی خورد و گلی حاصل کردبادِ غیرت به صدش خار، پریشان‌دل کرد
bolboli khun-e deli khord o goli hâsel kard / bâd-e gheyrat be sadash khâr parishân-del kard
A nightingale drank its heart's blood and won a rose; then the wind of jealousy tore its heart with a hundred thorns.
COUPLET 2
طوطیی را به خیالِ شکری، دل‌خوش بودناگَهَش سیلِ فنا نقشِ اَمَل، باطل کرد
tuti-i râ be khiyâl-e shekari del khosh bud / nâgahash seyl-e fanâ naghsh-e amal bâtel kard
A parrot was happy dreaming of sugar; suddenly the flood of mortality washed away the picture of its hope.
COUPLET 3
قُرَّةُ الْعینِ من، آن میوهٔ دل، یادش بادکه چه آسان بشد و کارِ مرا مشکل کرد
ghorrat-ol-eyn-e man ân mive-ye del yâdash bâd / ke che âsân beshod o kâr-e marâ moshkel kard
The light of my eyes, that fruit of my heart, may he be remembered: how easily he went, and how hard he made things for me.
COUPLET 4
ساروان! بارِ من افتاد، خدا را مددیکه امیدِ کَرَمَم همرهِ این مَحمِل کرد
sârvân bâr-e man oftâd khodâ râ madadi / ke omid-e karamam hamrah-e in mahmel kard
Camel driver, my load has fallen; for God's sake, help, for hope of kindness made me a companion of this litter.
COUPLET 5
رویِ خاکی و نمِ چشمِ مرا خوار مدارچرخ فیروزه طرب‌خانه از این کَهگِل کرد
ru-ye khâki o nam-e cheshm-e marâ khâr madâr / charkh-e firuze tarab-khâne az in kahgel kard
Do not look down on my dust-covered face and wet eyes: the turquoise sky built its house of joy from this mud and straw.
COUPLET 6
آه و فریاد که از چشمِ حسودِ مهِ چرخدر لحد ماهِ کمان‌ابرویِ من منزل کرد
âh o faryâd ke az cheshm-e hasud-e mah-e charkh / dar lahad mâh-e kamân-abru-ye man manzel kard
Alas and alack! Because of the jealous eye of the moon in the sky, my bow-browed moon has made his home in the grave.
COUPLET 7
نزدی شاه‌رخ و فوت شد امکان حافظچه کنم؟ بازی ایام مرا غافل کرد
nazadi shâh-rokh o fowt shod emkân Hâfez / che konam bâzi-ye ayyâm marâ ghâfel kard
Hafez, you did not make the king-and-rook move, and the chance was lost. What can I do? The game of time caught me off guard.
What this fâl tells you
This is a ghazal of mourning, traditionally read as Hafez's grief for his young son. As a fal, it gently asks you to treasure the people and chances you have now, and not to postpone a good move. If you are carrying a loss, the ghazal reminds you that from dust and tears, the sky still builds a house of joy.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: kard ("did, made"). qâfiye: -el (hâsel, parishân-del, bâtel, moshkel, mahmel, kahgel, manzel, ghâfel). Beyt 3 opens with the Arabic phrase ghorrat-ol-eyn "light of the eye"; beyt 7 uses a chess image (shâh-rokh).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| bolboli | a nightingale dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| deli | a heart dictionary | |
| khord | drank dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| goli | a rose, a flower dictionary | |
| hâsel | achieved, obtained dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| gheyrat | jealousy (of love); zeal dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| sadash | a hundred ... him (= sad u râ) dictionary | |
| khâr | thorn dictionary | |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| shekari | a piece of sugar dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| ناگهش | nâgahash | suddenly ... its dictionary |
| seyl | flood dictionary | |
| فنا | fanâ | mortality, passing away dictionary |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| amal | hope, long-held wish (آرزو) | |
| bâtel | vain, futile dictionary | |
| ol-eyn | of the eye (Arabic) dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| میوهٔ | mive | fruit dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| یادش | yâdash | his memory dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| beshod | went, passed away (رفت / گذشت) dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| مشکل | moshkel | hard, difficult dictionary |
| sârvân | camel driver, caravan leader (ساربان) | |
| bâr | burden, weight dictionary | |
| oftâd | fell; happened, arose (پیش آمد) dictionary | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| madadi | some help dictionary | |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| کرمم | karamam | me ... (hope of) kindness dictionary |
| همره | hamrah | companion of (همراه) |
| in | this dictionary | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| khâki | a handful of earth; a humble person dictionary | |
| نم | nam | moisture, wetness dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| khâr | lowly, contemptible; khâr dâshtan = to look down on dictionary | |
| مدار | madâr | do not have (old imperative of dâshtan) (نداشته باش) dictionary |
| چرخ | charkh | wheel; the sky as a turning wheel dictionary |
| فریاد | faryâd | cry, shout dictionary |
| hasud | envious (person) dictionary | |
| مه | mah | moon (= mâh) (ماه) |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| منزل | manzel | stopping place, lodging; house dictionary |
| nazadi | you did not play (a move) dictionary | |
| فوت | fowt | lost, missed dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| emkân | chance, possibility dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| bâzi | game; trick dictionary | |
| ayyâm | days, times dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 134. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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