Ghazal 136 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
دست در حلقهٔ آن زلفِ دوتا نتوان کردتکیه بر عهدِ تو و بادِ صبا نتوان کرد
dast dar halghe-ye ân zolf-e dotâ natvân kard / tekye bar ahd-e to o bâd-e sabâ natvân kard
No one can lay a hand on the ring of that twofold curl; no one can rely on your promise or on the morning breeze.
COUPLET 2
آن‌چه سعی است، من اندر طلبت بنمایماین قَدَر هست که تغییرِ قضا نتوان کرد
ânche sa'y ast man andar talabat benamâyam / in ghadar hast ke taghyir-e ghazâ natvân kard
Whatever effort is possible, I will make in seeking you; only this much is certain: fate cannot be changed.
COUPLET 3
دامنِ دوست به صد خونِ دل افتاد به دستبه فُسوسی که کُنَد خصم، رها نتوان کرد
dâman-e dust be sad khun-e del oftâd be dast / be fosusi ke konad khasm rahâ natvân kard
The hem of the friend came into my hand at the cost of a hundred heartaches; I cannot let it go because a rival sneers.
COUPLET 4
عارضش را به مَثَل ماهِ فلک نتوان گفتنسبتِ دوست به هر بی سر و پا نتوان کرد
ârezash râ be masal mâh-e falak natvân goft / nesbat-e dust be har bi sar o pâ natvân kard
Her cheek cannot be called the moon in the sky, even as a figure of speech; the friend cannot be compared to every nobody.
COUPLET 5
سروبالایِ من آنگه که درآید به سَماعچه محل جامهٔ جان را که قبا نتوان کرد؟
sarv-bâlâ-ye man ângah ke darâyad be samâ' / che mahal jâme-ye jân râ ke ghabâ natvân kard
When my cypress-tall love steps into the dance, what is the soul's garment worth if I cannot tear it open for her?
COUPLET 6
نظرِ پاک توانَد رخِ جانان دیدنکه در آیینه نظر جز به صفا نتوان کرد
nazar-e pâk tavânad rokh-e jânân didan / ke dar âyine nazar joz be safâ natvân kard
Only a pure gaze can see the beloved's face, just as one can look into a mirror only when it is clear.
COUPLET 7
مشکلِ عشق نه در حوصلهٔ دانشِ ماستحلِّ این نکته بدین فکرِ خطا نتوان کرد
moshkel-e eshgh na dar howsele-ye dânesh-e mâst / hall-e in nokte bedin fekr-e khatâ natvân kard
The riddle of love is beyond the capacity of our knowledge; this fine point cannot be solved with such faulty thinking.
COUPLET 8
غیرتم کُشت که محبوبِ جهانی، لیکنروز و شب عربده با خلقِ خدا نتوان کرد
gheyratam kosht ke mahbub-e jahâni, likan / ruz o shab arbade bâ khalgh-e khodâ natvân kard
Jealousy is killing me that the whole world loves you; but one cannot quarrel day and night with all of God's people.
COUPLET 9
من چه گویم؟ که تو را نازکیِ طبعِ لطیفتا به حَدّیست که آهسته دعا نتوان کرد
man che guyam ke to râ nâzoki-ye tab'-e latif / tâ be haddi-st ke âheste do'â natvân kard
What can I say? Your gentle nature is so delicate that one cannot even whisper a prayer near you.
COUPLET 10
بجز ابرویِ تو محرابِ دل حافظ نیستطاعتِ غیر تو در مذهبِ ما نتوان کرد
bejoz abru-ye to mehrâb-e del-e Hâfez nist / tâ'at-e gheyr-e to dar mazhab-e mâ natvân kard
Hafez's heart has no prayer niche but your eyebrow; in our creed, no one but you can be worshipped.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal says: give your best effort, then accept what fate decides. Tradition reads it as advice to hold on to what you won with difficulty and not let others' mockery make you let go. Keep your gaze clear and your devotion single-minded.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: natvân kard. qâfiye: -â (dotâ, sabâ, ghazâ, rahâ, pâ, ghabâ, safâ, khatâ, khodâ, do'â, mâ). In beyt 5, ghabâ kardan = to tear the robe open, as Sufis did in ecstatic dance.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| halghe | circle, ring dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| tekye | leaning, reliance dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| ahd | time, era dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| ân che | what, whatever dictionary | |
| sa'y | effort, striving dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| talabat | seeking you (= talab + -at) dictionary | |
| benamâyam | I will show, I will make dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| taghyir | change dictionary | |
| قضا | ghazâ | fate, divine decree dictionary |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| oftâd | fell; happened, arose (پیش آمد) dictionary | |
| fosusi | a sneer, mockery (ریشخند) | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| khasm | enemy, rival (دشمن) dictionary | |
| rahâ | free; rahâ nakardan = not to leave dictionary | |
| ârezash | her cheek (گونه) | |
| مثل | masal | example; be masal = as a comparison dictionary |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| فلک | falak | the sky, the heavens; fate dictionary |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| نسبت | nesbat | relation, connection dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| bi | without; bi sar o pâ = a nobody, worthless person dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| پا | pâ | foot dictionary |
| ângah | then, when (آنگاه) | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| محل | mahal | worth, value, place dictionary |
| jâme-ye | garment of (لباس) dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| قبا | ghabâ | a long open robe; ghabâ kardan = tear open dictionary |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| پاک | pâk | pure, clean dictionary |
| tavânad | can dictionary | |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| jânân | the beloved (معشوق) | |
| didan | to see dictionary | |
| âyine | mirror dictionary | |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| safâ | purity, clearness dictionary | |
| مشکل | moshkel | hard, difficult dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| howsele-ye | capacity of dictionary | |
| dânesh-e | knowledge of dictionary | |
| hall-e in | the solving of this dictionary | |
| نکته | nokte | subtle point dictionary |
| bedin | with this, in this (= be in) (با این) | |
| فکر | fekr | thought dictionary |
| khatâ | error; faulty dictionary | |
| gheyratam | my jealousy dictionary | |
| کشت | kosht | killed dictionary |
| محبوب | mahbub-e | beloved of dictionary |
| jahâni | a whole world dictionary | |
| لیکن | likan | but (ولی) |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| kholgh | good nature, character (اخلاق) dictionary | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| گویم | guyam | I say dictionary |
| tab'-e | nature, temperament dictionary | |
| لطیف | latif | gentle, delicate dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| haddi-st | is to such a degree (= haddi ast) dictionary | |
| âheste | softly, quietly dictionary | |
| do'â | prayer, blessing dictionary | |
| bejoz | except (جز) | |
| abru-ye | eyebrow of dictionary | |
| محراب | mehrâb-e | prayer niche of dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| gheyr | other than dictionary | |
| مذهب | mazhab | creed, religion dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 136. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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