Ghazal 137 of Hafez (8 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
دل از من بُرد و روی از من نهان کردخدا را با که این بازی توان کرد
del az man bord o ruy az man nahân kard / khodâ râ bâ ke in bâzi tavân kard
She stole my heart and hid her face from me. For God's sake, with whom could anyone play such a game?
COUPLET 2
شب تنهاییَم در قصدِ جان بودخیالش لطف‌هایِ بی‌کران کرد
shab-e tanhâyi-am dar ghasd-e jân bud / khiyâlash lotf-hâ-ye bikarân kard
The night of my loneliness was out to take my life; her image showed me endless kindness.
COUPLET 3
چرا چون لاله خونین دل نباشم؟که با ما نرگسِ او سر گران کرد
cherâ chon lâle khunin-del nabâsham / ke bâ mâ narges-e u sar gerân kard
Why should I not be blood-hearted like the tulip, when her narcissus eye turned haughtily away from me?
COUPLET 4
که را گویم که با این دردِ جان‌سوزطبیبم قصدِ جانِ ناتوان کرد؟
ke râ guyam ke bâ in dard-e jânsuz / tabibam ghasd-e jân-e nâtavân kard
To whom can I say that, with this soul-burning pain, my own physician came for my feeble life?
COUPLET 5
بدانسان سوخت چون شمعم که بر منصُراحی گریه و بَربَط فغان کرد
bedân-sân sukht chon sham'am ke bar man / sorâhi gerye o barbat faghân kard
She burned me like a candle, so that the wine flask wept over me and the lute cried out.
COUPLET 6
صبا گر چاره داری وقت وقت استکه دردِ اشتیاقم قصدِ جان کرد
sabâ gar châre dâri vaght vaght ast / ke dard-e eshtiyâgham ghasd-e jân kard
Morning breeze, if you have a remedy, now is the time, for the pain of longing has come for my life.
COUPLET 7
میان مهربانان کی توان گفت؟که یارِ ما چُنین گفت و چُنان کرد
miyân-e mehrabânân key tavân goft / ke yâr-e mâ chonin goft o chonân kard
Among friends, how could one say that our beloved said this and did that?
COUPLET 8
عدو با جانِ حافظ آن نکردیکه تیرِ چشمِ آن ابروکمان کرد
adu bâ jân-e Hâfez ân nakardi / ke tir-e cheshm-e ân abru-kamân kard
No enemy would have done to Hafez's soul what the eye-arrow of that bow-browed one did.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal speaks of a hurt you keep to yourself out of loyalty. Tradition reads it as a sign that help is close if you ask for it now, as the poet asks the breeze. Do not complain of a friend in public; a remedy is on its way.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: kard. qâfiye: -ân (nahân, tavân, bikarân, gerân, nâtavân, faghân, jân, chonân, kamân).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| del | heart dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| bord | took away, stole dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| نهان | nahân | hidden (پنهان) dictionary |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| bâzi | game, play dictionary | |
| tavân | one can dictionary | |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| tanhâyi-am | my loneliness dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| قصد | ghasd | intent; ghasd kardan = to head for dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| khiyâlash | her image, her phantom in the mind dictionary | |
| لطف‌های | lotf-hâ-ye | kindnesses of dictionary |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| khunin | bloody; khunin-del = heartsick, grieving dictionary | |
| نباشم | nabâsham | I should not be dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| نرگس | narges | narcissus (image of the beloved's languid eye) dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| گران | gerân | heavy; sar gerân kardan = act haughty, turn away dictionary |
| گویم | guyam | I say dictionary |
| tabibam | my physician (پزشکم) dictionary | |
| ناتوان | nâtavân | weak, feeble dictionary |
| bedân-sân | in such a way (آنچنان) | |
| sukht | burned dictionary | |
| sham'am | (like) a candle, me dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| گریه | gerye | weeping dictionary |
| فغان | faghân | alas! cry of lament dictionary |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| چاره | châre | remedy, cure dictionary |
| dâri | you have dictionary | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| eshtiyâgham | my longing dictionary | |
| میان | miyân | waist dictionary |
| مهربانان | mehrabânân | kind ones, friends dictionary |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| چنان | chenân | so, in such a way dictionary |
| adu | enemy (دشمن) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| nakardi | would not have done dictionary | |
| tir-e | arrow of dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 137. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
Love Persian poetry? Learn to read it: free Starter Pack
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.