Ghazal 139 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
رو بر رَهَش نهادم و بر من گذر نکردصد لطف چشم داشتم و یک نظر نکرد
ru bar rahash nahâdam o bar man gozar nakard / sad lotf cheshm dâshtam o yek nazar nakard
I laid my face on her path, and she did not pass my way; I hoped for a hundred kindnesses and she did not give me one glance.
COUPLET 2
سیلِ سرشک ما ز دلش کین به در نَبُرددر سنگِ خاره قطرهٔ باران اثر نکرد
seyl-e sereshk-e mâ ze delash kin be dar nabord / dar sang-e khâre ghatre-ye bârân asar nakard
The flood of our tears did not wash the grudge from her heart; a raindrop leaves no mark on hard granite.
COUPLET 3
یا رب تو آن جوانِ دلاور نگاه‌دارکز تیرِ آهِ گوشه‌نشینان حذر نکرد
yâ rab to ân javân-e delâvar negah dâr / k-az tir-e âh-e gushe-neshinân hazar nakard
O Lord, protect that bold young one, who took no care against the arrows of the hermits' sighs.
COUPLET 4
ماهی و مرغْ دوش ز افغانِ من نَخُفتوان شوخْ‌دیده بین که سر از خواب برنکرد
mâhi o morgh dush ze afghân-e man nakhoft / v-ân shukh-dide bin ke sar az khâb bar nakard
Last night neither fish nor bird could sleep for my wailing, yet look at that bold-eyed one, who did not even lift her head from sleep.
COUPLET 5
می‌خواستم که میرَمَش اندر قدم چو شمعاو خود گذر به ما چو نسیمِ سحر نکرد
mikhâstam ke miramash andar ghadam cho sham' / u khod gozar be mâ cho nasim-e sahar nakard
I wanted to die at her feet like a candle, but she did not even pass by me as the dawn breeze does.
COUPLET 6
جانا کدام سنگدلِ بی‌کفایت استکاو پیشِ زخمِ تیغِ تو جان را سپر نکرد؟
jânâ kodâm sangdel-e bikefâyat ast / k-u pish-e zakhm-e tigh-e to jân râ separ nakard
Dear one, what worthless stone-hearted man is there who did not make his soul a shield before the blow of your sword?
COUPLET 7
کِلکِ زبان‌بریدهٔ حافظ در انجمنبا کس نگفت رازِ تو تا تَرکِ سر نکرد
kelk-e zabân-borideh-ye Hâfez dar anjoman / bâ kas nagoft râz-e to tâ tark-e sar nakard
Hafez's pen, whose tongue is cut, told no one in company your secret until it gave up its head.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal speaks of patience when your efforts seem to leave no mark, like rain on stone. Tradition reads it as a gentle sign to keep loyal and discreet: a secret well kept is itself a kind of devotion. Ask for protection for the one you care about, even if they seem unaware of you.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nakard. qâfiye: -ar (gozar, nazar, dar, asar, hazar, bar, sahar, separ, sar). The reed pen's nib is slit and trimmed, hence "tongue-cut" and "giving up its head". Beyt 5 also appears, nearly identical, in ghazal 140.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ru | face; z-ân ru = for that reason dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| rahash | her path dictionary | |
| نهادم | nahâdam | I laid, I placed (گذاشتم) dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| گذر | gozar | passage dictionary |
| نکرد | nakard | did not do dictionary |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| لطف | lotf | kindness, grace; be lotf = kindly, gently dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| dâshtam | I had dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| seyl | flood dictionary | |
| sereshk | tears (اشک) dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| delash | his/her heart dictionary | |
| کین | kin | grudge, hatred (کینه) |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| نبرد | nabarad | does not carry, does not win dictionary |
| sang | stone dictionary | |
| bârân | rain dictionary | |
| asar | effect, mark dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| javân-e | young one dictionary | |
| delâvar | brave, bold dictionary | |
| نگاه‌دار | negah dâr | protect! keep! (نگه دار) dictionary |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| tir-e | arrow of dictionary | |
| گوشه‌نشینان | gushe-neshinân | recluses, hermits dictionary |
| mâhi | fish dictionary | |
| مرغ | morgh | bird dictionary |
| dush | last night (دیشب) dictionary | |
| afghân-e | lament, wailing of (فغان) | |
| نخفت | nakhoft | did not sleep (نخوابید) dictionary |
| وان | v-ân | and the one (= va ân) (و آن) dictionary |
| bin | see!, look! (ببین) dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| khâb | sleep dictionary | |
| می‌خواستم | mikhâstam | I wanted dictionary |
| میرمش | miramash | I die for her (= miram + -ash) dictionary |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| قدم | ghadam | step dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| نسیم | nasim | breeze dictionary |
| sehr | magic dictionary | |
| jânâ | O dear one (jân + vocative -â) (عزیزم) dictionary | |
| کدام | kodâm | which dictionary |
| sangdel-e | stone-hearted dictionary | |
| bikefâyat | incompetent, worthless dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| کاو | k-u | who (= ke u) (که او) |
| پیش | pish | in the eyes of, for dictionary |
| zakhm-e | wound, blow of dictionary | |
| tigh-e | sword, blade of dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| separ | shield dictionary | |
| کلک | kelk | reed pen (قلم) |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| anjoman | gathering dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| نگفت | nagoft | did not tell dictionary |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 139. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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