Ghazal 143 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
سال‌ها دل طلبِ جامِ جم از ما می‌کردوآنچه خود داشت ز بیگانه تمنّا می‌کرد
sâl-hâ del talab-e jâm-e jam az mâ mikard / v-ân che khod dâsht ze bigâne tamannâ mikard
For years my heart kept asking me for the cup of Jamshid, begging strangers for what it already had.
COUPLET 2
گوهری کز صدفِ کون و مکان بیرون استطلب از گمشدگانِ لبِ دریا می‌کرد
gowhari k-az sadaf-e kown o makân birun ast / talab az gomshodegân-e lab-e daryâ mikard
The pearl that lies outside the shell of space and time, it went looking for among people lost on the seashore.
COUPLET 3
مشکلِ خویش بَرِ پیرِ مُغان بُردم دوشکاو به تأییدِ نظر حلِّ معمّا می‌کرد
moshkel-e khish bar-e pir-e moghân bordam dush / k-u be ta'yid-e nazar hall-e mo'ammâ mikard
Last night I took my problem to the tavern master, who could solve any riddle with the power of his insight.
COUPLET 4
دیدمش خُرَّم و خندان قدحِ باده به دستواندر آن آینه صد گونه تماشا می‌کرد
didamash khorram o khandân, ghadah-e bâde be dast / v-andar ân âyene sad gune tamâshâ mikard
I found him cheerful and smiling, a cup of wine in hand, watching a hundred kinds of scenes in that mirror.
COUPLET 5
گفتم این جامِ جهان‌بین به تو کِی داد حکیم؟گفت آن روز که این گنبدِ مینا می‌کرد
goftam in jâm-e jahân-bin be to key dâd hakim / goft ân ruz ke in gonbad-e minâ mikard
I asked, "When did the Wise One give you this world-seeing cup?" He said, "On the day He was making this enamel dome of the sky."
COUPLET 6
بی‌دلی در همه‌احوال خدا با او بوداو نمی‌دیدش و از دور خدارا می‌کرد
bideli dar hame ahvâl khodâ bâ u bud / u nemididash o az dur khodâ râ mikard
A heartsick man had God with him at every moment; he did not see Him, and kept calling out to God from far away.
COUPLET 7
این‌همه شعبدهٔ خویش که می‌کرد اینجاسامری پیشِ عصا و یدِ بیضا می‌کرد
in hame sho'bade-ye khish ke mikard injâ / sâmeri pish-e asâ va yad-e beyzâ mikard
All the conjuring that the mind was doing here was like the Samaritan's magic in front of Moses' staff and shining hand.
COUPLET 8
گفت آن یار کز او گشت سرِ دار بلندجُرمش این بود که اسرار هویدا می‌کرد
goft ân yâr k-az u gasht sar-e dâr boland / jormash in bud ke asrâr hoveydâ mikard
He said, "That friend who made the top of the gallows famous had only one crime: he revealed the secrets."
COUPLET 9
فیضِ روحُ‌القُدُس ار باز مدد فرمایددیگران هم بکنند آنچه مسیحا می‌کرد
feyz-e ruhol-ghodos ar bâz madad farmâyad / digarân ham bekonand ân che masihâ mikard
If the grace of the Holy Spirit helps once more, others too can do what the Messiah did.
COUPLET 10
گفتمش سلسلهٔ زلفِ بُتان از پیِ چیست؟گفت حافظ گله‌ای از دلِ شیدا می‌کرد
goftamash selsele-ye zolf-e botân az pey-e chist / goft Hâfez gele'i az del-e sheydâ mikard
I asked him what the chains of the beauties' curls are for. He said, "Hafez was complaining about his lovesick heart."
What this fâl tells you
What you are searching for far away may already be inside you. Tradition reads this fal as advice to stop asking strangers for what you already have and to take your problem to someone truly wise. With grace, you may yet do what now seems impossible.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: mikard ("was doing"). qâfiye: -â (tamannâ, daryâ, mo'ammâ, tamâshâ, minâ, khodâ, beyzâ, hoveydâ, masihâ, sheydâ).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| sâl-hâ | for years dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| talab | request, search dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| می‌کرد | mikard | was doing, kept doing dictionary |
| وآنچه | v-ân che | and what (= va ân che) (و آنچه) |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| dâsht | had dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| bigâne | stranger dictionary | |
| gowhari | a pearl, a jewel dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| sadaf | shell, oyster shell dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| مکان | makân | place dictionary |
| birun | outside dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| daryâ | sea dictionary | |
| مشکل | moshkel | problem dictionary |
| khish | one's own (خود) dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| bordam | I took dictionary | |
| dush | last night (دیشب) dictionary | |
| کاو | k-u | who (= ke u) (که او) |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| hall | solving dictionary | |
| didamash | I saw him dictionary | |
| khorram | cheerful dictionary | |
| khandân | smiling, laughing dictionary | |
| قدح | ghadah | cup, goblet dictionary |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| واندر | v-andar | and in (= va andar) (و در) |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| âyene | mirror (آیینه) | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| گونه | gune | kind, sort dictionary |
| tamâshâ | watching, looking dictionary | |
| گفتم | goftam | I said dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| hakim | the Wise One (God); a sage dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| گنبد | gonbad | dome dictionary |
| مینا | minâ | enamel, blue glass: gonbad-e minâ = the blue dome of the sky dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| همه‌احوال | hame ahvâl | all conditions; dar hame ahvâl = at all times (همیشه) |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| نمی‌دیدش | nemididash | did not see Him dictionary |
| dowr | turn; the passing round of the cup; the age dictionary | |
| sho'bade | conjuring trick dictionary | |
| injâ | here dictionary | |
| پیش | pish | in front of dictionary |
| asâ | staff (of Moses) dictionary | |
| ید | yad | hand (Arabic); yad-e beyzâ = the shining white hand of Moses (دست) |
| beyzâ | white, shining (Arabic) (سفید) | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| گشت | gasht | became dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| dâr | gallows; sar-e dâr = the top of the gallows dictionary | |
| boland | high; famous dictionary | |
| jormash | his crime dictionary | |
| asrâr | secrets dictionary | |
| هویدا | hoveydâ | revealed, visible dictionary |
| فیض | feyz | grace, abundance dictionary |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| مدد | madad | help dictionary |
| فرماید | farmâyad | (graciously) gives dictionary |
| digarân | others dictionary | |
| هم | ham | also, too dictionary |
| bekonand | (they) do dictionary | |
| ân che | what, whatever dictionary | |
| مسیحا | masihâ | the Messiah, Jesus dictionary |
| گفتمش | goftamash | I said to him dictionary |
| selsele | chain dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| botân | idols: the beauties dictionary | |
| پی | pey | for, for the sake of; az pey-e chist = what is it for? dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| gele'i | a complaint dictionary | |
| sheydâ | madly in love dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 143. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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