Ghazal 144 of Hafez (11 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
به سِرِّ جامِ جم آنگه نظر توانی کردکه خاکِ میکده کُحلِ بَصَر توانی کرد
be serr-e jâm-e jam ângah nazar tavâni kard / ke khâk-e meykade kohl-e basar tavâni kard
You will be able to see into the secret of Jamshid's cup only when you can make the dust of the tavern the kohl of your eyes.
COUPLET 2
مباش بی می و مُطرب که زیرِ طاقِ سپهربدین ترانه غم از دل به در توانی کرد
mabâsh bi mey o motreb ke zir-e tâgh-e sepehr / bedin tarâne gham az del be dar tavâni kard
Do not be without wine and minstrel, for under the arch of heaven it is with this song that you can drive sorrow from your heart.
COUPLET 3
گُلِ مرادِ تو آنگه نقاب بُگْشایدکه خدمتش چو نسیمِ سحر توانی کرد
gol-e morâd-e to ângah neghâb begoshâyad / ke khedmatash cho nasim-e sahar tavâni kard
The rose of your wish will open its veil only when you can serve it as the dawn breeze does.
COUPLET 4
گدایی درِ میخانه طُرفه اِکسیریستگر این عمل بِکُنی، خاکْ زر توانی کرد
gedâyi-ye dar-e meykhâne torfe eksiri-st / gar in amal bekoni khâk zar tavâni kard
Begging at the tavern door is a wondrous elixir: if you practice it, you can turn dust into gold.
COUPLET 5
به عزمِ مرحلهٔ عشق پیش نِه قدمیکه سودها کنی ار این سفر توانی کرد
be azm-e marhale-ye eshgh pish neh ghadami / ke sud-hâ koni ar in safar tavâni kard
Take a step forward toward the stages of love, for you will gain much if you can make this journey.
COUPLET 6
تو کز سرایِ طبیعت نمی‌روی بیرونکجا به کویِ طریقت گذر توانی کرد
to k-az sarâ-ye tabi'at nemiravi birun / kojâ be kuy-e tarighat gozar tavâni kard
You who will not step out of the house of your own nature, how could you pass into the street of the spiritual path?
COUPLET 7
جمالِ یار ندارد نقاب و پرده ولیغبارِ رَه بِنِشان تا نظر توانی کرد
jamâl-e yâr nadârad neghâb o parde vali / ghobâr-e rah benshân tâ nazar tavâni kard
The beloved's beauty has no veil or curtain; only settle the dust of the road so that you can see.
COUPLET 8
بیا که چارهٔ ذوقِ حضور و نظم اموربه فیض‌بخشیِ اهلِ نظر توانی کرد
biyâ ke châre-ye zowgh-e hozur o nazm-e omur / be feyz-bakhshi-ye ahl-e nazar tavâni kard
Come: through the grace of people of insight you can find the remedy, the joy of presence and order in your affairs.
COUPLET 9
ولی تو تا لبِ معشوق و جامِ مِی خواهیطمع مدار که کارِ دگر توانی کرد
vali to tâ lab-e ma'shugh o jâm-e mey khâhi / tama' madâr ke kâr-e degar tavâni kard
But as long as you want the beloved's lips and the cup of wine, do not expect to manage anything else.
COUPLET 10
دلا ز نورِ هدایت گر آگهی یابیچو شمع، خنده‌زنان تَرکِ سر توانی کرد
delâ ze nur-e hedâyat gar âgahi yâbi / cho sham' khande-zanân tark-e sar tavâni kard
Heart, if the light of guidance makes you aware, you will be able to give up your head laughing, like a candle.
COUPLET 11
گر این نصیحتِ شاهانه بشنوی حافظبه شاهراهِ حقیقت گذر توانی کرد
gar in nasihat-e shâhâne beshnavi Hâfez / be shâhrâh-e haghighat gozar tavâni kard
If you listen to this royal advice, Hafez, you will walk the highway of truth.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal is full of "you can": you can see, you can turn dust to gold, you can make the journey. Tradition reads it as encouragement to take the first step and to learn from people of insight. Clear the dust from your own path, and what you seek is not hidden.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: tavâni kard. qâfiye: -ar (nazar, basar, dar, sahar, zar, safar, gozar, degar, sar).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| ângah | then, only then (آنگاه) | |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| tavâni | you can dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| میکده | meykade | tavern dictionary |
| کحل | kohl | kohl, eye powder (believed to strengthen sight) (سرمه) |
| basar | eyesight (بینایی) | |
| مباش | mabâsh | do not be! (نباش) dictionary |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| zir | under dictionary | |
| tâgh-e | arch, vault of dictionary | |
| sepehr | sky, heaven (آسمان) dictionary | |
| bedin | with this, in this (= be in) (با این) | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| مراد | morâd | wish, desire dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| نقاب | neghâb | veil dictionary |
| bogshâyad | may open, untie (باز کند) dictionary | |
| khedmatash | serving it dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| نسیم | nasim | breeze dictionary |
| sehr | magic dictionary | |
| gedâyi | a beggar dictionary | |
| میخانه | meykhâne | tavern dictionary |
| eksiri-st | is an elixir (that turns base metal to gold) dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| amal | action, practice dictionary | |
| bekoni | you do dictionary | |
| zar | gold dictionary | |
| azm | resolve, decision dictionary | |
| مرحلهٔ | marhale-ye | stage of dictionary |
| پیش | pish | in the eyes of, for dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| ghadami | a step dictionary | |
| sud-hâ | profits, gains dictionary | |
| koni | you do, you make dictionary | |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| safar | journey dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| tabi'at | nature; one's physical self dictionary | |
| nemiravi | you do not go dictionary | |
| birun | outside dictionary | |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| کوی | ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) |
| tarighat | the (Sufi) path dictionary | |
| گذر | gozar | passage dictionary |
| jamâl | beauty dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| ندارد | nadârad | does not have dictionary |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| ghobâr-e | dust of dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| beneshân | plant! (بکار) dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| چارهٔ | châre-ye | remedy of dictionary |
| zowgh-e | taste, delight of dictionary | |
| hozur | presence (of heart) dictionary | |
| نظم | nazm | verse, poetry dictionary |
| omur | affairs (کارها) dictionary | |
| ahl | people (of) dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| معشوق | ma'shugh | beloved dictionary |
| khâhi | you want dictionary | |
| tama' | expectation; greed dictionary | |
| مدار | madâr | do not have (old imperative of dâshtan) (نداشته باش) dictionary |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| degar | again; other (= digar) (دیگر) | |
| delâ | O heart! dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| نور | nur | light dictionary |
| هدایت | hedâyat | guidance dictionary |
| âgahi | awareness (آگاهی) dictionary | |
| yâbi | you find, gain dictionary | |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| نصیحت | nasihat | advice dictionary |
| shâhâne | royal dictionary | |
| beshnavi | you hear, listen to dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| shâhrâh-e | the highway of dictionary | |
| haghighat | truth dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 144. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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