Ghazal 146 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.
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COUPLET 1
صبا وقتِ سحر بویی ز زلفِ یار می‌آورددل شوریدهٔ ما را به نو، در کار می‌آورد
sabâ vaght-e sahar bu-yi ze zolf-e yâr miâvard / del-e shuride-ye mâ râ be now dar kâr miâvard
At dawn the breeze was bringing a scent from the beloved's hair, and setting our frenzied heart to work anew.
COUPLET 2
من آن شکلِ صِنوبر را ز باغِ دیده بَرکَندَمکه هر گُل کز غمش بِشْکُفت مِحنت، بار می‌آورد
man ân shekl-e senowbar râ ze bâgh-e dide bar kandam / ke har gol k-az ghamash beshkoft mehnat bâr miâvard
I uprooted that pine-like figure from the garden of my eyes, for every flower that bloomed from grief for it bore the fruit of suffering.
COUPLET 3
فروغِ ماه می‌دیدم ز بامِ قصر او روشنکه رو از شرمِ آن خورشید در دیوار می‌آورد
forugh-e mâh mididam ze bâm-e ghasr-e u rowshan / ke ru az sharm-e ân khorshid dar divâr miâvard
I saw the moonlight shining on the roof of her palace, the moon that turned its face to the wall in shame before that sun.
COUPLET 4
ز بیمِ غارتِ عشقش، دلِ پُرخون رها کردمولی می‌ریخت خون و رَه بِدان هنجار می‌آورد
ze bim-e ghârat-e eshghash del-e por-khun rahâ kardam / vali mirikht khun o rah bedân hanjâr miâvard
Fearing her love would plunder it, I abandoned my blood-filled heart; but it kept dripping blood and so led the way along that track.
COUPLET 5
به قولِ مطرب و ساقی، برون رفتم گَه و بی‌گَهکز آن راهِ گران، قاصد، خبر، دشوار می‌آورد
be ghowl-e motreb o sâghi borun raftam gah o bigah / k-az ân râh-e gerân ghâsed khabar doshvâr miâvard
At the word of the minstrel and the cupbearer I went out at all hours, for on that hard road the messenger brought news only with difficulty.
COUPLET 6
سراسر بخششِ جانان، طریقِ لطف و احسان بوداگر تسبیح می‌فرمود، اگر زُنّار می‌آورد
sarâsar bakhshesh-e jânân tarigh-e lotf o ehsân bud / agar tasbih mifarmud agar zonnâr miâvard
Everything the beloved gave was kindness and generosity, whether a rosary or the belt of an unbeliever.
COUPLET 7
عَفَاالله چینِ ابرویَش اگر چه ناتوانم کردبه عشوه هم پیامی بر سرِ بیمار می‌آورد
afallâh chin-e abruyash agar che nâtavânam kard / be eshve ham payâmi bar sar-e bimâr miâvard
God forgive the frown on her brow: though it left me weak, it still brought a flirtatious message to the bedside of the sick.
COUPLET 8
عجب می‌داشتم دیشب ز حافظ جام و پیمانهولی مَنعَش نمی‌کردم که صوفی‌وار می‌آورد
ajab midâshtam dishab ze Hâfez jâm o peymâne / vali man'ash nemikardam ke sufi-vâr miâvard
Last night I was surprised to see Hafez with cup and goblet; but I did not stop him, for he carried them like a Sufi.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal says that everything the beloved sends, even a frown, carries kindness inside it. Tradition reads it as a sign that a message you have waited for is on the way, though the road is slow. Receive what comes, sweet or bitter, as a gift.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: miâvard. qâfiye: -âr (kâr, bâr, divâr, hanjâr, doshvâr, zonnâr, bimâr, vâr). Beyt 7 opens with the Arabic phrase afallâh, "God forgive".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| sehr | magic dictionary | |
| bu-yi | a scent dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| می‌آورد | miâvard | was bringing dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| shuride | troubled, distraught dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| نو | now | new dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| shekl-e | form, figure of dictionary | |
| sanowbar | pine dictionary | |
| bâgh | garden dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| ghamash | grief for it dictionary | |
| beshkoft | bloomed dictionary | |
| محنت | mehnat | suffering, hardship (رنج) dictionary |
| bâr | burden, weight dictionary | |
| فروغ | forugh-e | light, glow of dictionary |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| می‌دیدم | mididam | I was seeing dictionary |
| قصر | ghasr | palace dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| rowshan | shining, bright dictionary | |
| ru | face; z-ân ru = for that reason dictionary | |
| sharm-e | shame before dictionary | |
| divâr | wall dictionary | |
| bim | fear dictionary | |
| ghârat-e | plunder by dictionary | |
| rahâ | free; rahâ nakardan = not to leave dictionary | |
| کردم | kardam | I did; rahâ kardam = I let go dictionary |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| می‌ریخت | mirikht | was shedding, dripping dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| bedân | to that (point) (= be ân) (به آن) | |
| هنجار | hanjâr | way, track, manner dictionary |
| قول | ghowl-e | word, saying of dictionary |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| borun | out (= birun) (بیرون) dictionary | |
| raftam | I went dictionary | |
| گه | gah | time; gah o bigah = at all hours (گاه) |
| bigah | untimely, at odd hours (بی‌گاه) | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| گران | gerân | hard, heavy dictionary |
| قاصد | ghâsed | messenger dictionary |
| khabar | news dictionary | |
| doshvâr | with difficulty, hard dictionary | |
| sarâsar | entirely, all dictionary | |
| bakhshesh-e | gift, giving of dictionary | |
| jânân | the beloved (معشوق) | |
| tarigh-e | the way of dictionary | |
| لطف | lotf | kindness, grace; be lotf = kindly, gently dictionary |
| ehsân | generosity, beneficence dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| tasbih | rosary, prayer beads dictionary | |
| می‌فرمود | mifarmud | bestowed, ordered dictionary |
| چین | chin | China; also a curl, fold (pun) dictionary |
| abruyash | her eyebrow dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| ناتوانم | nâtavânam | me weak (= nâtavân + -am) dictionary |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| eshve | flirtation, coquetry dictionary | |
| هم | ham | also, too dictionary |
| payâmi | a message dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| bimâr | ill dictionary | |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| می‌داشتم | midâshtam | I held; ajab dâshtan = be surprised dictionary |
| dishab | last night dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| پیمانه | peymâne | cup, measure dictionary |
| منعش | man'ash | forbidding him dictionary |
| نمی‌کردم | nemikardam | I did not do dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 146. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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