Ghazal 152 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
در ازل پرتوِ حُسنت ز تجلی دَم زدعشق پیدا شد و آتش به همه عالم زد
dar azal parto-ye hosnat ze tajalli dam zad / eshgh peydâ shod o âtash be hame âlam zad
In the beginning, before time, the light of your beauty shone out and revealed itself; love appeared and set the whole world on fire.
COUPLET 2
جلوه‌ای کرد رُخَت دید مَلَک عشق نداشتعینِ آتش شد از این غیرت و بر آدم زد
jelve'i kard rokhat, did malak eshgh nadâsht / eyn-e âtash shod az in gheyrat o bar âdam zad
Your face showed itself and saw that the angels had no love; out of jealousy it turned into pure fire and struck Adam.
COUPLET 3
عقل می‌خواست کز آن شعله چراغ افروزدبرق غیرت بدرخشید و جهان برهم زد
aghl mikhâst k-az ân sho'le cherâgh afruzad / bargh-e gheyrat bederakhshid o jahân barham zad
Reason wanted to light its lamp from that flame; the lightning of jealousy flashed and turned the world upside down.
COUPLET 4
مدعی خواست که آید به تماشاگَهِ رازدست غیب آمد و بر سینهٔ نامحرم زد
modda'i khâst ke âyad be tamâshâgah-e râz / dast-e gheyb âmad o bar sine-ye nâmahram zad
The pretender wanted to come and watch the secret; an unseen hand came and pushed the outsider back by the chest.
COUPLET 5
دیگران قرعهٔ قسمت همه بر عیش زدنددل غمدیدهٔ ما بود که هم بر غم زد
digarân ghor'e-ye ghesmat hame bar eysh zadand / del-e gham-dide-ye mâ bud ke ham bar gham zad
Everyone else drew the lot of pleasure; it was only our sorrowful heart that drew sorrow once again.
COUPLET 6
جانِ عِلْوی هوسِ چاهِ زنخدان تو داشتدست در حلقهٔ آن زلفِ خَم اندر خَم زد
jân-e olvi havas-e châh-e zanakhdân-e to dâsht / dast dar halghe-ye ân zolf-e kham andar kham zad
My heavenly soul longed for the dimple in your chin, and reached for a ring of your curling hair.
COUPLET 7
حافظ آن روز طربنامهٔ عشق تو نوشتکه قلم بر سرِ اسبابِ دلِ خُرَّم زد
Hâfez ân ruz tarab-nâme-ye eshgh-e to nevesht / ke ghalam bar sar-e asbâb-e del-e khorram zad
Hafez wrote the joyful book of your love on the day he struck his pen through everything that makes a heart carefree.
What this fâl tells you
Love stands at the very beginning of things, and it can set everything on fire. Tradition reads this fal as a sign of deep feeling: your heart has chosen a path that others may not understand. Even if your lot seems to be longing for now, that longing is itself a kind of treasure.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: zad ("struck"). qâfiye: -am (dam, âlam, âdam, barham, nâmahram, gham, kham, khorram).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| پرتو | parto | ray, light dictionary |
| hosnat | your beauty dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| zad | struck; dam zad = breathed out, shone; âtash zad = set on fire dictionary | |
| پیدا | peydâ | visible; peydâ shod = appeared dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| âlam | world dictionary | |
| jelve'i | a showing, a display dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| rokhat | your face dictionary | |
| did | saw dictionary | |
| نداشت | nadâsht | did not have dictionary |
| eyn | the very essence of, pure dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| gheyrat | jealousy (of love); zeal dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| âdam | Adam dictionary | |
| aghl | reason, intellect dictionary | |
| می‌خواست | mikhâst | wanted dictionary |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| sho'le | flame dictionary | |
| چراغ | cherâgh | lamp dictionary |
| afruzad | lights, kindles (روشن کند) dictionary | |
| bargh | lightning dictionary | |
| bederakhshid | flashed, shone (درخشید) dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| modda'i | pretender, critic dictionary | |
| khâst | wanted dictionary | |
| âyad | comes, will come (می‌آید) dictionary | |
| tamâshâgah | viewing place (تماشاگاه) | |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| âmad | came dictionary | |
| sine | chest dictionary | |
| digarân | others dictionary | |
| قرعهٔ | ghor'e | lot (drawn for chance) dictionary |
| قسمت | ghesmat | fate, share dictionary |
| eysh | pleasure, enjoyment dictionary | |
| zadand | (they) struck; ghor'e zadan = to draw lots dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| هم | ham | also, too dictionary |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| olvi | heavenly, lofty (آسمانی) | |
| هوس | havas | longing, desire dictionary |
| چاه | châh | well, pit dictionary |
| zanakhdân | chin; "apple of the chin" with a dimple ("well") is a classic image (چانه) | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| dâsht | had dictionary | |
| halghe | circle, ring dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| نوشت | nevesht | write (with nakhâhand: will not write); wrote dictionary |
| قلم | ghalam | pen; ghalam zadan bar = to strike out, cancel dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| asbâb | means, things needed dictionary | |
| khorram | cheerful dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 152. 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.