Ghazal 155 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
اگر روم ز پِی‌اش فتنه‌ها برانگیزدور از طلب بنشینم به کینه برخیزد
agar ravam ze peyash fetne-hâ barangizad / var az talab beneshinam be kine barkhizad
If I follow her, she stirs up all kinds of trouble; if I give up the search, she rises against me in anger.
COUPLET 2
و گر به رهگذری یک دَم از وفاداریچو گَرد در پِی‌اش افتم چو باد بُگْریزد
va gar be rahgozari yek dam az vafâdâri / cho gard dar peyash oftam cho bâd bogrizad
And if out of loyalty I chase after her on some road for a moment, like dust, she flees like the wind.
COUPLET 3
و گر کنم طلبِ نیم بوسه صد افسوسز حُقِّهٔ دهنش چون شکر فرو ریزد
va gar konam talab-e nim buse sad afsus / ze hoghghe-ye dahanash chon shekar foru rizad
And if I ask for half a kiss, a hundred regrets pour like sugar from the little box of her mouth.
COUPLET 4
من آن فریب که در نرگسِ تو می‌بینمبس آبروی که با خاک ره برآمیزد
man ân farib ke dar narges-e to mibinam / bas âberuy ke bâ khâk-e rah bar âmizad
The deceit I see in your narcissus eyes will mix many a good name with the dust of the road.
COUPLET 5
فراز و شیب بیابان عشق، دامِ بلاستکجاست شیردلی کز بلا نپرهیزد
farâz o shib-e biyâbân-e eshgh dâm-e balâst / kojâst shir-deli k-az balâ naparhizad
The ups and downs of love's desert are a snare of misfortune; where is the lion-hearted one who does not shy away from trouble?
COUPLET 6
تو عمر خواه و صبوری که چرخِ شعبده بازهزار بازی از این طُرفه‌تر برانگیزد
to omr khâh o saburi ke charkh-e sho'bade-bâz / hezâr bâzi az in torfe-tar barangizad
Ask for long life and patience, for the conjuring wheel of heaven will raise a thousand tricks stranger than this.
COUPLET 7
بر آستانهٔ تسلیم سر بِنِه حافظکه گر ستیزه کنی، روزگار بستیزد
bar âstâne-ye taslim sar beneh Hâfez / ke gar setize koni ruzegâr bestizad
Lay your head on the threshold of acceptance, Hafez, for if you pick a fight, the world will fight back.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal describes a situation where every move seems to go wrong: pursue and it flees, stop and it is angry. Tradition reads it as advice to stop struggling and ask for patience, since the wheel of time has many turns left. Accept gracefully what you cannot force, and the knot will loosen.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -izad (barangizad, barkhizad, bogrizad, rizad, âmizad, parhizad, bestizad).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| agar | if dictionary | |
| ravam | I go dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| پی‌اش | peyash | after her (az pey-e = following) dictionary |
| فتنه‌ها | fetne-hâ | troubles, turmoil dictionary |
| barangizad | stirs up dictionary | |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| talab | request, search dictionary | |
| beneshinam | I sit down, give up dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| کینه | kine | anger, grudge dictionary |
| barkhizad | rises up dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| vafâdâri | loyalty dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| گرد | gard | dust dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| oftam | I fall; dar pey oftâdan = chase after dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| bogrizad | flees dictionary | |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| نیم | nim | half; nim-shab = midnight dictionary |
| buse | kiss dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| afsus | regret; mockery dictionary | |
| hoghghe-ye | small box, casket of (the tiny mouth) dictionary | |
| dahanash | her mouth dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| shekar | sugar dictionary | |
| rizad | spills, pours dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| فریب | farib | deceit dictionary |
| نرگس | narges | narcissus (image of the beloved's languid eye) dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| می‌بینم | mibinam | I see dictionary |
| bas | much, many dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| bar âmizad | mixes, blends dictionary | |
| فراز | farâz | rise, height dictionary |
| shib | slope, descent dictionary | |
| dâm | trap, net dictionary | |
| balâst | is of misfortune (= balâ ast) dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| balâ | trouble, misfortune dictionary | |
| omr | life, lifetime dictionary | |
| khâh | ask for! want! (بخواه) dictionary | |
| چرخ | charkh | wheel; the sky as a turning wheel dictionary |
| sho'bade | conjuring trick dictionary | |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| bâzi | game, trick dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| âstâne-ye | threshold of dictionary | |
| taslim | surrender dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| beneh | put! (with ozr: excuse) (بگذار) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| setize | quarrel, fight dictionary | |
| koni | you do, you make dictionary | |
| ruzegâr | time, days dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 155. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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