Ghazal 156 of Hafez (9 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 حسن و خُلق و وفا کس به یارِ ما نرسدتو را در این سخن، انکارِ کارِ ما نرسد
be hosn o kholgh o vafâ kas be yâr-e mâ narasad / to râ dar in sokhan enkâr-e kâr-e mâ narasad
In beauty, character and faithfulness no one comes close to our beloved; on this point you have no grounds to deny us.
COUPLET 2
اگرچه حُسن‌فروشان به جلوه آمده‌اندکسی به حُسن و ملاحت به یارِ ما نرسد
agarche hosn-forushân be jelve âmade-and / kasi be hosn o malâhat be yâr-e mâ narasad
Though the sellers of beauty have come out to show themselves off, no one matches our beloved in beauty and charm.
COUPLET 3
به حق صحبت دیرین که هیچ محرمِ رازبه یارِ یک جهت حق‌گزارِ ما نرسد
be hagh-e sohbat-e dirin ke hich mahram-e râz / be yâr-e yek-jahat-e hagh-gozâr-e mâ narasad
By the right of our old friendship, no keeper of secrets comes close to our single-hearted friend, who honors every debt.
COUPLET 4
هزار نقش برآید ز کِلکِ صُنع و یکیبه دلپذیری نقشِ نگارِ ما نرسد
hezâr naghsh bar âyad ze kelk-e son' o yeki / be delpaziri-ye naghsh-e negâr-e mâ narasad
A thousand pictures come from the pen of creation, yet not one is as delightful as the image of our beauty.
COUPLET 5
هزار نقد به بازارِ کائنات آرندیکی به سکهٔ صاحب عیارِ ما نرسد
hezâr naghd be bâzâr-e kâ'enât ârand / yeki be sekke-ye sâheb-ayâr-e mâ narasad
They bring a thousand coins to the market of the universe, but none matches the stamp of our true-weighted coin.
COUPLET 6
دریغ قافله عمر کآنچنان رفتندکه گَردشان به هوایِ دیارِ ما نرسد
darigh ghâfele-ye omr k-ânchenân raftand / ke gardeshân be havâ-ye diyâr-e mâ narasad
Alas for the caravan of life: they went off so fast that their dust does not even reach the air of our land.
COUPLET 7
دلا ز رنجِ حسودان مرنج و واثق باشکه بد به خاطرِ امیدوارِ ما نرسد
delâ ze ranj-e hasudân maranj o vâsegh bâsh / ke bad be khâter-e ommidvâr-e mâ narasad
Heart, do not be hurt by the envious; be confident, for no harm will reach our hopeful mind.
COUPLET 8
چنان بِزی که اگر خاکِ ره شوی کس راغبارِ خاطری از رهگذارِ ما نرسد
chenân bezi ke agar khâk-e rah shavi kas râ / ghobâr-e khâteri az rahgozâr-e mâ narasad
Live in such a way that even when you have become the dust of the road, no dust of ill feeling reaches anyone from our path.
COUPLET 9
بسوخت حافظ و ترسم که شرحِ قصهٔ اوبه سمعِ پادشهِ کامگارِ ما نرسد
besukht Hâfez o tarsam ke sharh-e ghesse-ye u / be sam'-e pâdeshah-e kâmgâr-e mâ narasad
Hafez has burned away, and I fear the story of his suffering will not reach the ears of our fortunate king.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal praises a friend who has no equal and a coin of true value. Tradition reads it as a sign that what you have is worth more than all the showy alternatives, and that envy will not harm you. Live so gently that no one is hurt by your passing, and trust that your story will be heard.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: (-e) mâ narasad. qâfiye: -âr (yâr, kâr, hagh-gozâr, negâr, ayâr, diyâr, ommidvâr, rahgozâr, kâmgâr).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| kholgh | good nature, character (اخلاق) dictionary | |
| وفا | vafâ | loyalty, faithfulness dictionary |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| نرسد | narasad | does not reach, does not equal dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| enkâr | denial dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| agarche | although dictionary | |
| jelve | display, showing oneself dictionary | |
| âmade-and | have come dictionary | |
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary | |
| hagh | right, claim dictionary | |
| sohbat | company, companionship (classical sense) dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| jahat | direction; yek-jahat = single-hearted, sincere dictionary | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| bar âyad | rises; comes true; comes out (برمی‌آید) | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| کلک | kelk | reed pen (قلم) |
| yeki | one (person) dictionary | |
| bâzâr | bazaar, market dictionary | |
| ârand | they bring (آورند) dictionary | |
| sekke-ye | coin, stamp of dictionary | |
| sâheb | owner, master; one who has dictionary | |
| ayâr-e | standard, true weight (of metal); sâheb-ayâr = of full value dictionary | |
| darigh | alas dictionary | |
| قافله | ghâfele | caravan dictionary |
| raftand | they went dictionary | |
| گردشان | gardeshân | their dust dictionary |
| هوای | havâ-ye | air of dictionary |
| diyâr-e | land of dictionary | |
| delâ | O heart! dictionary | |
| ranj | pain, suffering dictionary | |
| hasudân | the envious dictionary | |
| مرنج | maranj | do not be hurt dictionary |
| bâsh | be! dictionary | |
| bad | bad dictionary | |
| khâter | mind, heart dictionary | |
| ommidvâr-e | hopeful dictionary | |
| چنان | chenân | so, in such a way dictionary |
| bezi | live! (زندگی کن) dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| shavi | you become dictionary | |
| ghobâr-e | dust of; ghobâr-e khâter = ill feeling dictionary | |
| khâteri | a mind, a heart (of anyone) dictionary | |
| rahgozâr-e | path, passage of (رهگذر) | |
| besukht | burned (سوخت) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| tarsam | I fear (می‌ترسم) dictionary | |
| sharh-e | account of dictionary | |
| قصهٔ | ghesse | story dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| sam'-e | hearing, ear of (گوش) | |
| پادشه | pâdshah | king (پادشاه) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 156. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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