Ghazal 159 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
نقدِ صوفی نه همه صافیِ بی‌غَش باشدای بسا خرقه که مُستوجبِ آتش باشد
naghd-e sufi na hame sâfi-ye bi-ghash bâshad / ey basâ kherghe ke mostowjeb-e âtash bâshad
Not all the Sufi's coin is pure and free of alloy; many a cloak deserves the fire.
COUPLET 2
صوفیِ ما که ز وِردِ سحری مست شدیشامگاهش نگران باش که سرخوش باشد
sufi-ye mâ ke ze verd-e sahari mast shodi / shâmgâhash negarân bâsh ke sarkhosh bâshad
Our Sufi, who used to get drunk on his dawn prayers: keep an eye on him in the evening, and you will find him tipsy.
COUPLET 3
خوش بُوَد گر محکِ تجربه آید به میانتا سیه‌روی شود هر که در او غَش باشد
khosh bovad gar mahakk-e tajrobe âyad be miyân / tâ siyah-ruy shavad har ke dar u ghash bâshad
How good it would be if the touchstone of experience were brought out, so that everyone with falseness in him would be put to shame.
COUPLET 4
خَطِّ ساقی گر از این گونه زند نقش بر آبای بسا رُخ که به خونآبه مُنَقَّش باشد
khatt-e sâghi gar az in gune zanad naghsh bar âb / ey basâ rokh ke be khunâbe monaghghash bâshad
If the down on the cupbearer's cheek keeps drawing such pictures on water, many faces will be painted with bloody tears.
COUPLET 5
ناز‌پروردِ تَنَعُّم نبَرَد راه به دوستعاشقی شیوهٔ رندانِ بلاکش باشد
nâz-parvard-e tana''om nabarad râh be dust / âsheghi shive-ye rendân-e balâkesh bâshad
One raised in luxury and pampering will not find the way to the friend; love is the way of free spirits who endure hardship.
COUPLET 6
غمِ دنیای دَنی چند خوری؟ باده بخورحیف باشد دلِ دانا که مُشَوَّش باشد
gham-e donyâ-ye dani chand khori? bâde bokhor / heyf bâshad del-e dânâ ke moshavvash bâshad
How long will you grieve over this lowly world? Drink wine: it is a pity for a wise heart to be troubled.
COUPLET 7
دلق و سجادهٔ حافظ ببَرَد باده‌فروشگر شرابش ز کفِ ساقی مَه‌وَش باشد
dalgh o sajjâde-ye Hâfez bebarad bâde-forush / gar sharâbash ze kaf-e sâghi-ye mahvash bâshad
Let the wine seller take Hafez's cloak and prayer rug, if the wine comes from the hand of a moon-faced cupbearer.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal says time and experience will show who is genuine and who is not. Tradition reads it as advice not to judge by outward robes and to let events reveal the truth. Do not wear your wise heart out with worry over the world; true love belongs to those willing to bear a little hardship.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: bâshad. qâfiye: -ash (ghash, âtash, sarkhosh, monaghghash, balâkesh, moshavvash, mahvash).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| sâfi-ye | pure dictionary | |
| bâshad | may it be; bâshad ke = perhaps, so that maybe dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| kherghe | dervish's cloak, Sufi robe dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| ورد | verd-e | litany, recited prayer of dictionary |
| sahari | of dawn dictionary | |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| shodi | used to become dictionary | |
| shâmgâhash | him at evening dictionary | |
| نگران | negarân | watching; negarân bâsh = look! dictionary |
| bâsh | be! dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| محک | mahakk-e | touchstone of dictionary |
| tajrobe | experience, trial dictionary | |
| âyad | comes, will come (می‌آید) dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| میان | miyân | waist dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| ghash | alloy, falseness dictionary | |
| khatt | line; here a painted line / the first down on the cheek dictionary | |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| گونه | gune | kind, sort dictionary |
| zanad | strikes; naghsh zadan = draw a picture dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| نبرد | nabarad | does not carry, does not win dictionary |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| âsheghi | a lover dictionary | |
| shive | manner, way dictionary | |
| rendân | free spirits, rogues who scorn hypocrisy dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| donyâ-ye | the world of dictionary | |
| چند | chand | har chand = although, however much dictionary |
| khori | you eat; gham khordan = grieve dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| bokhor | drink! dictionary | |
| heyf | pity dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| dânâ | wise dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| bebord | took away; az yâd bordan = to forget (برد) dictionary | |
| sharâbash | his wine dictionary | |
| کف | kaf | palm (of the hand) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 159. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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