Ghazal 165 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
مرا مِهر سیَه چشمان ز سر بیرون نخواهد شدقضای آسمان است این و دیگرگون نخواهد شد
marâ mehr-e siyah-cheshmân ze sar birun nakhâhad shod / ghazâ-ye âsmân ast in o digargun nakhâhad shod
Love for dark-eyed beauties will never leave my head; this is heaven's decree, and it will not change.
COUPLET 2
رقیب آزارها فرمود و جایِ آشتی نگذاشتمگر آهِ سحرخیزان سویِ گردون نخواهد شد؟
raghib âzâr-hâ farmud o jâ-ye âshti nagzâsht / magar âh-e sahar-khizân su-ye gardun nakhâhad shod
The rival did me many injuries and left no room for peace; but will the sighs of those who rise at dawn not reach the sky?
COUPLET 3
مرا روزِ ازل کاری به جز رندی نفرمودندهر آن قسمت که آن جا رفت از آن افزون نخواهد شد
marâ ruz-e azal kâri bejoz rendi nafarmudand / har ân ghesmat ke ânjâ raft az ân afzun nakhâhad shod
On the first day of creation I was given no task but the free spirit's life; whatever share was allotted there will not be increased.
COUPLET 4
خدا را محتسب ما را به فریادِ دَف و نِی بخشکه سازِ شرع از این افسانه بی‌قانون نخواهد شد
khodâ râ mohtaseb mâ râ be faryâd-e daf o ney bakhsh / ke sâz-e shar' az in afsâne bi-ghânun nakhâhad shod
For God's sake, morals officer, leave us to the call of drum and reed flute, for the instrument of religious law will not lose its tuning over this tale.
COUPLET 5
مجالِ من همین باشد که پنهان عشقِ او ورزمکنار و بوس و آغوشش چه گویم چون نخواهد شد
majâl-e man hamin bâshad ke penhân eshgh-e u varzam / kenâr o bus o âghushash che guyam chon nakhâhad shod
All I am allowed is to love her in secret; why speak of embraces, kisses and her arms, when they will never be mine?
COUPLET 6
شرابِ لعل و جایِ امن و یارِ مهربان ساقیدلا کی بِه شود کارت اگر اکنون نخواهد شد
sharâb-e la'l o jâ-ye amn o yâr-e mehrabân sâghi / delâ key beh shavad kârat agar aknun nakhâhad shod
Ruby wine, a safe place, and a kind friend as cupbearer: heart, when will your affairs go well, if not now?
COUPLET 7
مشوی ای دیده نقشِ غم ز لوحِ سینهٔ حافظکه زخمِ تیغِ دلدار است و رنگِ خون نخواهد شد
mashuy ey dide naghsh-e gham ze lowh-e sine-ye Hâfez / ke zakhm-e tigh-e deldâr ast o rang-e khun nakhâhad shod
Eyes, do not wash the picture of sorrow from the tablet of Hafez's chest, for it is the wound of the beloved's sword, and its blood-red color will not fade.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal says: everything you need is here now, so when will things go well if not now? Tradition reads it as a sign that the moment is right, with safety, good company and the means at hand. Accept the share fate has given you, love faithfully, and trust that sincere prayers at dawn are heard.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nakhâhad shod. qâfiye: -un (birun, digargun, gardun, afzun, bi-ghânun, chon, aknun, khun). In beyt 4, ghânun is both "law, order" and the qanun, a stringed instrument.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| siyah | black; siyah-cheshmân = dark-eyed beauties (سیاه) | |
| چشمان | cheshmân | eyes; (dark-)eyed ones dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| birun | outside dictionary | |
| نخواهد | nakhâhad | will not dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| ghazâ-ye | the decree of dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| raghib | rival in love dictionary | |
| âzâr-hâ | injuries, torments dictionary | |
| فرمود | farmud | did, inflicted (polite) dictionary |
| jâ-ye | place of; be jâ-ye = toward, for (someone) (در حق) dictionary | |
| âshti | peace, reconciliation dictionary | |
| نگذاشت | nagzâsht | did not leave dictionary |
| مگر | magar | perhaps? could it be that? (in questions) dictionary |
| su-ye | toward dictionary | |
| گردون | gardun | the turning sky; fortune dictionary |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| kâri | a task dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| rendi | free-spirited life of the "rend" (a rogue who scorns hypocrisy) dictionary | |
| نفرمودند | nafarmudand | they did not assign dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| قسمت | ghesmat | fate, share dictionary |
| jâ | place dictionary | |
| raft | went dictionary | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| فریاد | faryâd | cry, shout dictionary |
| ney | reed flute dictionary | |
| bakhsh | forgive! leave (us) to dictionary | |
| afsâne | tale, legend dictionary | |
| مجال | majâl-e | scope, room of dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| bâshad | may it be; bâshad ke = perhaps, so that maybe dictionary | |
| پنهان | penhân | hidden dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| ورزم | varzam | I practice (eshgh varzidan = to love) dictionary |
| کنار | kenâr | bank, side dictionary |
| bus | kiss (بوسه) dictionary | |
| âghushash | her embrace dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| گویم | guyam | I say dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| sharâb | wine dictionary | |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| amn | safety, security dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| مهربان | mehrabân | kind dictionary |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| delâ | O heart! dictionary | |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| کارت | kârat | your affairs dictionary |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| aknun | now dictionary | |
| mashuy | do not wash (نشوی) dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| لوح | lowh-e | tablet of dictionary |
| sine | chest dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| zakhm-e | wound of dictionary | |
| tigh-e | sword of dictionary | |
| rang | color dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 165. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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