Ghazal 167 of Hafez (10 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
ستاره‌ای بدرخشید و ماهِ مجلس شددل رمیدهٔ ما را رفیق و مونس شد
setâre-i bedarakhshid o mâh-e majles shod / del-e ramide-ye mâ râ rafigh o munes shod
A star shone out and became the moon of the gathering; it became a friend and companion to our frightened heart.
COUPLET 2
نگارِ من که به مکتب نرفت و خط ننوشتبه غمزه مسأله‌آموزِ صد مُدَرِّس شد
negâr-e man ke be maktab naraft o khat nanevesht / be ghamze mas'ale-âmuz-e sad modarres shod
My beauty, who never went to school or learned to write, with one glance became the teacher of a hundred professors.
COUPLET 3
به بویِ او دلِ بیمارِ عاشقان چو صبافدایِ عارضِ نسرین و چشمِ نرگس شد
be bu-ye u del-e bimâr-e âsheghân cho sabâ / fadâ-ye âraz-e nasrin o cheshm-e narges shod
Hoping for her scent, the lovers' sick hearts, like the breeze, gave themselves to the wild-rose cheek and the narcissus eye.
COUPLET 4
به صدرِ مَصطَبه‌ام می‌نِشانَد اکنون دوستگدایِ شهر نِگَه کُن که میرِ مجلس شد
be sadr-e mastabe-am mineshânad aknun dust / gedâ-ye shahr negah kon ke mir-e majles shod
Now the friend seats me at the head of the tavern bench; look how the town beggar has become the head of the gathering.
COUPLET 5
خیالِ آبِ خِضِر بست و جامِ اسکندربه جرعه‌نوشیِ سلطان ابوالفَوارِس شد
khiyâl-e âb-e khezr bast o jâm-e eskandar / be jor'e-nushi-ye soltân abolfavâres shod
It dreamed of Khezr's water of life and Alexander's cup, and went off to share a sip with Sultan Abolfavares.
COUPLET 6
طرب‌سرایِ محبت کنون شود مَعمورکه طاقِ اَبرویِ یارِ مَنَش مهندس شد
tarab-sarâ-ye mohabbat konun shavad ma'mur / ke tâgh-e abru-ye yâr-e manash mohandes shod
Now the house of love's joy will flourish, for the arch of my beloved's eyebrow has become its architect.
COUPLET 7
لب از تَرَشُّحِ مِی پاک کن برایِ خداکه خاطرم به هزاران گُنَه مُوَسوِس شد
lab az tarashshoh-e mey pâk kon barâ-ye khodâ / ke khâteram be hezârân gonah movasves shod
For God's sake, wipe the drops of wine from your lips, for my mind is tempted by a thousand sins.
COUPLET 8
کرشمهٔ تو شرابی به عاشقان پیمودکه عِلم بی‌خبر افتاد و عقل بی‌حس شد
kereshme-ye to sharâbi be âsheghân peymud / ke elm bi-khabar oftâd o aghl bi-hes shod
Your glance poured the lovers such a wine that knowledge fell senseless and reason went numb.
COUPLET 9
چو زر عزیزِ وجود است نظمِ من، آریقبولِ دولتیان کیمیایِ این مس شد
cho zar aziz-e vojud ast nazm-e man, âri / ghabul-e dowlatiyân kimiyâ-ye in mes shod
My verse is as precious as gold, yes: the approval of the fortunate was the alchemy that turned this copper to gold.
COUPLET 10
ز راهِ میکده یاران عِنان بگردانیدچرا که حافظ از این راه رفت و مفلس شد
ze râh-e meykade yârân enân begardânid / cherâ ke Hâfez az in râh raft o mofles shod
Friends, turn your reins away from the road to the tavern, for Hafez went this way and ended up penniless.
What this fâl tells you
A star has risen and the town beggar has become head of the gathering: this is a fal of sudden good fortune and recognition. Tradition reads it as a sign that a new friend or a happy turn will cheer a frightened heart, and that your work will be valued. Enjoy the honor, but with a light, humorous moderation.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: shod. qâfiye: -es (majles, munes, modarres, narges, favâres, mohandes, movasves, bi-hes, mes, mofles). Abolfavares is the title of Shah Shoja'.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| setâre-i | a star dictionary | |
| bederakhshid | flashed, shone (درخشید) dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| rafigh | friend dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| مکتب | maktab | school dictionary |
| نرفت | naraft | did not go dictionary |
| khatt | line; here a painted line / the first down on the cheek dictionary | |
| ننوشت | nanevesht | did not write dictionary |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| مدرس | modarres | professor, teacher dictionary |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| bimâr | ill dictionary | |
| âsheghân | lovers dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| âraz-e | cheek of (گونه) | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| نرگس | narges | narcissus (image of the beloved's languid eye) dictionary |
| می‌نشاند | mineshânad | seats dictionary |
| aknun | now dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| گدای | gedâ-ye | beggar of dictionary |
| shahr | town dictionary | |
| نگه | negah | look; negah kon = look! (نگاه) |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| khiyâl-e | dream, fancy of dictionary | |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| bast | tied, fastened; shaped (surat bastan) dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| soltân | sultan dictionary | |
| محبت | mohabbat | love, affection dictionary |
| کنون | konun | now (اکنون) |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| tâgh-e | arch of dictionary | |
| abru-ye | eyebrow of dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| مهندس | mohandes | architect, engineer dictionary |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| tarashshoh-e | drops, dripping of dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| پاک | pâk | clean; pâk kon = wipe dictionary |
| barâ-ye | for dictionary | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| khâteram | my mind dictionary | |
| هزاران | hezârân | thousands dictionary |
| گنه | gonah | sin (گناه) |
| کرشمهٔ | kereshme | flirtatious glance, coquetry (عشوه) |
| to | you dictionary | |
| sharâbi | a wine dictionary | |
| پیمود | peymud | poured, measured out dictionary |
| elm | knowledge dictionary | |
| bikhabar | unaware dictionary | |
| oftâd | fell; happened, arose (پیش آمد) dictionary | |
| aghl | reason, intellect dictionary | |
| bi-hes | numb, senseless dictionary | |
| zar | gold dictionary | |
| aziz | precious, dear dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| نظم | nazm | verse, poetry dictionary |
| قبول | ghabul | acceptance; ghabul-e khâter = being loved by people dictionary |
| dowlatiyân | the fortunate, the powerful dictionary | |
| کیمیای | kimiyâ-ye | alchemy of (کیمیا) |
| in | this dictionary | |
| مس | mes | copper dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| میکده | meykade | tavern dictionary |
| یاران | yârân | friends dictionary |
| begardânid | turn! (plural) dictionary | |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| raft | went dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 167. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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