Ghazal 168 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
گداخت جان که شود کارِ دل تمام و نشدبسوختیم در این آرزویِ خام و نشد
godâkht jân ke shavad kâr-e del tamâm o nashod / besukhtim dar in ârezu-ye khâm o nashod
My soul melted away hoping the heart's affair would be settled, and it was not. We burned in this unripe hope, and it did not come true.
COUPLET 2
به لابه گفت شبی میرِ مجلسِ تو شومشدم به رغبتِ خویشش کمین غلام و نشد
be lâbe goft shabi mir-e majles-e to shavam / shodam be roghbat-e khishash kamin gholâm o nashod
One night the beloved said, pleading, "I will be the master of your gathering." Gladly I became that beloved's humblest servant, and it never happened.
COUPLET 3
پیام داد که خواهم نشست با رندانبشد به رندی و دُردی کشیم نام و نشد
payâm dâd ke khâham neshast bâ rendân / beshod be rendi o dordi-keshim nâm o nashod
The beloved sent word: "I will sit with the free spirits." My name spread for roguery and drinking the dregs, and still the beloved did not come.
COUPLET 4
رواست در بَر اگر می‌تَپَد کبوترِ دلکه دید در رهِ خود تاب و پیچِ دام و نشد
ravâst dar bar agar mitapad kabutar-e del / ke did dar rah-e khod tâb o pich-e dâm o nashod
No wonder the dove of my heart flutters in my breast: it saw the twists and coils of the net on its path, and could not get free.
COUPLET 5
بدان هوس که به مستی ببوسم آن لبِ لعلچه خون که در دلم افتاد همچو جام و نشد
bedân havas ke be masti bebusam ân lab-e la'l / che khun ke dar delam oftâd hamcho jâm o nashod
In the longing to kiss those ruby lips while drunk, how much blood poured into my heart, as wine into a cup, and it did not happen.
COUPLET 6
به کویِ عشق مَنِه بی دلیلِ راه، قدمکه من به خویش نمودم صد اهتمام و نشد
be ku-ye eshgh maneh bi dalil-e râh ghadam / ke man be khish nomudam sad ehtemâm o nashod
Do not set foot in the street of love without a guide: on my own I made a hundred efforts, and failed.
COUPLET 7
فغان که در طلبِ گنج نامهٔ مقصودشدم خرابِ جهانی ز غم تمام و نشد
faghân ke dar talab-e ganj-nâme-ye maghsud / shodam kharâb-e jahâni ze gham tamâm o nashod
Alas: searching for the map to the treasure I longed for, I was utterly ruined by a world of sorrow, and did not find it.
COUPLET 8
دریغ و درد که در جست و جوی گنجِ حضوربسی شدم به گدایی بَرِ کِرام و نشد
darigh o dard ke dar jostoju-ye ganj-e hozur / basi shodam be gedâyi bar-e kerâm o nashod
Alas and pain: in search of the treasure of inner peace, I went begging many times to the generous, and nothing came of it.
COUPLET 9
هزار حیله برانگیخت حافظ از سرِ فکردر آن هوس که شود آن نگار رام و نشد
hezâr hile barangikht Hâfez az sar-e fekr / dar ân havas ke shavad ân negâr râm o nashod
Hafez thought up a thousand tricks, longing for that beauty to grow tame, and it did not happen.
What this fâl tells you
This fal is honest: what you have been chasing alone, with tricks and effort, has not yet come. Tradition reads it as advice not to walk love's road without a guide; ask someone wiser before taking the next step. When you stop forcing the matter, the heart's dove can rest.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: o nashod ("and it did not happen"). qâfiye: -âm (tamâm, khâm, gholâm, nâm, dâm, jâm, ehtemâm, kerâm, râm).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| گداخت | godâkht | melted (away) dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| tamâm | complete, settled; utterly dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| نشد | nashod | did not happen, did not work out dictionary |
| besukhtim | we burned dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| khâm | raw, unripe; naive dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| shabi | one night dictionary | |
| میر | mir | master, chief (= amir) (امیر) |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| shavam | I (will) become dictionary | |
| shodam | I became dictionary | |
| khishash | his/her own (= khish + -ash) dictionary | |
| کمین | kamin | humblest, least (kamin gholâm = humblest servant) (کمترین) dictionary |
| gholâm | servant dictionary | |
| پیام | payâm | message dictionary |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| khâham | I will (future auxiliary) dictionary | |
| نشست | neshast | sit (with khâham: I will sit) dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| rendân | free spirits, rogues who scorn hypocrisy dictionary | |
| beshod | became, went abroad (my name) dictionary | |
| rendi | free-spirited life of the "rend" (a rogue who scorns hypocrisy) dictionary | |
| dordi | dregs; dordi-keshi = drinking the dregs dictionary | |
| کشیم | keshim | -drinking + my (dordi-keshi-am = my dreg-drinking) dictionary |
| نام | nâm | name, fame dictionary |
| ravâst | it is fitting, no wonder (= ravâ ast) dictionary | |
| bar | breast, bosom (سینه) dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| می‌تپد | mitapad | throbs, flutters dictionary |
| کبوتر | kabutar | dove, pigeon dictionary |
| did | saw dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| khod | its own dictionary | |
| tâb | twist, curl dictionary | |
| پیچ | pich | coil, twist dictionary |
| dâm | trap, net dictionary | |
| bedân | to that (point) (= be ân) (به آن) | |
| هوس | havas | longing, desire dictionary |
| masti | intoxication dictionary | |
| bebusam | (that) I kiss dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| delam | my heart dictionary | |
| oftâd | fell; happened, arose (پیش آمد) dictionary | |
| همچو | hamcho | like (مثل) |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| کوی | ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) |
| منه | maneh | do not set (foot)! (نگذار) dictionary |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| dalil | guide (راهنما) dictionary | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| قدم | ghadam | step dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| khish | one's own (خود) dictionary | |
| نمودم | nomudam | I made, I did dictionary |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| فغان | faghân | alas! cry of lament dictionary |
| talab | request, search dictionary | |
| گنج | ganj | treasure dictionary |
| نامهٔ | nâme | letter; ganj-nâme = treasure map dictionary |
| مقصود | maghsud | goal, what one longs for dictionary |
| kharâb | ruined; (in Hafez) drunk, wrecked by love dictionary | |
| jahâni | a whole world (of) dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| darigh | alas! dictionary | |
| jost | search (jostoju = searching) dictionary | |
| hozur | presence; peace of mind dictionary | |
| gedâyi | a beggar dictionary | |
| bar-e | to, into the presence of (نزد) | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| hile | trick, ruse dictionary | |
| barangikht | stirred up, devised dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| فکر | fekr | thought dictionary |
| râm | tame, compliant dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 168. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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