Ghazal 178 of Hafez (11 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
هر که شد مَحرمِ دل در حرمِ یار بِمانْدوان که این کار ندانست در انکار بِمانْد
har ke shod mahram-e del dar haram-e yâr bemând / v-ân ke in kâr nadânest dar enkâr bemând
Whoever became a confidant of the heart stayed in the beloved's sanctuary; whoever did not understand this stayed stuck in denial.
COUPLET 2
اگر از پرده برون شد دلِ من عیب مکنشُکرِ ایزد که نه در پردهٔ پندار بِمانْد
agar az parde borun shod del-e man eyb makon / shokr-e izad ke na dar parde-ye pendâr bemând
If my heart came out from behind the curtain, do not blame it: thank God it did not stay behind the curtain of illusion.
COUPLET 3
صوفیان واسِتَدَنْد از گروِ مِی همه رَخْتدلقِ ما بود که در خانهٔ خَمّار بِمانْد
sufiyân vâsetadand az gerow-e mey hame rakht / dalgh-e mâ bud ke dar khâne-ye khammâr bemând
The Sufis all took their belongings back out of pawn at the wine shop; only our patched cloak was left in the wine seller's house.
COUPLET 4
محتسب شیخ شد و فِسقِ خود از یاد بِبُردقصّهٔ ماست که در هر سرِ بازار بِمانْد
mohtaseb sheykh shod o fesgh-e khod az yâd bebord / ghesse-ye mâst ke dar har sar-e bâzâr bemând
The morals officer became a sheikh and forgot his own sins; it is our story that is still told at every corner of the bazaar.
COUPLET 5
هر مِیِ لعل کز آن دستِ بلورین سِتَدیمآبِ حسرت شد و در چشمِ گهربار بِمانْد
har mey-e la'l k-az ân dast-e bolurin setadim / âb-e hasrat shod o dar cheshm-e goharbâr bemând
Every ruby wine we took from that crystal hand turned into tears of longing and stayed in our pearl-shedding eyes.
COUPLET 6
جز دلِ من کز ازل تا به ابد عاشق رفتجاودان کس نشنیدیم که در کار بِمانْد
joz del-e man k-az azal tâ be abad âshegh raft / jâvedân kas nashenidim ke dar kâr bemând
Except for my heart, which has gone on loving from before time to after time, we never heard of anyone who stayed at this work forever.
COUPLET 7
گشت بیمار که چون چشمِ تو گردد نرگسشیوهٔ تو نَشُدَش حاصل و بیمار بِمانْد
gasht bimâr ke chon cheshm-e to gardad narges / shive-ye to nashodash hâsel o bimâr bemând
The narcissus fell ill trying to become like your eyes; it never caught your way of looking, and stayed ill.
COUPLET 8
از صدایِ سخنِ عشق ندیدم خوشتریادگاری که در این گنبدِ دَوّار بِمانْد
az sedâ-ye sokhan-e eshgh nadidam khoshtar / yâdegâri ke dar in gonbad-e davvâr bemând
Of all the keepsakes left under this turning dome of the sky, I found none sweeter than the sound of the words of love.
COUPLET 9
داشتم دلقی و صد عیبِ مرا می‌پوشیدخرقه رهنِ مِی و مطرب شد و زُنّار بِمانْد
dâshtam dalghi o sad eyb-e marâ mipushid / kherghe rahn-e mey o motreb shod o zonnâr bemând
I had a patched cloak that covered a hundred of my faults; the cloak went in pawn for wine and music, and only the belt of the unbeliever was left.
COUPLET 10
بر جمالِ تو چنان صورتِ چین حیران شدکه حدیثش همه‌جا در در و دیوار بِمانْد
bar jamâl-e to chenân surat-e chin heyrân shod / ke hadisash hamejâ dar dar o divâr bemând
The painted figures of China were so amazed by your beauty that the story of it is still told on every door and wall.
COUPLET 11
به تماشاگَهِ زلفش دلِ حافظ روزیشد که بازآید و جاوید گرفتار بِمانْد
be tamâshâgah-e zolfash del-e Hâfez ruzi / shod ke bâz âyad o jâvid gereftâr bemând
One day Hafez's heart went to look at her curls, meaning to come back, and stayed caught there forever.
What this fâl tells you
Do not be ashamed that your true feelings have come out. Tradition reads this fal as saying that honesty of the heart outlasts any reputation, and that words of love are the best thing a person can leave behind. Something that began as a short visit may become a lasting bond.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: bemând ("stayed"). qâfiye: -âr (yâr, enkâr, pendâr, khammâr, bâzâr, goharbâr, kâr, bimâr, davvâr, zonnâr, divâr, gereftâr).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| bemând | stayed, remained (ماند) dictionary | |
| وان | v-ân | and the one (= va ân) (و آن) dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| ندانست | nadânest | did not know dictionary |
| enkâr | denial dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| borun | out (= birun) (بیرون) dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| eyb | fault, flaw dictionary | |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| shokr | thanks, gratitude; shokr-e izad = thank God dictionary | |
| izad | God dictionary | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| واستدند | vâsetadand | took back (پس گرفتند) dictionary |
| گرو | gerow | pawn, pledge dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| rakht | belongings, clothes dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| khâne | house dictionary | |
| khammâr | wine seller (می‌فروش) | |
| sheykh | sheikh, religious elder dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| فسق | fesgh | sin, immorality dictionary |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| یاد | yâd | memory dictionary |
| bebord | took away; az yâd bordan = to forget (برد) dictionary | |
| قصهٔ | ghesse | story dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| bâzâr | bazaar, market dictionary | |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| setadim | we took (گرفتیم) dictionary | |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| abad | eternity without end dictionary | |
| âshegh | lover dictionary | |
| raft | went dictionary | |
| jâvedân | forever (همیشه) | |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| نشنیدیم | nashenidim | we did not hear dictionary |
| گشت | gasht | became dictionary |
| bimâr | ill dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| گردد | gardad | becomes (بشود) dictionary |
| نرگس | narges | narcissus (image of the beloved's languid eye) dictionary |
| shive | manner, way dictionary | |
| نشدش | nashodash | did not become (for it) dictionary |
| hâsel | achieved, obtained dictionary | |
| sedâ-ye | sound of dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| ندیدم | nadidam | I did not see, did not find dictionary |
| khoshtar | sweeter, more pleasant dictionary | |
| yâdegâri | keepsake, memento dictionary | |
| گنبد | gonbad | dome dictionary |
| dâshtam | I had dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| می‌پوشید | mipushid | was covering dictionary |
| kherghe | dervish's cloak, Sufi robe dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| jamâl | beauty dictionary | |
| چنان | chenân | so, in such a way dictionary |
| surat | picture, image dictionary | |
| چین | chin | China (famed in poetry for its painters) dictionary |
| همه‌جا | hamejâ | everywhere dictionary |
| divâr | wall dictionary | |
| tamâshâgah | viewing place (تماشاگاه) | |
| zolfash | her curls dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| bâz âyad | comes back dictionary | |
| jâvid | forever, eternal dictionary | |
| گرفتار | gereftâr | caught, captive dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 178. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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