Ghazal 183 of Hafez (8 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
دوش وقتِ سَحَر، از غُصّه نجاتم دادندواندر آن ظلمتِ شب، آبِ حیاتم دادند
dush vaght-e sahar az ghosse nejâtam dâdand / v-andar ân zolmat-e shab âb-e hayâtam dâdand
Last night, at dawn, they rescued me from sorrow, and in that darkness of night they gave me the water of life.
COUPLET 2
بی‌خود از شَعْشَعِهٔ پرتوِ ذاتم کردندباده از جامِ تَجَلّیِّ صفاتم دادند
bikhod az sha'sha'e-ye parto-ye zâtam kardand / bâde az jâm-e tajalli-ye sefâtam dâdand
The dazzling rays of the divine Essence carried me out of myself, and they gave me wine from the cup in which the divine attributes shine.
COUPLET 3
چه مبارک‌سَحَری بود و چه فرخنده‌شبیآن شبِ قدر که این تازه‌براتم دادند
che mobârak-sahari bud o che farkhonde-shabi / ân shab-e ghadr ke in tâze-barâtam dâdand
What a blessed dawn it was, and what a happy night, that Night of Destiny when they handed me this new decree.
COUPLET 4
بعد از این رویِ من و آینهٔ وصفِ جمالکه در آن جا خبر از جلوهٔ ذاتم دادند
ba'd az in ru-ye man o âyene-ye vasf-e jamâl / ke dar ânjâ khabar az jelve-ye zâtam dâdand
From now on I will face only the mirror that describes beauty, for it was there that they gave me news of the Essence revealed.
COUPLET 5
من اگر کامروا گشتم و خوش‌دل چه عجب؟مستحق بودم و این‌ها به زکاتم دادند
man agar kâmravâ gashtam o khoshdel che ajab / mostahagh budam o in-hâ be zakâtam dâdand
If I have reached my wish and my heart is glad, why be surprised? I was in need, and they gave me all this as alms.
COUPLET 6
هاتف آن روز به من مژدهٔ این دولت دادکه بِدان جور و جفا صبر و ثباتم دادند
hâtef ân ruz be man mozhde-ye in dowlat dâd / ke bedân jowr o jafâ sabr o sabâtam dâdand
A voice from the unseen brought me news of this good fortune on the day they gave me patience and steadiness against all that cruelty.
COUPLET 7
این همه شهد و شِکر کز سخنم می‌ریزداَجرِ صبری‌ست کز آن شاخِ نباتم دادند
in hame shahd o shekar k-az sokhanam mirizad / ajr-e sabri-st k-az ân shâkh-e nabâtam dâdand
All this honey and sugar pouring from my words is the reward for patience that they gave me from that stick of rock candy.
COUPLET 8
همّتِ حافظ و انفاسِ سحرخیزان بودکه ز بندِ غمِ ایّام نجاتم دادند
hemmat-e Hâfez o anfâs-e sahar-khizân bud / ke ze band-e gham-e ayyâm nejâtam dâdand
It was Hafez's own resolve and the breath of those who rise at dawn to pray that freed me from the chains of the world's sorrow.
What this fâl tells you
A very lucky fal: release from worry, a new beginning and a reward for patience. Tradition reads it as a sign that a wish will come true after a long wait, perhaps suddenly, "at dawn." Keep your resolve, and keep good people's prayers close.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: -am dâdand ("they gave me"). qâfiye: -ât (nejât, hayât, zât, sefât, barât, zakât, sabât, nabât).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dush | last night (دیشب) dictionary | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| sahar | dawn, the hour before dawn dictionary | |
| ghosse | sorrow, worry dictionary | |
| نجاتم | nejâtam | rescue + to me; nejâtam dâdand = they rescued me dictionary |
| dâdand | (they) gave dictionary | |
| واندر | v-andar | and in (= va andar) (و در) |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| hayâtam | of life + to me; âb-e hayât = water of life dictionary | |
| bikhod | beside oneself, in ecstasy dictionary | |
| پرتو | parto | ray, light dictionary |
| zâtam | of the Essence + me dictionary | |
| کردند | kardand | (they) made dictionary |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| sefâtam | of the attributes + to me dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| قدر | ghadr | shab-e ghadr = the Night of Destiny in Ramadan dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| ba'd | after; ba'd az in = from now on dictionary | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| âyene | mirror (آیینه) | |
| وصف | vasf | description dictionary |
| jamâl | beauty dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| jâ | place dictionary | |
| khabar | news dictionary | |
| jelve | display, showing oneself dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| گشتم | gashtam | I became dictionary |
| khoshdel | glad-hearted dictionary | |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| مستحق | mostahagh | in need, deserving (of alms) dictionary |
| budam | I was dictionary | |
| in-hâ | these things dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| dowlat | good fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary | |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| bedân | against that, with that (= be ân) (به آن) | |
| jafâ | cruelty, unkindness dictionary | |
| sabr | patience dictionary | |
| sabâtam | steadiness + to me dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| shahd | honey dictionary | |
| shekar | sugar dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| sokhanam | my words dictionary | |
| می‌ریزد | mirizad | pours dictionary |
| sabri-st | is (of) a patience (= sabri ast) dictionary | |
| shâkh | shâkh-e nabât = a stick of rock candy; tradition says it was the name of Hafez's beloved dictionary | |
| نباتم | nabâtam | rock candy + to me dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| anfâs | breaths; here prayers (نفس‌ها) | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| band | rope, bond dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| ayyâm | days, times dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 183. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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