Ghazal 200 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
دانی که چنگ و عود چه تَقریر می‌کنند؟پنهان خورید باده که تَعزیر می‌کنند
dâni ke chang o ud che taghrir mikonand / penhân khorid bâde ke ta'zir mikonand
Do you know what the harp and the lute are saying? "Drink your wine in secret, for they are handing out punishments."
COUPLET 2
ناموسِ عشق و رونقِ عُشّاق می‌بَرندعیبِ جوان و سرزنشِ پیر می‌کنند
nâmus-e eshgh o rownagh-e oshshâgh mibarand / eyb-e javân o sarzanesh-e pir mikonand
They are stripping love of its honor and lovers of their glow; they find fault with the young and scold the old.
COUPLET 3
جز قلبِ تیره هیچ نشد حاصل و هنوزباطل در این خیال که اِکسیر می‌کنند
joz ghalb-e tire hich nashod hâsel o hanuz / bâtel dar in khiyâl ke eksir mikonand
Nothing came of their work but dark counterfeit, and still they vainly imagine they are making the elixir.
COUPLET 4
گویند رمزِ عشق مگویید و مشنویدمشکل حکایتیست که تَقریر می‌کنند
guyand ramz-e eshgh maguyid o mashnavid / moshkel hekâyati-st ke taghrir mikonand
They say, "Do not speak of love's secret or listen to it." That is a strange thing to be announcing.
COUPLET 5
ما از برونِ در شده مغرورِ صد فریبتا خود درونِ پرده چه تدبیر می‌کنند
mâ az borun-e dar shode maghrur-e sad farib / tâ khod darun-e parde che tadbir mikonand
Standing outside the door, we have been fooled by a hundred tricks; who knows what they are plotting behind the curtain.
COUPLET 6
تشویشِ وقتِ پیرِ مغان می‌دهند بازاین سالِکان نگر که چه با پیر می‌کنند
tashvish-e vaght-e pir-e moghân midahand bâz / in sâlekân negar ke che bâ pir mikonand
Once again they are disturbing the peace of the Magian elder: look at what these "travelers of the path" are doing to the old man.
COUPLET 7
صد مُلکِ دل به نیم نظر می‌توان خریدخوبان در این معامله تقصیر می‌کنند
sad molk-e del be nim nazar mitavân kharid / khubân dar in mo'âmele taghsir mikonand
A hundred kingdoms of the heart could be bought with half a glance; the beautiful ones are falling short in this trade.
COUPLET 8
قومی به جِدّ و جهد نهادند وصلِ دوستقومی دگر حواله به تقدیر می‌کنند
ghowmi be jedd o jahd nahâdand vasl-e dust / ghowmi degar havâle be taghdir mikonand
Some people stake union with the beloved on hard work and effort; others leave it to fate.
COUPLET 9
فِی‌الجُمله اعتماد مکُن بر ثباتِ دهرکـ‌این کارخانه‌ایست که تغییر می‌کنند
fel-jomle e'temâd makon bar sabât-e dahr / k-in kârkhâne'i-st ke taghyir mikonand
In short, do not count on the world staying the same: this is a workshop where things are always being changed.
COUPLET 10
مِی خور که شیخ و حافظ و مفتی و محتسبچون نیک بنگری همه تزویر می‌کنند
mey khor ke sheykh o Hâfez o mofti o mohtaseb / chon nik bengari hame tazvir mikonand
Drink your wine: the sheikh, Hafez, the jurist and the morals officer, if you look closely, are all pretending.
What this fâl tells you
In a time of strict rules and loud critics, this fal advises discretion: keep your joys private and do not be fooled by appearances. Tradition reads it as a reminder that the world is a workshop of change, so do not cling to how things are now. Combine effort with trust in fate, and a single kind glance may still win a hundred hearts.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: mikonand ("they do"). qâfiye: -ir (taghrir, ta'zir, pir, eksir, tadbir, taghsir, taghdir, taghyir, tazvir).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dâni | you know (می‌دانی) dictionary | |
| چنگ | chang | harp dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ud | lute (oud) dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| taghrir | explaining, stating dictionary | |
| می‌کنند | mikonand | they do; talab mikonand = they demand dictionary |
| پنهان | penhân | hidden dictionary |
| khorid | drink! (plural) dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| ناموس | nâmus | honor, good repute dictionary |
| oshshâgh | lovers dictionary | |
| می‌برند | mibarand | they carry dictionary |
| eyb | fault, flaw dictionary | |
| javân-e | young one dictionary | |
| sarzanesh | scolding, reproach dictionary | |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| قلب | ghalb | counterfeit (coin); also "heart" (pun) dictionary |
| tire | dark dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| نشد | nashod | did not become dictionary |
| hâsel | achieved, obtained dictionary | |
| هنوز | hanuz | still, yet dictionary |
| bâtel | vain, futile dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| eksir | elixir (that turns base metal into gold) dictionary | |
| گویند | guyand | (they) say (می‌گویند) dictionary |
| ramz | secret, mystery dictionary | |
| مگویید | maguyid | do not say! dictionary |
| مشنوید | mashnavid | do not listen! dictionary |
| مشکل | moshkel | hard, strange dictionary |
| hekâyati-st | is a story, a saying dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| borun | out (= birun) (بیرون) dictionary | |
| shode | having become dictionary | |
| مغرور | maghrur | deceived, fooled by dictionary |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| فریب | farib | deceit, trick dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| darun | inside dictionary | |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| tadbir | plan, course of action dictionary | |
| tashvish | disturbance, unrest dictionary | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| می‌دهند | midahand | they give dictionary |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| sâlekân | travelers on the Sufi path dictionary | |
| نگر | negar | look! see! (ببین) dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| نیم | nim | half; nim-shab = midnight dictionary |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| می‌توان | mitavân | one can dictionary |
| kharid | bought dictionary | |
| khubân | the beautiful ones (زیبارویان) | |
| معامله | mo'âmele | dealing, exchange dictionary |
| taghsir | falling short, holding back dictionary | |
| ghowmi | some people dictionary | |
| نهادند | nahâdand | they set, based dictionary |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| degar | again; other (= digar) (دیگر) | |
| havâle | referred, entrusted dictionary | |
| taghdir | fate, destiny dictionary | |
| e'temâd | trust, reliance dictionary | |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| sabât | stability, permanence dictionary | |
| dahr | time, the world, fate dictionary | |
| کـ‌این | k-in | that these (= ke in) (که این) |
| کارخانه‌ایست | kârkhâne'i-st | is a workshop dictionary |
| taghyir | change dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| khor | drink! eat! (imperative) (بخور / بنوش) dictionary | |
| sheykh | sheikh, religious elder dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| نیک | nik | very, thoroughly dictionary |
| bengari | you look, you see dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| tazvir | deceit, hypocrisy dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 200. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
Love Persian poetry? Learn to read it: free Starter Pack
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.