Ghazal 201 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
شرابِ بی‌غَش و ساقیِّ خوش دو دامِ رهندکه زیرکانِ جهان از کمندشان نَرَهَند
sharâb-e bi-ghash o sâghi-ye khosh do dâm-e rahand / ke zirakân-e jahân az kamandeshân narahand
Pure wine and a charming cupbearer are two traps on the road, and the cleverest people in the world cannot escape their lasso.
COUPLET 2
من ار چه عاشقم و رند و مست و نامه سیاههزار شُکر که یارانِ شهر بی‌گنهند
man ar che âshegham o rend o mast o nâme-siyâh / hezâr shokr ke yârân-e shahr bi-gonahand
Though I am a lover, a free spirit, a drunkard with a black record, a thousand thanks that the friends of the city are without sin!
COUPLET 3
جفا نه پیشهٔ درویشیَست و راهرُویبیار باده که این سالکان نَه مردِ رهند
jafâ na pishe-ye darvishi-st o rahravi / biyâr bâde ke in sâlekân na mard-e rahand
Cruelty is not the way of the dervish or the traveler; bring wine, for these "travelers" are not real men of the road.
COUPLET 4
مَبین حقیر، گدایانِ عشق را کاین قومشَهانِ بی کمر و خسروانِ بی کُلَهند
mabin haghir gedâyân-e eshgh râ k-in ghowm / shahân-e bi-kamar o khosrovân-e bi-kolahand
Do not look down on love's beggars: these people are kings without belts and emperors without crowns.
COUPLET 5
به هوش باش که هنگامِ بادِ اِستغناهزار خرمنِ طاعت به نیمْ جو ننهند
be hush bâsh ke hengâm-e bâd-e esteghnâ / hezâr kharman-e tâ'at be nim jow nanahand
Be careful: when the wind of God's self-sufficiency blows, a thousand harvests of worship are not worth half a grain of barley.
COUPLET 6
مَکُن که کوکبهٔ دلبری شکسته شودچو بندگان بِگُریزند و چاکران بِجَهَند
makon ke kowkabe-ye delbari shekaste shavad / cho bandegân begorizand o châkerân bejahand
Do not let the splendor of your charm be broken, as it will be when your servants flee and your attendants run away.
COUPLET 7
غلامِ همَّتِ دُردی کشانِ یک رنگمنه آن گروه که اَزْرَق لباس و دل سیَهَند
gholâm-e hemmat-e dordi-keshân-e yekrangam / na ân goruh ke azragh-lebâs o del-siyahand
I serve the spirit of the honest dreg-drinkers who are all of one color, not that crowd in blue robes with black hearts.
COUPLET 8
قدم مَنِه به خرابات جز به شرطِ ادبکه سالکانِ درش محرمانِ پادشهند
ghadam maneh be kharâbât joz be shart-e adab / ke sâlekân-e darash mahramân-e pâdeshahand
Do not set foot in the tavern except with good manners, for those who frequent its door are the confidants of the king.
COUPLET 9
جنابِ عشق بلند است همّتی حافظکه عاشقان، رَه بی‌همّتان به خود ندهند
jenâb-e eshgh boland ast, hemmati Hâfez / ke âsheghân rah-e bi-hemmatân be khod nadahand
Love's threshold is high: take courage, Hafez, for lovers do not let the faint-hearted come near them.
What this fâl tells you
Honesty and sincerity matter more than outward piety, and this fal asks you to judge people by their hearts, not their robes. Tradition reads it as advice to treat humble people with respect, since true greatness often goes without a crown. Approach what you love with good manners and real courage, and the door will open.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: -and ("they are"). qâfiye: -ah (rahand, narahand, bi-gonahand, kolahand, nanahand, bejahand, siyahand, pâdeshahand, nadahand).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| sharâb | wine dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| do | two dictionary | |
| dâm | trap, net dictionary | |
| rahand | (traps) of the road are (= rah + -and) dictionary | |
| zirakân | the clever ones dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| کمندشان | kamandeshân | their lasso dictionary |
| نرهند | narahand | do not escape dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| âshegham | I am a lover dictionary | |
| rend | free spirit, rogue who scorns hypocrisy dictionary | |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| نامه | nâme | record; nâme-siyâh = with a black record of deeds dictionary |
| siyâh | black dictionary | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| shokr | thanks dictionary | |
| یاران | yârân | friends dictionary |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| bi-gonahand | are without sin dictionary | |
| jafâ | cruelty, unkindness dictionary | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| پیشهٔ | pishe | trade, way of life dictionary |
| biyâr | bring! dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| sâlekân | travelers on the Sufi path dictionary | |
| مرد | mard | man dictionary |
| مبین | mabin | do not look (old imperative) (نگاه نکن) dictionary |
| haghir | lowly, contemptible dictionary | |
| گدایان | gedâyân | beggars dictionary |
| کاین | k-in | that these (= ke in) (که این) |
| قوم | ghowm | people, group dictionary |
| shahân | kings dictionary | |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| کمر | kamar | waist; belt; kamar bastan = to get ready to set out dictionary |
| کلهند | kolahand | (without) crowns are (= kolah + -and) dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| bâsh | be! dictionary | |
| هنگام | hengâm | time (of) dictionary |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| esteghnâ | self-sufficiency, needing nothing (of God) dictionary | |
| kharman | harvest, threshing heap dictionary | |
| نیم | nim | half; nim-shab = midnight dictionary |
| ننهند | nanahand | they do not set, do not value dictionary |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| shekaste | broken; bent dictionary | |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| bandegân | servants dictionary | |
| begorizand | they flee dictionary | |
| چاکران | châkerân | attendants dictionary |
| bejahand | they run away, leap off dictionary | |
| gholâm | servant dictionary | |
| dordi | dregs; dordi-keshi = drinking the dregs dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| rangam | (one-)colored, sincere + I am dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| گروه | goruh | group, crowd dictionary |
| لباس | lebâs | clothes, robe dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| siyahand | are black (-hearted) dictionary | |
| قدم | ghadam | step dictionary |
| منه | maneh | do not put down (نگذار) dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| shart | rule, condition dictionary | |
| adab | courtesy, good manners dictionary | |
| darash | its door dictionary | |
| پادشهند | pâdeshahand | (are confidants) of the king dictionary |
| jenâb | threshold, court; presence of a great person (آستانه) dictionary | |
| boland | high; famous dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| âsheghân | lovers dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| khod | themselves; be khod = to themselves dictionary | |
| ندهند | nadahand | they do not give dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 201. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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