Ghazal 203 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
سال‌ها دفترِ ما در گرو صَهبا بودرونقِ می‌کده از درس و دعایِ ما بود
sâl-hâ daftar-e mâ dar gerow-e sahbâ bud / rownagh-e meykade az dars o do'â-ye mâ bud
For years our books were pawned for red wine; the tavern's glow came from our lessons and our prayers.
COUPLET 2
نیکیِ پیرِ مغان بین که چو ما بدمستانهر چه کردیم به چشمِ کَرَمَش زیبا بود
niki-ye pir-e moghân bin ke cho mâ badmastân / har che kardim be cheshm-e karamash zibâ bud
See the goodness of the elder of the Magi: whatever we rowdy drunkards did looked beautiful in his generous eyes.
COUPLET 3
دفترِ دانش ما جمله بشویید به مِیکه فلک دیدم و در قصدِ دلِ دانا بود
daftar-e dânesh-e mâ jomle beshuyid be mey / ke falak didam o dar ghasd-e del-e dânâ bud
Wash all our books of learning in wine, for I have seen that the heavens are out to harm the wise heart.
COUPLET 4
از بتان آن طلب ار حسن شناسی ای دلکاین کسی گفت که در علمِ نظر بینا بود
az botân ân talab ar hosn shenâsi ey del / k-in kasi goft ke dar elm-e nazar binâ bud
O heart, if you understand beauty, seek from the beauties that indefinable "something"; this was said by one who saw clearly in the science of looking.
COUPLET 5
دل چو پرگار به هر سو دَوَرانی می‌کردو اندر آن دایره سرگشتهٔ پابرجا بود
del cho pargâr be har su davarâni mikard / v-andar ân dâyere sargashte-ye pâbarjâ bud
Like a compass the heart kept turning in every direction, and yet within that circle it was bewildered and stood fixed in place.
COUPLET 6
مُطرب از دَردِ محبت عملی می‌پرداختکه حکیمانِ جهان را مژه خون پالا بود
motreb az dard-e mohabbat amali mipardâkht / ke hakimân-e jahân râ mozhe khun-pâlâ bud
The musician was playing a melody of love's pain that made the sages of the world weep blood through their lashes.
COUPLET 7
می‌شکفتم ز طرب زان که چو گُل بر لبِ جویبر سرم سایهٔ آن سروِ سَهی بالا بود
mishekoftam ze tarab z-ân ke cho gol bar lab-e ju / bar saram sâye-ye ân sarv-e sahi-bâlâ bud
I was blossoming with joy, because, like a rose on the bank of a stream, I had the shade of that straight, tall cypress over my head.
COUPLET 8
پیرِ گلرنگِ من اندر حقِ اَزْرَق‌پوشانرخصتِ خُبث نداد ار نه حکایت‌ها بود
pir-e golrang-e man andar hagh-e azragh-pushân / rokhsat-e khobs nadâd, ar na hekâyat-hâ bud
My rosy-faced elder gave no permission to speak ill of the blue-robed Sufis; otherwise there would be many stories to tell.
COUPLET 9
قلبِ اندودهٔ حافظ بَرِ او خرج نشدکاین مُعامِل به همه عیبِ نهان بینا بود
ghalb-e andude-ye Hâfez bar-e u kharj nashod / k-in mo'âmel be hame eyb-e nahân binâ bud
Hafez's gilded counterfeit coin did not pass with him, for this dealer could see every hidden flaw.
What this fâl tells you
A generous guide sees your heart, not just your faults. Tradition reads this fal as advice to stay honest rather than polished, since a wise eye sees through pretense, and to keep company with kind, forgiving people. Joy is near you, like the shade of a cypress over a rose by the stream.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: bud ("was"). qâfiye: -â (sahbâ, mâ, zibâ, dânâ, binâ, pâbarjâ, pâlâ, bâlâ, hekâyat-hâ). In beyt 9 ghalb means both "counterfeit coin" and "heart".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| sâl-hâ | for years dictionary | |
| daftar | notebook, book (of learning) dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| گرو | gerow | pawn, pledge dictionary |
| sahbâ | red wine (Arabic) (شراب سرخ) | |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| می‌کده | meykade | tavern (میخانه) dictionary |
| dars | lesson, study dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| do'â | prayer dictionary | |
| نیکی | niki | goodness, a good deed dictionary |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| bin | see! look! (ببین) dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| کردیم | kardim | we did dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| کرمش | karamash | his generosity dictionary |
| zibâ | beautiful dictionary | |
| dânesh | knowledge, learning dictionary | |
| jomle | all (همه) dictionary | |
| beshuyid | wash! (plural) dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| فلک | falak | the sky, the heavens; fate dictionary |
| didam | I saw dictionary | |
| قصد | ghasd | intent; ghasd kardan = to head for dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| dânâ | wise dictionary | |
| botân | idols: the beauties dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| talab | request, search dictionary | |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| shenâsi | you know, you recognize dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| کاین | k-in | that these (= ke in) (که این) |
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| elm | science, knowledge dictionary | |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| binâ | seeing, clear-sighted dictionary | |
| پرگار | pargâr | compass (for drawing circles) dictionary |
| su | direction, side dictionary | |
| davarâni | a circling, a turning dictionary | |
| می‌کرد | mikard | was doing, kept doing dictionary |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| dâyere | circle dictionary | |
| پابرجا | pâbarjâ | fixed, firmly in place dictionary |
| محبت | mohabbat | love, affection dictionary |
| amali | a piece of music, a melody (classical sense) dictionary | |
| می‌پرداخت | mipardâkht | was composing, was performing dictionary |
| hakimân | sages, philosophers dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| مژه | mozhe | eyelashes dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| می‌شکفتم | mishekoftam | I was blossoming dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| tarab | joy, delight dictionary | |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| saram | my head; over me dictionary | |
| sâye | shade, shadow dictionary | |
| sarv | cypress (image of a tall beloved) dictionary | |
| bâlâ | stature; sahi-bâlâ = straight and tall (قامت) dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| hagh | regard; andar hagh-e = concerning dictionary | |
| rokhsat | permission dictionary | |
| khobs | malice; speaking ill dictionary | |
| نداد | nadâd | did not give dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| hekâyat-hâ | stories, things to tell dictionary | |
| قلب | ghalb | counterfeit coin; also heart (pun) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| kharj | spending; kharj shodan = to pass as currency dictionary | |
| نشد | nashod | did not become; did not pass dictionary |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| eyb | fault, flaw dictionary | |
| نهان | nahân | hidden (پنهان) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 203. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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