Ghazal 204 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
یاد باد آن که نَهانَت نظری با ما بودرَقَمِ مِهرِ تو بر چهرهٔ ما پیدا بود
yâd bâd ân ke nahânat nazari bâ mâ bud / ragham-e mehr-e to bar chehre-ye mâ peydâ bud
May it be remembered, the time you secretly cast a glance at me, and the mark of your love was plain on my face.
COUPLET 2
یاد باد آن که چو چَشمت به عِتابم می‌کُشتمُعْجِزِ عیسَویَت در لبِ شِکَّرخا بود
yâd bâd ân ke cho cheshmat be etâbam mikosht / mo'jez-e isavi-yat dar lab-e shekarkhâ bud
Remember when your eye was killing me with reproach, and the life-giving miracle of Jesus was in your sugar-sweet lips.
COUPLET 3
یاد باد آن که صَبوحی زده در مجلسِ انسجز من و یار نبودیم و خدا با ما بود
yâd bâd ân ke sabuhi zade dar majles-e ons / joz man o yâr nabudim o khodâ bâ mâ bud
Remember when, having drunk the dawn wine in the gathering of intimacy, there was no one but me and the beloved, and God was with us.
COUPLET 4
یاد باد آن که رُخَت شمعِ طَرَب می‌افروختوین دلِ سوخته پروانهٔ ناپروا بود
yâd bâd ân ke rokhat sham'-e tarab mi-afrukht / v-in del-e sukhte parvâne-ye nâparvâ bud
Remember when your face lit the candle of joy, and this burnt heart was a fearless moth.
COUPLET 5
یاد باد آن که در آن بزمگَهِ خُلق و ادبآن که او خندهٔ مستانه زدی صَهبا بود
yâd bâd ân ke dar ân bazmgah-e kholgh o adab / ân ke u khande-ye mastâne zadi sahbâ bud
Remember when, at that feast of kindness and good manners, the only one laughing drunkenly was the red wine.
COUPLET 6
یاد باد آن که چو یاقوتِ قدح خنده زدیدر میانِ من و لعلِ تو حکایت‌ها بود
yâd bâd ân ke cho yâghut-e ghadah khande zadi / dar miyân-e man o la'l-e to hekâyat-hâ bud
Remember when you laughed like the ruby wine in the cup, and many tales passed between me and your ruby lips.
COUPLET 7
یاد باد آن که نگارم چو کمر بَربَستیدر رکابش مَهِ نو پیکِ جهان‌پیما بود
yâd bâd ân ke negâram cho kamar barbasti / dar rekâbash mah-e now peyk-e jahân-peymâ bud
Remember when my beloved fastened the belt to ride out, and the new moon ran at the stirrup as a world-traveling courier.
COUPLET 8
یاد باد آن که خرابات‌نشین بودم و مستوآنچه در مسجدم امروز کم است آنجا بود
yâd bâd ân ke kharâbât-neshin budam o mast / v-ân che dar masjedam emruz kam ast ânjâ bud
Remember when I lived in the tavern, drunk; what I lack today in the mosque was there.
COUPLET 9
یاد باد آن که به اصلاحِ شما می‌شد راستنظمِ هر گوهرِ ناسُفته که حافظ را بود
yâd bâd ân ke be eslâh-e shomâ mishod râst / nazm-e har gowhar-e nâsofte ke Hâfez râ bud
Remember when, through your corrections, every unpierced pearl of verse that Hafez had was strung in good order.
What this fâl tells you
This ghazal is a string of happy memories. Tradition reads this fal as a sign that the warmth of a past bond is still alive and can return: recall the good times, and reach out to the friend or teacher who once helped you. What you miss now is not lost; it is waiting to be found again.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: bud ("was"); every beyt opens with the refrain yâd bâd ân ke ("may it be remembered when"). qâfiye: -â (mâ, peydâ, shekarkhâ, nâparvâ, sahbâ, hekâyat-hâ, jahân-peymâ, ânjâ).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| یاد | yâd | memory dictionary |
| bâd | may it be; yâd bâd = may it be remembered dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| نهانت | nahânat | you, secretly (nahân + -at) (پنهانی) dictionary |
| nazari | a glance dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| ragham | writing, mark dictionary | |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| چهرهٔ | chehre | face dictionary |
| پیدا | peydâ | visible; peydâ shod = appeared dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| چشمت | cheshmat | your eye dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| etâbam | reproach (to me) dictionary | |
| می‌کشت | mikosht | was killing dictionary |
| معجز | mo'jez | miracle (معجزه) |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| zade | having drunk (sabuhi zadan = to drink at dawn) dictionary | |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| نبودیم | nabudim | we were not dictionary |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| rokhat | your face dictionary | |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| tarab | joy, delight dictionary | |
| می‌افروخت | mi-afrukht | was lighting dictionary |
| وین | v-in | and this (= va in) (و این) |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| sukhte | burnt dictionary | |
| پروانهٔ | parvâne | moth (drawn to the candle) dictionary |
| bazmgah | feast hall (بزمگاه) | |
| kholgh | good nature, character (اخلاق) dictionary | |
| adab | good manners, courtesy dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| khande | laughter dictionary | |
| zadi | would strike; khande zadi = laughed dictionary | |
| sahbâ | red wine (Arabic) (شراب سرخ) | |
| یاقوت | yâghut | ruby; here the red wine in the cup dictionary |
| قدح | ghadah | cup, goblet dictionary |
| میان | miyân | waist dictionary |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| hekâyat-hâ | tales, things said dictionary | |
| کمر | kamar | waist; belt; kamar bastan = to get ready to set out dictionary |
| rekâbash | his/her stirrup dictionary | |
| مه | mah | moon (= mâh) (ماه) |
| نو | now | new dictionary |
| پیک | peyk | courier, messenger dictionary |
| budam | I was dictionary | |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| وآنچه | v-ân che | and what (= va ân che) (و آنچه) |
| مسجدم | masjedam | the mosque (+ -am: for me) dictionary |
| emruz | today dictionary | |
| کم | kam | seldom dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| ânjâ | there dictionary | |
| eslâh | correction dictionary | |
| shomâ | you (plural, polite) dictionary | |
| می‌شد | mishod | would become dictionary |
| râst | straight, in order dictionary | |
| نظم | nazm | verse, poetry dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| گوهر | gowhar | pearl, jewel dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 204. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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