Ghazal 217 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
مسلمانان مرا وقتی دلی بودکه با وی گفتمی گر مشکلی بود
mosalmânân marâ vaghti deli bud / ke bâ vey goftami gar moshkeli bud
O Muslims, I once had a heart to which I could tell any trouble I had.
COUPLET 2
به گِردابی چو می‌افتادم از غمبه تدبیرش امیدِ ساحلی بود
be gerdâbi cho mioftâdam az gham / be tadbirash omid-e sâheli bud
Whenever grief threw me into a whirlpool, its good counsel gave me hope of reaching the shore.
COUPLET 3
دلی همدرد و یاری مصلحت بینکه اِستِظهارِ هر اهلِ دلی بود
deli hamdard o yâri maslahat-bin / ke estezhâr-e har ahl-e deli bud
It was a sympathetic heart and a friend of sound judgment, the support of everyone who had a heart.
COUPLET 4
ز من ضایع شد اندر کویِ جانانچه دامنگیر یا رب منزلی بود
ze man zâye' shod andar ku-ye jânân / che dâmangir yâ rab manzeli bud
I lost it in the beloved's street. O Lord, what a place that was, catching at my hem and never letting go!
COUPLET 5
هنر بی‌عیبِ حِرمان نیست لیکنز من محروم‌تر کِی سائلی بود؟
honar bi-eyb-e hermân nist likan / ze man mahrumtar key sâ'eli bud
Talent never comes free of the flaw of deprivation, but when was there ever a beggar more deprived than me?
COUPLET 6
بر این جانِ پریشان رحمت آریدکه وقتی کاردانی کاملی بود
bar in jân-e parishân rahmat ârid / ke vaghti kârdâni kâmeli bud
Have mercy on this troubled soul, for once it was capable and accomplished.
COUPLET 7
مرا تا عشق تعلیمِ سخن کردحدیثم نکتهٔ هر محفلی بود
marâ tâ eshgh ta'lim-e sokhan kard / hadisam nokte-ye har mahfeli bud
Ever since love taught me how to speak, my words have been the fine point of every gathering.
COUPLET 8
مگو دیگر که حافظ نکته‌دان استکه ما دیدیم و محکم جاهلی بود
magu digar ke Hâfez nokte-dân ast / ke mâ didim o mohkam jâheli bud
Do not say any more that Hafez understands subtle things: we have seen him, and he was thoroughly ignorant.
What this fâl tells you
You may be missing a trusted confidant, someone you could tell everything to. Tradition reads this fal as advice to seek out a sympathetic friend of sound judgment and share your burden, instead of carrying it alone. Stay humble: every gift comes with some hardship, and love itself will teach you how to speak.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: bud ("was"). qâfiye: -eli (deli, moshkeli, sâheli, manzeli, sâ'eli, kâmeli, mahfeli, jâheli).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| مسلمانان | mosalmânân | O Muslims (an appeal to the listeners) dictionary |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| vaghti | a time dictionary | |
| deli | a heart dictionary | |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| vey | it, him, her (= u) (او) | |
| goftami | I would tell (old habitual form) (می‌گفتم) dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| moshkeli | a problem, a difficulty dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| gerdâbi | a whirlpool dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| می‌افتادم | mioftâdam | I would fall dictionary |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| tadbirash | its counsel dictionary | |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| sâheli | a shore dictionary | |
| همدرد | hamdard | sympathetic, sharing one's pain dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| yâri | friendship; a friend dictionary | |
| bin | seeing; maslahat-bin = of sound judgment dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| ahl | people (of) dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| zâye' | wasted, lost dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| کوی | ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) |
| jânân | the beloved (معشوق) | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| manzeli | a place, a stopping place dictionary | |
| هنر | honar | skill, art dictionary |
| bi-eyb | without faults dictionary | |
| hermân | deprivation, disappointment (محرومیت) | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| لیکن | likan | but (ولی) |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| پریشان | parishân | scattered, disheveled; distressed dictionary |
| rahmat | mercy dictionary | |
| ârid | bring (you, plural); yâd ârid = remember! dictionary | |
| kârdâni | a capable person dictionary | |
| kâmeli | accomplished, complete dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| ta'lim | teaching dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| نکتهٔ | nokte | point, subtle point dictionary |
| mahfeli | a gathering dictionary | |
| مگو | magu | do not say! (نگو) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| didim | we saw dictionary | |
| محکم | mohkam | firm; here: thoroughly dictionary |
| jâheli | an ignorant person dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 217. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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