Ghazal 224 of Hafez (11 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
خوشا دلی که مدام از پِی نظر نرودبه هر دَرَش که بخوانند بی‌خبر نرود
khoshâ deli ke modâm az pey-e nazar naravad / be har darash ke bekhânand bikhabar naravad
Happy the heart that does not keep running after every glance, and does not go heedlessly to every door it is called to.
COUPLET 2
طمع در آن لبِ شیرین نکردَنَم اولیولی چگونه مگس از پِی شکر نرود
tama' dar ân lab-e shirin nakardanam owlâ / vali chegune magas az pey-e shekar naravad
It would be better for me not to covet those sweet lips; but how can a fly not go after sugar?
COUPLET 3
سوادِ دیدهٔ غمدیده‌ام به اشک مشویکه نقشِ خالِ توام هرگز از نظر نرود
savâd-e dide-ye ghamdide-am be ashk mashuy / ke naghsh-e khâl-e to-am hargez az nazar naravad
Do not wash away with tears the black of my grieving eyes, so that the image of your mole never leaves my sight.
COUPLET 4
ز من چو بادِ صبا بویِ خود دریغ مدارچرا که بی سرِ زلفِ توام به سر نرود
ze man cho bâd-e sabâ bu-ye khod darigh madâr / cherâ ke bi sar-e zolf-e to-am be sar naravad
Like the morning breeze, do not hold back your scent from me, for without your curls my life cannot go on.
COUPLET 5
دلا مباش چنین هرزه گَرد و هرجاییکه هیچ کار ز پیشت بدین هنر نرود
delâ mabâsh chenin harze-gard o harjâyi / ke hich kâr ze pishat bedin honar naravad
O heart, do not be such an idle wanderer, at home everywhere; with skills like these you will get nothing done.
COUPLET 6
مکن به چشمِ حقارت نگاه در منِ مستکه آبرویِ شریعت بدین قَدَر نرود
makon be cheshm-e heghârat negâh dar man-e mast / ke âbru-ye shari'at bedin ghadar naravad
Do not look down on me for being drunk: religion's honor will not be lost over so small a thing.
COUPLET 7
منِ گدا هوس سروقامتی دارمکه دست در کمرش جز به سیم و زر نرود
man-e gedâ havas-e sarv-ghâmati dâram / ke dast dar kamarash joz be sim o zar naravad
Beggar that I am, I long for a cypress-tall beauty whose waist no hand can reach except with silver and gold.
COUPLET 8
تو کز مکارمِ اخلاق عالَمی دگریوفایِ عهدِ من از خاطرت به در نرود
to k-az makârem-e akhlâgh âlami degari / vafâ-ye ahd-e man az khâterat be dar naravad
You, who in noble character are a world of your own, will surely not let my faithful pledge slip from your mind.
COUPLET 9
سیاه نامه‌تر از خود کسی نمی‌بینمچگونه چون قلمم دودِ دل به سر نرود
siyâh-nâmetar az khod kasi nemibinam / chegune chon ghalamam dud-e del be sar naravad
I see no one with a blacker record than my own; how could the smoke of my heart not rise to my head, as ink rises in a pen?
COUPLET 10
به تاجِ هدهدم از رَه مَبَر که بازِ سفیدچو باشه در پِی هر صیدِ مختصر نرود
be tâj-e hodhodam az rah mabar ke bâz-e sefid / cho bâshe dar pey-e har seyd-e mokhtasar naravad
Do not lead me astray with the hoopoe's crown: the white falcon does not chase every trifling prey like a sparrowhawk.
COUPLET 11
بیار باده و اول به دستِ حافظ دهبه شرطِ آن که ز مجلس سخن به در نرود
biyâr bâde o avval be dast-e Hâfez deh / be shart-e ân ke ze majles sokhan be dar naravad
Bring wine and give it first to Hafez, on condition that no word of it leaves the gathering.
What this fâl tells you
Do not run after every passing attraction or answer every call. Tradition reads this fal as advice to aim high, like the white falcon that ignores small prey, and not to be dazzled by showy things. Keep faith with your promises and keep the confidences of your friends; good things come to the steady heart.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: naravad ("does not go"). qâfiye: -ar (nazar, shekar, sar, honar, ghadar, zar, dar, mokhtasar).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| deli | a heart dictionary | |
| مدام | modâm | constant, lasting; also "wine" (pun) dictionary |
| pey | after; pey-e kâri gereftan = to go off about some business dictionary | |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| نرود | naravad | does not go dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| darash | its door dictionary | |
| bekhânand | they call, invite dictionary | |
| bikhabar | unaware dictionary | |
| tama' | expectation; greed dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| نکردنم | nakardanam | my not doing dictionary |
| owlâ | better, more fitting (بهتر) | |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| چگونه | chegune | how dictionary |
| shekar | sugar dictionary | |
| savâd | black ink; a rough draft, manuscript dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| ashk | tear dictionary | |
| mashuy | do not wash (نشوی) dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| khâl | mole, beauty spot dictionary | |
| to-am | of you (the -am belongs to andâkht: it cast me) dictionary | |
| هرگز | hargez | never dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| khod | oneself, own dictionary | |
| darigh | withholding; darigh dâshtan = to hold back, deny dictionary | |
| مدار | madâr | do not have (old imperative of dâshtan) (نداشته باش) dictionary |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| delâ | O heart! dictionary | |
| مباش | mabâsh | do not be! (نباش) dictionary |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| هرزه | harze | vain, idle; be harze = in vain (بیهوده) dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| پیشت | pishat | before you; pish âmadan = to happen to dictionary |
| bedin | with this, in this (= be in) (با این) | |
| هنر | honar | skill, art dictionary |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| نگاه | negâh | look; negâh dâshtan = to keep dictionary |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| گدا | gedâ | beggar dictionary |
| هوس | havas | longing, desire dictionary |
| dâram | I have dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| کمرش | kamarash | his/her waist dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| sim | silver dictionary | |
| zar | gold dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| akhlâgh | character, morals dictionary | |
| âlami | a whole world dictionary | |
| digari | another person (= digari) (دیگری) | |
| ahd | pledge, promise (پیمان) dictionary | |
| khâterat | your mind, memory dictionary | |
| siyâh | black dictionary | |
| نامه‌تر | nâmetar | (siyâh-nâmetar) with a blacker record of deeds dictionary |
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary | |
| نمی‌بینم | nemibinam | I do not see dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| قلمم | ghalamam | like my pen (cho ghalamam) dictionary |
| dud | smoke dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| tâj | crown dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| مبر | mabar | do not take; az yâd mabar = do not forget (نبر) dictionary |
| bâz | falcon, hawk dictionary | |
| sefid | white dictionary | |
| bâshe | sparrowhawk dictionary | |
| seyd | prey; hunting dictionary | |
| مختصر | mokhtasar | short, brief dictionary |
| biyâr | bring! dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| avval | at first dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| deh | give! (= bedeh) (بده) dictionary | |
| shart | rule, condition dictionary | |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 224. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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