Ghazal 227 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
گر چه بر واعظِ شهر این سخن آسان نشودتا ریا وَرزَد و سالوس مسلمان نشود
garche bar vâ'ez-e shahr in sokhan âsân nashavad / tâ riyâ varzad o sâlus mosalmân nashavad
Though the city preacher will not find these words easy to swallow: as long as he practices hypocrisy and false piety, he will not become a true Muslim.
COUPLET 2
رِندی آموز و کَرَم کُن که نه چندان هنر استحَیَوانی که ننوشد مِی و انسان نشود
rendi âmuz o karam kon ke na chandân honar ast / heyvâni ke nanushad mey o ensân nashavad
Learn the free spirit's way and be generous, for it is no great achievement to be an animal that drinks no wine and never becomes human.
COUPLET 3
گوهرِ پاک بِباید که شود قابلِ فیضوَر نه هر سنگ و گِلی، لؤلؤ و مرجان نشود
gowhar-e pâk bebâyad ke shavad ghâbel-e feyz / var na har sang o geli lo'lo' o marjân nashavad
It takes a pure essence to become worthy of grace; otherwise not every stone and lump of clay turns into pearl and coral.
COUPLET 4
اسمِ اعظم بِکُنَد کارِ خود ای دل! خوش باشکه به تَلبیس و حِیَل، دیو مسلمان نشود
esm-e a'zam bekonad kâr-e khod ey del khosh bâsh / ke be talbis o heyal div mosalmân nashavad
The Greatest Name of God will do its work, O heart, so be glad: a demon does not become a believer through disguise and tricks.
COUPLET 5
عشق می‌ورزم و امّید که این فَنِّ شریفچون هنرهایِ دگر، موجب حِرمان نشود
eshgh mivarzam o omid ke in fann-e sharif / chon honar-hâ-ye degar mowjeb-e hermân nashavad
I practice love, and I hope this noble art, unlike other skills, will not leave me empty-handed.
COUPLET 6
دوش می‌گفت که «فردا بدهم کامِ دلت»سببی ساز خدایا که پشیمان نشود
dush migoft ke fardâ bedaham kâm-e delat / sababi sâz khodâyâ ke pashimân nashavad
Last night the beloved said, "Tomorrow I will give you your heart's desire." O God, arrange things so the beloved does not regret it.
COUPLET 7
حُسنِ خُلقی زِ خدا می‌طلبم خویِ تو راتا دگر خاطرِ ما از تو پریشان نشود
hosn-e kholghi ze khodâ mitalabam khu-ye to râ / tâ degar khâter-e mâ az to parishân nashavad
I pray God to give your temper a kind nature, so that my mind is no longer troubled by you.
COUPLET 8
ذره را تا نَبوَد همّتِ عالی حافظطالبِ چشمهٔ خورشیدِ درخشان نشود
zarre râ tâ nabvad hemmat-e âli Hâfez / tâleb-e cheshme-ye khorshid-e derakhshân nashavad
Hafez, unless a speck of dust has high aspiration, it will never seek the fountain of the shining sun.
What this fâl tells you
A promise has been made to you: "tomorrow I will give you your heart's desire." Tradition reads this fal as hope that a wish is close to being granted, and suggests you pray that it holds. Keep your heart sincere rather than showy, practice your noble art with love, and aim high like the speck of dust that seeks the sun.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nashavad ("does not become"). qâfiye: -ân (âsân, mosalmân, ensân, marjân, hermân, pashimân, parishân, derakhshân).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| واعظ | vâ'ez | preacher dictionary |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| نشود | nashavad | does not become dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| riyâ | hypocrisy, showing off piety dictionary | |
| ورزد | varzad | practices dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| sâlus | hypocrisy, false piety (ریاکاری) | |
| مسلمان | mosalmân | Muslim; a true believer dictionary |
| rendi | free-spirited life of the "rend" (a rogue who scorns hypocrisy) dictionary | |
| âmuz | learn! (بیاموز) dictionary | |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| چندان | chandân | so long, only so much dictionary |
| هنر | honar | skill, art dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| heyvâni | an animal dictionary | |
| ننوشد | nanushad | does not drink dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| ensân | human being dictionary | |
| گوهر | gowhar | pearl, jewel dictionary |
| پاک | pâk | pure, clean dictionary |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| قابل | ghâbel | fit for, worthy of dictionary |
| فیض | feyz | grace, abundance dictionary |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| sang | stone dictionary | |
| geli | a lump of clay dictionary | |
| لؤلؤ | lo'lo' | pearl (Arabic) (مروارید) |
| مرجان | marjân | coral dictionary |
| esm | name; esm-e a'zam = the Greatest Name of God dictionary | |
| a'zam | greatest dictionary | |
| bekonad | does, will do dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| khod | its own dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| bâsh | be! dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| heyal | tricks, ruses (plural of hile) dictionary | |
| div | demon dictionary | |
| می‌ورزم | mivarzam | I practice dictionary |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| sharif | noble dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| هنرهای | honar-hâ | skills, arts dictionary |
| degar | again; other (= digar) (دیگر) | |
| موجب | mowjeb | cause of dictionary |
| dush | last night (دیشب) dictionary | |
| می‌گفت | migoft | was saying dictionary |
| فردا | fardâ | tomorrow dictionary |
| bedaham | I will give dictionary | |
| کام | kâm | wish, desire; be kâm = as one wishes dictionary |
| delat | your heart dictionary | |
| sababi | a means, a cause dictionary | |
| sâz | make! arrange! (بساز) dictionary | |
| khodâyâ | O God! dictionary | |
| پشیمان | pashimân | regretful dictionary |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| kholghi | a good nature, character dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| می‌طلبم | mitalabam | I ask for, I pray for (میخواهم) dictionary |
| khu | temper, disposition dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| khâter | mind, heart dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| پریشان | parishân | scattered, disheveled; distressed dictionary |
| نبود | nabvad | is not (old form) (نیست / نباشد) dictionary |
| âli | high, noble dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| tâleb | seeker dictionary | |
| چشمهٔ | cheshme | spring, fountain dictionary |
| derakhshân | shining dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 227. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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