Ghazal 228 of Hafez (7 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 من از باغِ تو یک میوه بچینم چه شود؟پیش پایی به چراغِ تو ببینم چه شود؟
gar man az bâgh-e to yek mive bechinam che shavad / pish-e pâyi be cherâgh-e to bebinam che shavad
What would happen if I picked one fruit from your garden? What would happen if I saw the path before my feet by your lamp?
COUPLET 2
یا رب اندر کَنَفِ سایهٔ آن سروِ بلندگر منِ سوخته یک دَم بنشینم چه شود؟
yâ rab andar kanaf-e sâye-ye ân sarv-e boland / gar man-e sukhte yek dam beneshinam che shavad
O Lord, what harm if I, burnt as I am, sat for one moment in the shelter of that tall cypress's shade?
COUPLET 3
آخِر ای خاتَمِ جمشیدِ همایون آثارگر فِتَد عکسِ تو بر نقشِ نگینم چه شود؟
âkher ey khâtam-e jamshid-e homâyun-âsâr / gar fetad aks-e to bar naghsh-e neginam che shavad
After all, O blessed seal ring of Jamshid, what harm if your reflection fell on the engraving of my ring stone?
COUPLET 4
واعظِ شهر چو مِهرِ مَلِک و شَحنه گُزیدمن اگر مِهرِ نگاری بِگُزینم چه شود؟
vâ'ez-e shahr cho mehr-e malek o shahne gozid / man agar mehr-e negâri begozinam che shavad
The city preacher has chosen to love the king and the police chief; what harm if I choose to love a beauty?
COUPLET 5
عقلم از خانه به در رفت، وَگَر مِی این استدیدم از پیش که در خانهٔ دینم چه شود
aghlam az khâne be dar raft vagar mey in ast / didam az pish ke dar khâne-ye dinam che shavad
My reason has left its house; if this is what wine does, I can already see what will happen in the house of my faith.
COUPLET 6
صرف شد عمرِ گرانمایه به معشوقه و مِیتا از آنم چه به پیش آید، از اینم چه شود؟
sarf shod omr-e gerânmâye be ma'shughe o mey / tâ az ânam che be pish âyad, az inam che shavad
My precious life has been spent on the beloved and on wine; let us see what the one will bring me, and what will come to me from the other.
COUPLET 7
خواجه دانست که من عاشقم و هیچ نگفتحافظ ار نیز بداند که چُنینم چه شود؟
khâje dânest ke man âshegham o hich nagoft / Hâfez ar niz bedânad ke chenin-am che shavad
The master knew I was in love and said nothing; what harm if Hafez, too, knows that this is how I am?
What this fâl tells you
"What harm if I ask?" This ghazal is full of modest wishes. Tradition reads this fal as encouragement to make a small, sincere request of someone generous: a single fruit from the garden, a moment in the cypress's shade. The answer is likely to be kind, and you need not hide who you are.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: che shavad ("what would happen?"). qâfiye: -inam (bechinam, bebinam, beneshinam, neginam, begozinam, dinam, inam, chenin-am).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| bâgh | garden dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| میوه | mive | fruit dictionary |
| bechinam | I pick dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| پیش | pish | front; pish-e pâ = the path right before one's feet dictionary |
| pâyi | a foot; pish-e pâ = the way before one's feet dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| چراغ | cherâgh | lamp dictionary |
| bebinam | I see dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| sâye | shade, shadow dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| sarv | cypress (image of a tall beloved) dictionary | |
| boland | high; famous dictionary | |
| sukhte | burnt; heartbroken dictionary | |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| beneshinam | I sit dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| khâtam | seal ring dictionary | |
| همایون | homâyun | blessed; morgh-e homâyun = the Homa, bird of good fortune dictionary |
| âsâr | effects, signs; homâyun-âsâr = of blessed effect dictionary | |
| فتد | fetad | falls (= oftad) (افتد) dictionary |
| aks | reflection dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| واعظ | vâ'ez | preacher dictionary |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| گزید | gozid | chose dictionary |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| begozinam | I choose dictionary | |
| aghlam | my reason dictionary | |
| khâne | house dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| raft | went dictionary | |
| وگر | va gar | or if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| didam | I saw dictionary | |
| پیش | pish | in the eyes of, for dictionary |
| dinam | my faith dictionary | |
| sarf | spending; sarf shodan = to be spent dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| omr | life, lifetime dictionary | |
| معشوقه | ma'shughe | beloved dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| ânam | that one (+ -am: for me) dictionary | |
| âyad | comes, will come (می‌آید) dictionary | |
| inam | this one (+ -am: for me) dictionary | |
| khâje | master, lord dictionary | |
| dânest | knew dictionary | |
| âshegham | I am in love dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| نگفت | nagoft | did not say dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| نیز | niz | also dictionary |
| bedânad | knows dictionary | |
| چنینم | chenin-am | I am like this dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 228. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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