Ghazal 231 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
گفتم غمِ تو دارم گفتا غمَت سرآیدگفتم که ماهِ من شو گفتا اگر برآید
goftam gham-e to dâram, goftâ ghamat sar âyad / goftam ke mâh-e man sho, goftâ agar bar âyad
I said, "I am grieving for you." She said, "Your grief will come to an end." I said, "Be my moon." She said, "If it rises."
COUPLET 2
گفتم ز مِهروَرزان رسمِ وفا بیاموزگفتا ز خوب‌رویان این کار کمتر آید
goftam ze mehr-varzân rasm-e vafâ biyâmuz / goftâ ze khub-ruyân in kâr kamtar âyad
I said, "Learn the custom of loyalty from those who love." She said, "That is rarely the work of the beautiful."
COUPLET 3
گفتم که بر خیالت راهِ نظر ببندمگفتا که شب‌رو است او از راهِ دیگر آید
goftam ke bar khiyâlat râh-e nazar bebandam / goftâ ke shab-row ast u, az râh-e digar âyad
I said, "I will close the road of my eyes to the thought of you." She said, "That thought walks at night; it will come by another road."
COUPLET 4
گفتم که بویِ زلفت گمراهِ عالَمَم کردگفتا اگر بدانی هم اوت رهبر آید
goftam ke bu-ye zolfat gomrâh-e âlamam kard / goftâ agar bedâni ham-ut rahbar âyad
I said, "The scent of your hair has led me astray in the world." She said, "If you understand, it will also be your guide."
COUPLET 5
گفتم خوشا هوایی کز بادِ صبح خیزدگفتا خُنُک نسیمی کز کویِ دلبر آید
goftam khoshâ havâyi k-az bâd-e sobh khizad / goftâ khonok nasimi k-az ku-ye delbar âyad
I said, "How sweet is the air that rises with the morning wind." She said, "Sweeter is the cool breeze that comes from your beloved's street."
COUPLET 6
گفتم که نوشِ لَعلَت ما را به آرزو کشتگفتا تو بندگی کن کاو بنده‌پرور آید
goftam ke nush-e la'lat mâ râ be ârezu kosht / goftâ to bandegi kon k-u bande-parvar âyad
I said, "The sweetness of your ruby lips has killed me with longing." She said, "Just keep serving; it takes good care of its servants."
COUPLET 7
گفتم دلِ رحیمت کِی عزمِ صلح دارد؟گفتا مگوی با کس تا وقتِ آن درآید
goftam del-e rahimat key azm-e solh dârad / goftâ maguy bâ kas tâ vaght-e ân dar âyad
I said, "When will your kind heart decide to make peace?" She said, "Tell no one, until the time for it comes."
COUPLET 8
گفتم زمانِ عِشرَت دیدی که چون سر آمد؟گفتا خموش حافظ کـاین غصّه هم سر آید
goftam zamân-e eshrat didi ke chon sar âmad / goftâ khamush Hâfez k-in ghosse ham sar âyad
I said, "Did you see how fast the time of joy came to an end?" She said, "Hush, Hafez: this sorrow will end too."
What this fâl tells you
A gentle, encouraging fal written as a conversation. Tradition reads it as a promise that your worry will end and that the answer you are waiting for will come in its own time. Be patient, keep your wish to yourself, and trust that sorrow, like joy, passes.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: âyad ("comes"). qâfiye: -ar (sar, bar, kamtar, digar, rahbar, delbar, parvar, dar, sar). Every line starts with goftam ("I said") and goftâ ("she said").
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| گفتم | goftam | I said dictionary |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| dâram | I have dictionary | |
| گفتا | goftâ | (he/she) said (poetic form of goft) (گفت) dictionary |
| ghamat | your grief dictionary | |
| sar âyad | comes to an end (تمام می‌شود) | |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| sho | become! be! (بشو) dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| bar âyad | rises; comes true; comes out (برمی‌آید) | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| rasm | custom, way dictionary | |
| وفا | vafâ | loyalty, faithfulness dictionary |
| biyâmuz | learn! dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| کمتر | kamtar | less dictionary |
| âyad | comes, will come (می‌آید) dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| khiyâlat | the thought of you, your image dictionary | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| bebandam | I close dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| zolfat | your curls dictionary | |
| گمراه | gomrâh | lost, led astray dictionary |
| âlamam | of the world + me dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| bedâni | you know, understand dictionary | |
| هم | ham | also, too dictionary |
| ham-ut | (= ham u to-râ) it ... for you too (او برای تو) | |
| rahbar | guide dictionary | |
| havâyi | an air, a breeze dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| sobh | morning dictionary | |
| nasimi | a breeze dictionary | |
| کوی | ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) |
| delbar | heart-stealer, the beloved dictionary | |
| نوش | nush | sweetness, nectar dictionary |
| لعلت | la'lat | your ruby (lips) dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| کشت | kosht | killed dictionary |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| کاو | k-u | who (= ke u) (که او) |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| rahimat | your merciful (heart) dictionary | |
| azm | resolve, decision dictionary | |
| solh | peace dictionary | |
| dârad | has; (with arze) shows dictionary | |
| maguy | do not say (نگو) dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| zamân | time dictionary | |
| didi | you saw dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| âmad | came dictionary | |
| khamush | silent; hush! (خاموش) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| کـاین | k-in | that these (= ke in) (که این) |
| ghosse | sorrow, worry dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 231. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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