Ghazal 242 of Hafez (9 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
بیا که رایتِ منصورِ پادشاه رسیدنویدِ فتح و بشارت به مِهر و ماه رسید
biyâ ke râyat-e mansur-e pâdeshâh resid / navid-e fath o beshârat be mehr o mâh resid
Come: the victorious banner of the king has arrived. The news of conquest and joy has reached the sun and the moon.
COUPLET 2
جمالِ بخت ز رویِ ظفر نقاب انداختکمالِ عدل به فریادِ دادخواه رسید
jamâl-e bakht ze ru-ye zafar neghâb andâkht / kamâl-e adl be faryâd-e dâdkhâh resid
The beauty of good fortune has thrown the veil off the face of victory; perfect justice has come to answer the cry of those seeking redress.
COUPLET 3
سپهر، دور خوش اکنون کُنَد که ماه آمدجهان به کامِ دل اکنون رسد که شاه رسید
sepehr dowr-e khosh aknun konad ke mâh âmad / jahân be kâm-e del aknun resad ke shâh resid
Now the heavens will turn kindly, since the moon has come; now the world will go as the heart wishes, since the king has arrived.
COUPLET 4
ز قاطعانِ طریق این زمان شوند ایمنقوافلِ دل و دانش که مَرد راه رسید
ze ghâte'ân-e tarigh in zamân shavand ayman / ghavâfel-e del o dânesh ke mard-e râh resid
Now the caravans of heart and learning will be safe from the highway robbers, for the man of the road has arrived.
COUPLET 5
عزیزِ مصر به رغمِ برادران غیورز قعرِ چاه برآمد به اوجِ ماه رسید
aziz-e mesr be raghm-e barâdarân-e ghayur / ze ghar-e châh bar âmad be owj-e mâh resid
The beloved of Egypt, Joseph, in spite of his jealous brothers, rose from the bottom of the well and reached the height of the moon.
COUPLET 6
کجاست صوفیِ دَجّال فِعلِ مُلحِدشکلبگو بسوز، که مهدیِّ دین پناه رسید
kojâst sufi-ye dajjâl-fe'l-e molhed-shekl / begu besuz ke mahdi-ye din-panâh resid
Where is that Sufi, deceiving like the Antichrist and looking like a heretic? Tell him to burn with envy: the Mahdi, protector of the faith, has come.
COUPLET 7
صبا بگو که چه‌ها بر سرم در این غمِ عشقز آتشِ دلِ سوزان و دودِ آه رسید
sabâ begu ke che-hâ bar saram dar in gham-e eshgh / ze âtash-e del-e suzân o dud-e âh resid
Morning breeze, tell what has come over me in this sorrow of love, from the fire of my burning heart and the smoke of my sighs.
COUPLET 8
ز شوقِ رویِ تو شاها بدین اسیرِ فراقهمان رسید کز آتش به برگِ کاه رسید
ze showgh-e ru-ye to shâhâ bedin asir-e ferâgh / hamân resid k-az âtash be barg-e kâh resid
O king, out of longing for your face, the same thing has happened to this prisoner of separation as happens to a blade of straw in fire.
COUPLET 9
مرو به خواب که حافظ به بارگاهِ قبولز وِردِ نیمْ شب و درسِ صبحگاه رسید
marow be khâb ke Hâfez be bârgâh-e ghabul / ze verd-e nim-shab o dars-e sobhgâh resid
Do not go to sleep: Hafez reached the court of acceptance through his midnight prayers and his lessons at dawn.
What this fâl tells you
Victory and good news are on the way; what was lost, like Joseph in the well, can rise to the height of the moon. Tradition reads this fal as the arrival of justice and relief after a difficult time. Keep up your quiet daily effort, as Hafez did with his midnight prayers, and you will be received well.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: resid ("arrived"). qâfiye: -âh (pâdeshâh, mâh, dâdkhâh, shâh, râh, panâh, âh, kâh, sobhgâh).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| منصور | mansur | victorious; also the name of Shah Mansur, the Muzaffarid king dictionary |
| پادشاه | pâdeshâh | king dictionary |
| resid | arrived, came dictionary | |
| نوید | navid | good news, glad tidings dictionary |
| فتح | fath | conquest, victory dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| beshârat | good news (مژده) | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| مهر | mehr | the sun dictionary |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| jamâl | beauty dictionary | |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| zafar | victory (پیروزی) dictionary | |
| نقاب | neghâb | veil dictionary |
| andâkht | threw dictionary | |
| کمال | kamâl | perfection, height, fullness dictionary |
| adl | justice dictionary | |
| فریاد | faryâd | cry, shout dictionary |
| dâdkhâh | one who seeks justice dictionary | |
| sepehr | the sky, the heavens dictionary | |
| dowr | turning (of the heavens) dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| aknun | now (حالا) dictionary | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| âmad | came dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| کام | kâm | wish, desire; be kâm = as one wishes dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| resad | reaches (برسد) dictionary | |
| shâh | king dictionary | |
| قاطعان | ghâte'ân | robbers; ghâte'ân-e tarigh = highway robbers dictionary |
| tarigh | way, path dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| zamân | time dictionary | |
| shavand | (they) become dictionary | |
| قوافل | ghavâfel | caravans dictionary |
| dânesh | knowledge, learning dictionary | |
| مرد | mard | man dictionary |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| aziz | aziz-e mesr = the beloved (ruler) of Egypt: Joseph dictionary | |
| مصر | mesr | Egypt dictionary |
| barâdarân | brothers dictionary | |
| ghayur | jealous, zealous dictionary | |
| قعر | ghar | bottom, depth dictionary |
| چاه | châh | well, pit dictionary |
| owj | height, peak dictionary | |
| فعل | fe'l | deed; dajjâl-fe'l = acting like the Antichrist dictionary |
| begu | tell! say! dictionary | |
| besuz | burn! dictionary | |
| din | religion, faith dictionary | |
| پناه | panâh | refuge; din-panâh = protector of the faith dictionary |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| چه‌ها | che-hâ | what things! dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| saram | my head; bar saram resid = befell me dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| suzân | burning dictionary | |
| dud | smoke dictionary | |
| showgh | longing, eagerness dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| shâhâ | O king! dictionary | |
| bedin | with this, in this (= be in) (با این) | |
| همان | hamân | the same dictionary |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| barg | leaf, petal dictionary | |
| کاه | kâh | straw dictionary |
| مرو | marow | do not go! (نرو) dictionary |
| khâb | sleep dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| bârgâh | court, royal hall dictionary | |
| قبول | ghabul | acceptance; ghabul-e khâter = being loved by people dictionary |
| ورد | verd | daily prayer, litany dictionary |
| نیم | nim | half; nim-shab = midnight dictionary |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| dars | lesson, study dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 242. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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