Ghazal 243 of Hafez (12 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
بویِ خوشِ تو هر که ز بادِ صبا شنیداز یارِ آشنا سخنِ آشنا شنید
bu-ye khosh-e to har ke ze bâd-e sabâ shenid / az yâr-e âshenâ sokhan-e âshenâ shenid
Whoever caught your sweet scent on the morning breeze heard a familiar word from a familiar friend.
COUPLET 2
ای شاهِ حُسن، چَشم به حالِ گدا فِکَنکـاین گوش بس حکایتِ شاه و گدا شنید
ey shâh-e hosn cheshm be hâl-e gedâ fekan / k-in gush bas hekâyat-e shâh o gedâ shenid
O king of beauty, cast a glance at this beggar's state; this ear has heard many tales of kings and beggars.
COUPLET 3
خوش می‌کنم به بادهٔ مُشکین مَشامِ جانکز دلق‌پوشِ صومعه بویِ ریا شنید
khosh mikonam be bâde-ye meshkin mashâm-e jân / k-az dalgh-push-e sowme'e bu-ye riyâ shenid
With musky wine I sweeten my soul's sense of smell, for it caught the smell of hypocrisy from the robed man of the cloister.
COUPLET 4
سِرِّ خدا که عارفِ سالِک به کَس نگفتدر حیرتم که باده‌فروش از کجا شنید
serr-e khodâ ke âref-e sâlek be kas nagoft / dar heyratam ke bâde-forush az kojâ shenid
The secret of God, which the mystic on the path told no one: I wonder where the wine-seller heard it.
COUPLET 5
یا رب کجاست محرمِ رازی که یک زماندل شرحِ آن دهد که چه گفت و چه‌ها شنید
yâ rab kojâst mahram-e râzi ke yek zamân / del sharh-e ân dahad ke che goft o che-hâ shenid
O Lord, where is a trusted confidant, so that for a moment my heart might tell what it said and all that it heard?
COUPLET 6
اینَش سزا نبود دلِ حق‌گُزارِ منکز غمگسارِ خود سخنِ ناسزا شنید
inash sezâ nabud del-e hagh-gozâr-e man / k-az ghamgosâr-e khod sokhan-e nâsezâ shenid
My grateful, faithful heart did not deserve this: to hear harsh words from the very one who should have comforted it.
COUPLET 7
محروم اگر شدم ز سرِ کویِ او چه شد؟از گلشنِ زمانه که بویِ وفا شنید؟
mahrum agar shodam ze sar-e ku-ye u che shod? / az golshan-e zamâne ke bu-ye vafâ shenid?
So what if I was kept away from the beloved's street? Who has ever caught the scent of loyalty from the rose garden of this world?
COUPLET 8
ساقی بیا که عشق ندا می‌کند بلندکان کس که گفت قصهٔ ما هم ز ما شنید
sâghi biyâ ke eshgh nedâ mikonad boland / k-ân kas ke goft ghesse-ye mâ ham ze mâ shenid
Cupbearer, come: love is calling out loud that whoever tells our story heard it from us.
COUPLET 9
ما باده زیرِ خرقه نه امروز می‌خوریمصد بار پیرِ میکده این ماجرا شنید
mâ bâde zir-e kherghe na emruz mikhorim / sad bâr pir-e meykade in mâjarâ shenid
It is not only today that we drink wine under the Sufi robe; the old master of the tavern has heard this story a hundred times.
COUPLET 10
ما مِی به بانگِ چنگ نه امروز می‌کشیمبس دور شد که گنبدِ چرخ این صدا شنید
mâ mey be bâng-e chang na emruz mikeshim / bas dur shod ke gonbad-e charkh in sedâ shenid
It is not only today that we drink wine to the sound of the harp; the dome of the turning sky heard this music long ago.
COUPLET 11
پندِ حکیمْ محضِ صَواب است و عینِ خیرفرخنده آن کسی که به سَمعِ رضا شنید
pand-e hakim mahz-e savâb ast o eyn-e kheyr / farkhonde ân kasi ke be sam'-e rezâ shenid
The advice of the wise is pure rightness and goodness itself; blessed is the one who listens to it with a willing ear.
COUPLET 12
حافظ، وظیفهٔ تو دعا گفتن است و بسدر بَندِ آن مباش که نشنید یا شنید
Hâfez vazife-ye to do'â goftan ast o bas / dar band-e ân mabâsh ke nashenid yâ shenid
Hafez, your duty is to pray, and nothing more; do not worry whether it was heard or not.
What this fâl tells you
Good words from a familiar friend may reach you soon. Tradition reads this fal as advice to listen well to sincere counsel and to do your part without worrying about the response. If someone close has hurt you with their words, let it go: your task is to keep a good heart and keep praying.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: shenid ("heard"). qâfiye: -â (âshenâ, gedâ, riyâ, kojâ, che-hâ, nâsezâ, vafâ, mâ, mâjarâ, sedâ, rezâ, yâ).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| shenid | heard dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| âshenâ | friend, familiar one dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| shâh | king dictionary | |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| hâl | state, condition dictionary | |
| گدا | gedâ | beggar dictionary |
| فکن | fekan | cast! throw! (بینداز) dictionary |
| کـاین | k-in | that these (= ke in) (که این) |
| گوش | gush | ear; gush kon = listen dictionary |
| bas | much, many dictionary | |
| hekâyat | tale dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| می‌کنم | mikonam | I do, I make dictionary |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| sowme'e | cloister, hermitage (place of formal piety) dictionary | |
| riyâ | hypocrisy, show of piety dictionary | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| sâlek | traveller on the spiritual path dictionary | |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| نگفت | nagoft | did not say dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| heyratam | I am in wonder, I am amazed dictionary | |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| râzi | a secret (that) dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| zamân | time dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| sharh-e | account of dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| dahad | gives, may give dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| چه‌ها | che-hâ | what things! dictionary |
| inash | this (for it) dictionary | |
| sezâ | deserved, fitting dictionary | |
| نبود | nabud | was not dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| khod | own (one's own) dictionary | |
| ناسزا | nâsezâ | undeserved, unkind; insulting dictionary |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| shodam | I became dictionary | |
| sar | head, end; sar-e ku = the head of the street, the beloved's lane dictionary | |
| کوی | ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| وفا | vafâ | loyalty, faithfulness dictionary |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| ندا | nedâ | call, cry dictionary |
| می‌کند | mikonad | does, is doing dictionary |
| boland | loud, aloud dictionary | |
| کان | k-ân | that that (= ke ân) (که آن) |
| قصهٔ | ghesse | story dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| هم | ham | also, too dictionary |
| zir | under dictionary | |
| kherghe | dervish's cloak, Sufi robe dictionary | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| emruz | today dictionary | |
| می‌خوریم | mikhorim | we drink dictionary |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| bâr | time; sad bâr = a hundred times dictionary | |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| میکده | meykade | tavern dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| ماجرا | mâjarâ | story, affair dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| bâng | cry, call dictionary | |
| چنگ | chang | harp dictionary |
| می‌کشیم | mikeshim | we drink (mey keshidan) dictionary |
| dur | far, long; bas dur shod = it has been a long time dictionary | |
| گنبد | gonbad | dome dictionary |
| چرخ | charkh | wheel; the sky as a turning wheel dictionary |
| sedâ | sound dictionary | |
| پند | pand | advice dictionary |
| hakim | the Wise One (God); a sage dictionary | |
| محض | mahz | pure, sheer dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| eyn | the very essence of, pure dictionary | |
| kheyr | good, good deed dictionary | |
| فرخنده | farkhonde | blessed, fortunate dictionary |
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| وظیفهٔ | vazife | duty, task dictionary |
| do'â | prayer, blessing dictionary | |
| گفتن | goftan | to say; tark goftan = to give up dictionary |
| band | bond; dar band-e chizi budan = to be concerned with something dictionary | |
| مباش | mabâsh | do not be! (نباش) dictionary |
| نشنید | nashenid | did not hear dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 243. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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