Ghazal 245 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
الا ای طوطیِ گویا‌یِ اسرار!مبادا خالیَت شَکَّر ز مِنقار
alâ ey tuti-ye guyâ-ye asrâr / mabâdâ khâliyat shakkar ze menghâr
O parrot who speaks of secrets, may your beak never be empty of sugar!
COUPLET 2
سَرَت سبز و دلت خوش باد، جاویدکه خوش نقشی نمودی از خطِ یار
sarat sabz o delat khosh bâd jâvid / ke khosh naghshi nemudi az khatt-e yâr
May your head stay green and your heart happy forever, for you have drawn a lovely picture of the beloved's cheek-down.
COUPLET 3
سخن سربسته گفتی با حریفانخدا را زین معما پرده بردار
sokhan sar-baste gofti bâ harifân / khodâ râ z-in mo'ammâ parde bardâr
You spoke to the companions in veiled words; for God's sake, lift the veil from this riddle.
COUPLET 4
به رویِ ما زن از ساغر گلابیکه خواب‌آلوده‌ایم، ای بختِ بیدار!
be ru-ye mâ zan az sâghar golâbi / ke khâb-âlude'im ey bakht-e bidâr
Splash a little rose water from the cup onto our faces, for we are heavy with sleep, O wakeful fortune.
COUPLET 5
چه رَه بود این که زد در پرده مطرب؟که می‌رقصند با هم مست و هشیار
che rah bud in ke zad dar parde motreb / ke miraghsand bâ ham mast o hoshyâr
What tune was that the musician played in that mode, that the drunk and the sober are dancing together?
COUPLET 6
از آن افیون که ساقی در مِی افکندحریفان را نه سَر مانَد، نه دَستار
az ân afyun ke sâghi dar mey afkand / harifân râ na sar mânad na dastâr
From the opium the cupbearer dropped into the wine, the companions have lost both their heads and their turbans.
COUPLET 7
سِکَندَر را نمی‌بخشند آبیبه زور و زر مُیَسَّر نیست این کار
sekandar râ nemibakhshand âbi / be zur o zar moyassar nist in kâr
Even Alexander is not granted a drop of that water; this cannot be won by force or by gold.
COUPLET 8
بیا و حالِ اهلِ درد بشنوبه لفظِ اندک و معنیِ بسیار
biyâ o hâl-e ahl-e dard beshno / be lafz-e andak o ma'ni-ye bisyâr
Come and hear the state of those who suffer, in few words and with much meaning.
COUPLET 9
بُتِ چینی عدویِ دین و دل‌هاستخداوندا دل و دینم نگه دار
bot-e chini adu-ye din o del-hâst / khodâvandâ del o dinam negah dâr
The idol from China is the enemy of faith and hearts; O God, protect my heart and my faith.
COUPLET 10
به مستور‌ان مگو اسرارِ مستیحدیثِ جان مگو با نقشِ دیوار
be masturân magu asrâr-e masti / hadis-e jân magu bâ naghsh-e divâr
Do not tell the secrets of intoxication to the veiled and respectable; do not speak of the soul to a picture on the wall.
COUPLET 11
به یُمنِ دولتِ منصور شاهیعَلَم شد حافظ اندر نظمِ اشعار
be yomn-e dowlat-e mansur-shâhi / alam shod Hâfez andar nazm-e ash'âr
Thanks to the blessing of Shah Mansur's reign, Hafez has become famous for the art of verse.
COUPLET 12
خداوندی به جایِ بندگان کردخداوندا ز آفاتش نگه دار
khodâvandi be jâ-ye bandegân kard / khodâvandâ ze âfâtash negah dâr
He has acted as a true lord toward his servants; O God, keep him safe from harm.
What this fâl tells you
Sweet words and good news may come from a messenger, like sugar in a parrot's beak. Tradition reads this fal as a sign that a hidden matter will soon become clear, and that what you seek cannot be bought with force or money. Share your secrets only with those who can understand them, and be grateful to those who have been generous to you.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -âr (asrâr, menghâr, yâr, bardâr, bidâr, hoshyâr, dastâr, kâr, bisyâr, dâr, divâr, ash'âr).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| گویا‌ی | guyâ | speaking, eloquent dictionary |
| asrâr | secrets dictionary | |
| مبادا | mabâdâ | may it never be! dictionary |
| khâliyat | your ... empty (= khâli-ye to) dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| منقار | menghâr | beak dictionary |
| sarat | your head; sar sabz = fresh, flourishing dictionary | |
| sabz | green dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| delat | your heart dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| bâd | may it be dictionary | |
| jâvid | forever, eternal dictionary | |
| naghshi | a picture, a design dictionary | |
| nemudi | you showed (نشان دادی) dictionary | |
| khatt | line; here a painted line / the first down on the cheek dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| gofti | you said; you composed dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| harifân | companions, drinking friends dictionary | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| z-in | from this (= az in); z-in pish = before this (از این) | |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| bardâr | lift! take away! dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| zan | strike! splash! dictionary | |
| sâghar | cup dictionary | |
| golâbi | a little rose water dictionary | |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| bidâr | awake dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| zad | struck; dam zad = breathed out, shone; âtash zad = set on fire dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| پرده | parde | musical mode; dar parde zadan = to play in a mode dictionary |
| می‌رقصند | miraghsand | they dance dictionary |
| هم | ham | also, too dictionary |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| هشیار | hoshyâr | sober, alert dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| afkand | threw, dropped dictionary | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| sar | head dictionary | |
| ماند | mânad | stays, remains dictionary |
| dastâr | turban dictionary | |
| sekandar | Alexander the Great (اسکندر) | |
| نمی‌بخشند | nemibakhshand | they do not grant dictionary |
| âbi | a drop of water dictionary | |
| zur | force, strength dictionary | |
| zar | gold dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| hâl | state, condition dictionary | |
| ahl | people (of) dictionary | |
| dard | pain, suffering; ahl-e dard = those who suffer (from love) dictionary | |
| beshno | listen! dictionary | |
| لفظ | lafz | word, wording dictionary |
| andak | little, few dictionary | |
| معنی | ma'ni | meaning, inner reality dictionary |
| bot | idol; the beautiful beloved dictionary | |
| chini | Chinese; bot-e chini = the idol of China (a beauty) dictionary | |
| adu | enemy dictionary | |
| din | religion, faith dictionary | |
| del-hâst | is (of) hearts dictionary | |
| khodâvandâ | O God! O Lord! dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| dinam | my faith dictionary | |
| نگه | negah | negah dâshtan = to keep, to protect (نگاه) |
| dâr | keep! hold! (imperative of dâshtan) dictionary | |
| مستور‌ان | masturân | the veiled, the outwardly respectable dictionary |
| مگو | magu | do not say! (نگو) dictionary |
| masti | intoxication dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| divâr | wall dictionary | |
| dowlat | good fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary | |
| منصور | mansur | Shah Mansur, the Muzaffarid king of Shiraz dictionary |
| shâhi | mansur-shâhi = of Shah Mansur dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| نظم | nazm | verse, poetry dictionary |
| ash'âr | poems dictionary | |
| jâ-ye | place of; be jâ-ye = toward, for (someone) (در حق) dictionary | |
| bandegân | servants dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| âfâtash | harms, calamities (to him) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 245. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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