Ghazal 25 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
شکفته شد گل حَمرا و گشت بلبل مستصَلایِ سرخوشی، ای صوفیانِ باده پرست
shekofte shod gol-e hamrâ o gasht bolbol mast / salâ-ye sarkhoshi, ey sufiyân-e bâde-parast
The red rose has bloomed and the nightingale is drunk. Here is the call to merriment, you wine-loving Sufis!
COUPLET 2
اساسِ توبه که در محکمی چو سنگ نُمودببین که جامِ زُجاجی چه طُرفه‌اش بشکست
asâs-e towbe ke dar mohkami cho sang nemud / bebin ke jâm-e zojâji che torfe-ash beshekast
The foundation of repentance looked as firm as stone; see how wonderfully a glass cup has shattered it.
COUPLET 3
بیار باده که در بارگاهِ استغناچه پاسبان و چه سلطان، چه هوشیار و چه مست
biyâr bâde ke dar bârgâh-e esteghnâ / che pâsbân o che soltân, che hushyâr o che mast
Bring wine: in the court of the Self-Sufficient, watchman or sultan, sober or drunk, all are the same.
COUPLET 4
از این رِباط دو در، چون ضرورت است رَحیلرِواق و طاقِ معیشت، چه سربلند و چه پست
az in robât-e do dar chon zarurat ast rahil / revâgh o tâgh-e ma'ishat che sarboland o che past
Since we must depart from this inn with two doors, what does it matter if the porch and arch of our living are high or low?
COUPLET 5
مقام عیش میسر نمی‌شود بی‌رنجبلی به حکمِ بلا بسته‌اند عهدِ الست
maghâm-e eysh moyassar nemishavad bi ranj / bali be hokm-e balâ baste-and ahd-e alast
The station of joy cannot be reached without pain: yes, the covenant of Alast was sealed under the rule of trial.
COUPLET 6
به هست و نیست مَرنجان ضمیر و خوش می‌باشکه نیستی‌ست سرانجامِ هر کمال که هست
be hast o nist maranjân zamir o khosh mibâsh / ke nisti-st saranjâm-e har kamâl ke hast
Do not trouble your mind over having and not having; be happy, for every perfection that exists ends in nothing.
COUPLET 7
شکوهِ آصِفی و اسبِ باد و منطقِ طیربه باد رفت و از او خواجه هیچ طَرف نبست
shokuh-e âsefi o asb-e bâd o mantegh-e teyr / be bâd raft o az u khâje hich tarf nabast
The glory of Asaf, the horse of wind and the language of birds all went with the wind, and their master gained nothing from them.
COUPLET 8
به بال و پَر مرو از ره که تیرِ پرتابیهوا گرفت زمانی، ولی به خاک نشست
be bâl o par marow az rah ke tir-e partâbi / havâ gereft zamâni vali be khâk neshast
Do not be led off the road by wings and feathers: a shot arrow rides the air for a while, but it falls to the ground.
COUPLET 9
زبانِ کِلکِ تو حافظ چه شُکرِ آن گویدکه گفتهٔ سخنت می‌برند دست به دست
zabân-e kelk-e to Hâfez che shokr-e ân guyad / ke gofte-ye sokhanat mibarand dast be dast?
Hafez, how can the tongue of your pen give enough thanks that people pass your words from hand to hand?
What this fâl tells you
Spring has come: welcome joy, but hold it lightly. Tradition reads this fal as a reminder that rank and wealth are like a shot arrow that rises and falls, so do not let worries about having more or less disturb your peace. Joy is reached through some effort, and your words and work will be appreciated and passed on.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -ast (mast, parast, beshekast, past, alast, hast, nabast, neshast, dast). Beyt 7 refers to Solomon: his vizier Asaf, his flying carpet ridden on the wind, and his knowledge of the speech of birds.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| shekofte | bloomed dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| hamrâ | red (Arabic) (سرخ) | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| گشت | gasht | became dictionary |
| bolbol | nightingale dictionary | |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| asâs | foundation dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| mohkami | firmness dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| sang | stone dictionary | |
| نمود | nemud | seemed, appeared (past of nemudan) (به نظر رسید) dictionary |
| bebin | see! look! dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| beshkast | broke (شکست) dictionary | |
| biyâr | bring! dictionary | |
| bârgâh | royal court, audience hall dictionary | |
| esteghnâ | self-sufficiency, needing nothing (of God) dictionary | |
| soltân | sultan, king dictionary | |
| هوشیار | hushyâr | sober, alert dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| robât | caravanserai, inn; robât-e do dar = the two-door inn of the world (birth and death) dictionary | |
| do | two dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| zarurat | necessity dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| tâgh | arch, vault dictionary | |
| معیشت | ma'ishat | living, livelihood dictionary |
| sarboland | high, lofty dictionary | |
| پست | past | low dictionary |
| مقام | maghâm | place, station dictionary |
| eysh | pleasure, enjoyment dictionary | |
| نمی‌شود | nemishavad | does not become dictionary |
| bali | yes, indeed (بله) | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| hokm | command, control dictionary | |
| balâ | trouble, misfortune dictionary | |
| baste-and | they have closed dictionary | |
| ahd | covenant; ahd-e alast = the primordial covenant dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| مرنجان | maranjân | do not trouble! (نرنجان) dictionary |
| zamir | mind, inner self dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| می‌باش | mibâsh | be! (keep being) (باش) dictionary |
| نیستی‌ست | nisti-st | is non-existence (= nisti ast) dictionary |
| saranjâm | end; nik-saranjâm = with a good end dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| کمال | kamâl | perfection, height, fullness dictionary |
| shokuh | glory, splendor dictionary | |
| asb | horse; asb-e bâd = the wind that carried Solomon dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| منطق | mantegh | speech, language dictionary |
| teyr | birds (Arabic); mantegh-ot-teyr = the language of birds (پرندگان) | |
| raft | went dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| khâje | master, lord dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| taraf | side, region dictionary | |
| نبست | nabast | did not tie; tarfi nabast = gained nothing dictionary |
| bâl | wing dictionary | |
| پر | por | full dictionary |
| مرو | marow | do not go! (نرو) dictionary |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| tir | arrow dictionary | |
| هوا | havâ | air, weather dictionary |
| گرفت | gereft | took; gushe gereft = withdrew dictionary |
| zamâni | a moment dictionary | |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| نشست | neshast | sit (with khâham: I will sit) dictionary |
| zabân | tongue; language dictionary | |
| کلک | kelk | reed pen (قلم) |
| to | you dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| shokr | thanks dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| گوید | guyad | says, tells dictionary |
| گفتهٔ | gofte | words, what is said dictionary |
| sokhanat | your speech, your words dictionary | |
| می‌برند | mibarand | they carry dictionary |
| dast | hand dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 25. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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