Ghazal 253 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
ای خُرَّم از فروغِ رُخَت لاله زارِ عمربازآ که ریخت بی گُلِ رویت بهارِ عمر
ey khorram az forugh-e rokhat lâle-zâr-e omr / bâz â ke rikht bi gol-e ruyat bahâr-e omr
O you whose radiant face makes the tulip field of life bloom, come back: without the rose of your face, the spring of my life has shed its blossoms.
COUPLET 2
از دیده گر سرشک چو باران چِکَد رواستکاندر غمت چو برق بِشُد روزگارِ عمر
az dide gar sereshk cho bârân chekad ravâst / k-andar ghamat cho bargh beshod ruzegâr-e omr
No wonder if tears fall like rain from my eyes, for in grief over you the days of my life have flashed by like lightning.
COUPLET 3
این یک دو دَم که مهلتِ دیدار ممکن استدریاب کارِ ما که نه پیداست کارِ عمر
in yek do dam ke mohlat-e didâr momken ast / daryâb kâr-e mâ ke na peydâst kâr-e omr
In these one or two breaths while there is still time to meet, take care of my affair, for no one knows how life will go.
COUPLET 4
تا کی مِی صَبوح و شِکرخوابِ بامدادهشیار گَرد، هان که گذشت اختیارِ عمر
tâ key mey-e sabuh o shekar-khâb-e bâmdâd / hoshyâr gard hân ke gozasht ekhtiyâr-e omr
How long will it be morning wine and sweet sleep at dawn? Wake up and be alert, for the best of life has already passed.
COUPLET 5
دی در گذار بود و نظر سویِ ما نکردبیچاره دل که هیچ ندید از گذارِ عمر
di dar gozâr bud o nazar su-ye mâ nakard / bichâre del ke hich nadid az gozâr-e omr
Yesterday the beloved passed by and did not glance at me. Poor heart, which has seen nothing from the passing of life!
COUPLET 6
اندیشه از محیطِ فنا نیست هر که رابر نقطهٔ دهانِ تو باشد مدارِ عمر
andishe az mohit-e fanâ nist har ke râ / bar noghte-ye dahân-e to bâshad madâr-e omr
Whoever's life turns on the tiny point of your mouth has no fear of the ocean of death.
COUPLET 7
در هر طرف ز خیلِ حوادث کمین‌گهیستزان رو عِنان‌گسسته دَوانَد سوارِ عمر
dar har taraf ze kheyl-e havâdes kamingahi-st / z-ân ru enân-gosaste davânad savâr-e omr
On every side the troops of misfortune lie in ambush; that is why the rider of life gallops on with broken reins.
COUPLET 8
بی عمر زنده‌ام من و این بس عجب مدارروز فِراق را که نَهَد در شمارِ عمر
bi omr zende'am man o in bas ajab madâr / ruz-e ferâgh râ ke nahad dar shomâr-e omr
I am alive without life, and do not find this so strange: who would count the days of separation as part of one's life?
COUPLET 9
حافظ سخن بگوی که بر صفحهٔ جهاناین نقش مانَد از قَلَمَت یادگارِ عمر
Hâfez sokhan beguy ke bar safhe-ye jahân / in naghsh mânad az ghalamat yâdgâr-e omr
Hafez, speak! On the page of the world, these lines from your pen will remain as the keepsake of your life.
What this fâl tells you
Life is moving fast, and this fal asks you to wake up and use the time you have well. Tradition reads it as a call to meet the people you love while you can, instead of postponing. What you make with care, like Hafez's verses, will stay as a lasting keepsake.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: omr ("life"). qâfiye: -âr (zâr, bahâr, ruzegâr, kâr, ekhtiyâr, gozâr, madâr, savâr, shomâr, yâdgâr).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| khorram | cheerful dictionary | |
| فروغ | forugh | light, radiance dictionary |
| rokhat | your face dictionary | |
| zâr | field, place of abundance; lâle-zâr = tulip field dictionary | |
| omr | life, lifetime dictionary | |
| bâz â | come back! dictionary | |
| rikht | poured dictionary | |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| ruyat | your face dictionary | |
| bahâr | spring dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| sereshk | tears (اشک) dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| bârân | rain dictionary | |
| چکد | chekad | drips, falls dictionary |
| ravâst | it is fitting, no wonder (= ravâ ast) dictionary | |
| کاندر | k-andar | for in (= ke andar) (که در) |
| ghamat | your grief dictionary | |
| bargh | lightning dictionary | |
| beshod | went, passed away (رفت / گذشت) dictionary | |
| ruzegâr | time, days dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| do | two dictionary | |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| مهلت | mohlat | respite, time allowed dictionary |
| didâr | face; meeting dictionary | |
| ممکن | momken | possible dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| dar yâb | seize! grasp! dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| پیداست | peydâ-st | it is clear (= peydâ ast) dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| bâmdâd | early morning, dawn dictionary | |
| هشیار | hoshyâr | sober, alert dictionary |
| گرد | gard | become! (imperative of gardidan) (بشو) dictionary |
| گذشت | gozasht | passed dictionary |
| di | yesterday (دیروز) | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| su-ye | toward dictionary | |
| نکرد | nakard | did not do dictionary |
| bichâre | poor, helpless dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| ندید | nadid | did not see, did not consider dictionary |
| andishe | thought dictionary | |
| محیط | mohit | ocean dictionary |
| فنا | fanâ | mortality, passing away dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| نقطهٔ | noghte | point; noghte-ye binesh = pupil of the eye dictionary |
| dahân | mouth dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| bâshad | is, may be dictionary | |
| مدار | madâr | axis, orbit; what something turns on dictionary |
| taraf | side, region dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| havâdes | events, misfortunes dictionary | |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| ru | face; z-ân ru = for that reason dictionary | |
| davânad | gallops, runs dictionary | |
| savâr | rider dictionary | |
| zende'am | I am alive dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| bas | much, many dictionary | |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| مدار | madâr | do not have (old imperative of dâshtan) (نداشته باش) dictionary |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| نهد | nahad | lays, puts dictionary |
| shomâr | count, reckoning dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| beguy | tell! (بگو) dictionary | |
| safhe | page, surface dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| ماند | mânad | stays, remains dictionary |
| قلمت | ghalamat | your pen dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 253. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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