Ghazal 257 of Hafez (10 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
روی بِنْما و مرا گو که ز جان دل برگیرپیشِ شمع آتشِ پروانه به جان گو درگیر
ruy benmâ o marâ gu ke ze jân del bargir / pish-e sham' âtash-e parvâne be jân gu dargir
Show your face, and tell me to let go of my life; tell the moth's soul to catch fire in front of the candle.
COUPLET 2
در لبِ تشنهٔ ما بین و مدار آب دریغبر سَرِ کُشتهٔ خویش آی و ز خاکَش برگیر
dar lab-e teshne-ye mâ bin o madâr âb darigh / bar sar-e koshte-ye khish ây o ze khâkash bargir
Look at our thirsty lips and do not hold back the water; come to the one you have slain and lift him from the dust.
COUPLET 3
تَرکِ درویش مگیر ار نَبُوَد سیم و زَرَشدر غَمَت سیمْ شُمار اشک و رُخَش را زر گیر
tark-e darvish magir ar nabvad sim o zarash / dar ghamat sim shomâr ashk o rokhash râ zar gir
Do not abandon the poor dervish because he has no silver or gold; in his grief for you, count his tears as silver and his pale face as gold.
COUPLET 4
چنگ بِنْواز و بساز ار نَبُوَد عود چه باک؟آتشم عشق و دلم عود و تَنَم مِجمَر گیر
chang benvâz o besâz ar nabvad ud che bâk / âtasham eshgh o delam ud o tanam mejmar gir
Play the harp and make music; if there is no incense, what does it matter? Take love as my fire, my heart as the incense, and my body as the burner.
COUPLET 5
در سَماع آی و ز سر خرقه برانداز و برقصور نه با گوشه رو و خرقهٔ ما در سر گیر
dar samâ' ây o ze sar kherghe barandâz o beraghs / var na bâ gushe row o kherghe-ye mâ dar sar gir
Join the sacred dance, throw the robe off your head, and dance; otherwise, go off to a corner and pull our robe over your head.
COUPLET 6
صوف بَرکَش ز سر و بادهٔ صافی دَرکَشسیم در باز و به زر سیمبَری در بر گیر
suf barkesh ze sar o bâde-ye sâfi darkesh / sim dar bâz o be zar simbari dar bar gir
Pull the woolen cloak off your head and drink down the clear wine; spend your silver, and with gold take a silver-skinned beauty in your arms.
COUPLET 7
دوست گو یار شو و هر دو جهان دشمن باشبخت گو پشت مَکُن، رویِ زمین لشکر گیر
dust gu yâr sho o har do jahân doshman bâsh / bakht gu posht makon ru-ye zamin lashkar gir
Tell the Friend to be my friend, and let both worlds be my enemies; tell fortune not to turn its back, and let the whole earth be an army against me.
COUPLET 8
میل رفتن مَکُن ای دوست دَمی با ما باشبر لبِ جوی، طرب جوی و به کف ساغر گیر
meyl-e raftan makon ey dust dami bâ mâ bâsh / bar lab-e juy tarab juy o be kaf sâghar gir
Do not think of leaving, my friend; stay with us a moment. By the edge of the stream, look for joy and take a cup in hand.
COUPLET 9
رفته گیر از بَرَم و زآتش و آبِ دل و چشمگونه‌ام زرد و لبم خشک و کنارم تَر گیر
rafte gir az baram o z-âtash o âb-e del o cheshm / gune'am zard o labam khoshk o kenâram tar gir
Imagine you have left my side: then, from the fire of my heart and the water of my eyes, picture my cheek pale, my lips dry and my lap wet with tears.
COUPLET 10
حافظ آراسته کن بزم و بگو واعظ راکه ببین مجلسم و تَرکِ سَرِ منبر گیر
Hâfez ârâste kon bazm o begu vâ'ez râ / ke bebin majlesam o tark-e sar-e menbar gir
Hafez, set out the feast and tell the preacher: "Look at my gathering, and give up your pulpit."
What this fâl tells you
Let go of stiffness and join in: this fal invites you to stay with the people you love and enjoy their company a little longer. Tradition reads it as encouragement to give from the heart even when you have little, since love, tears and sincerity are worth more than silver and gold. If you have a friend on your side, you need not fear the rest of the world.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: gir ("take!", "consider!"). qâfiye: -ar (bar, dar, zar, mejmar, sar, lashkar, sâghar, tar, menbar).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ruy | face dictionary | |
| benamâ | show! (نشان بده) dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| گو | gu | say! tell! (= begu) (بگو) dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| پیش | pish | in front of dictionary |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| پروانه | parvâne | moth dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| teshne | thirsty dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| bin | see! (= bebin) (ببین) dictionary | |
| مدار | madâr | do not have (old imperative of dâshtan) (نداشته باش) dictionary |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| darigh | withholding; darigh dâshtan = to hold back, deny dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| sar | head; top (sar-e menbar = the top of the pulpit) dictionary | |
| کشتهٔ | koshte | slain dictionary |
| khish | one's own (خود) dictionary | |
| ây | come! (= biyâ) (بیا) dictionary | |
| khâkash | his dust; lift him from the dust dictionary | |
| tark | leaving; tark gereftan = to abandon, to give up dictionary | |
| مگیر | magir | do not take; do not find (fault) (نگیر) dictionary |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| نبود | nabvad | is not (old form) (نیست / نباشد) dictionary |
| sim | silver dictionary | |
| zarash | his gold dictionary | |
| ghamat | your grief dictionary | |
| shomâr | count! consider! (imperative) (بشمار) dictionary | |
| ashk | tear dictionary | |
| rokhash | his/her face dictionary | |
| zar | gold dictionary | |
| گیر | gir | take! yâd gir = learn! (بگیر) dictionary |
| چنگ | chang | harp dictionary |
| benvâz | play (an instrument)! dictionary | |
| besâz | make do! bear it! (تحمل کن) dictionary | |
| ud | aloeswood, burned as incense dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| delam | my heart dictionary | |
| tanam | my body dictionary | |
| kherghe | dervish's cloak, Sufi robe dictionary | |
| barandâz | throw off! dictionary | |
| beraghs | dance! dictionary | |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| گوشه | gushe | corner dictionary |
| row | go! (= borow) (برو) dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| sâfi-ye | pure dictionary | |
| darkesh | drink up! (= bekesh) (بنوش) | |
| bâz | dar bâkhtan: dar bâz = gamble away! spend! (ببازید) | |
| bar | bosom, arms; dar bar gereftan = to embrace dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| sho | become! be! (بشو) dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| do | two dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| doshman | enemy dictionary | |
| bâsh | be! (let them be) dictionary | |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| پشت | posht | back dictionary |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| zamin | earth, ground dictionary | |
| لشکر | lashkar | army dictionary |
| میل | meyl | desire, appetite dictionary |
| raftan | to go, leaving dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| dami | a moment dictionary | |
| bâsh | be! dictionary | |
| juy | stream (lab-e juy = the bank of the stream); also "seek!" (tarab juy = seek joy) dictionary | |
| tarab | joy, merriment dictionary | |
| کف | kaf | palm (of the hand) dictionary |
| sâghar | cup dictionary | |
| rafte | gone; rafte gir = imagine (someone) gone dictionary | |
| baram | my side; az baram = from my side dictionary | |
| z-âtash | from the fire (= az âtash) (از آتش) | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| گونه‌ام | gune'am | my cheek dictionary |
| zard | yellow, pale dictionary | |
| لبم | labam | my lip dictionary |
| khoshk | dry, joyless dictionary | |
| کنارم | kenâram | my lap dictionary |
| tar | wet, fresh dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| ârâste | adorned, set out dictionary | |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| bazm | feast, party dictionary | |
| begu | tell! say! dictionary | |
| واعظ | vâ'ez | preacher dictionary |
| bebin | see! look! dictionary | |
| مجلسم | majlesam | my gathering dictionary |
| منبر | menbar | pulpit dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 257. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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