Ghazal 26 of Hafez (7 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
زلف‌آشفته و خِوی‌کرده و خندان‌لب و مستپیرهن‌چاک و غزل‌خوان و صُراحی در دست
zolf-âshofte o khey-karde o khandân-lab o mast / pirhan-châk o ghazal-khân o sorâhi dar dast
Hair tousled, skin damp with sweat, laughing lips, drunk, shirt torn open, singing a ghazal, a wine flask in hand,
COUPLET 2
نرگسش عَربده‌جوی و لبش افسوس‌کناننیم شب، دوش به بالین من آمد، بنشست
narges-ash arbade-ju va labash afsus-konân / nim-shab dush be bâlin-e man âmad, beneshast
her narcissus eyes looking for a quarrel, her lips teasing, she came to my pillow at midnight last night and sat down.
COUPLET 3
سر فرا گوش من آورد به آوازِ حزینگفت: ای عاشقِ دیرینهٔ من، خوابت هست؟
sar farâ gush-e man âvard be âvâz-e hazin / goft: ey âshegh-e dirine-ye man, khâbat hast?
She brought her head to my ear and said in a soft, sad voice: "My old lover, are you asleep?"
COUPLET 4
عاشقی را که چنین بادهٔ شبگیر دهندکافر عشق بُوَد گر نشود باده پرست
âsheghi râ ke chenin bâde-ye shabgir dahand / kâfer-e eshgh bovad gar nashavad bâde-parast
A lover who is given wine like this before dawn would be a traitor to love if he did not become a worshipper of wine.
COUPLET 5
برو ای زاهد و بر دُردکشان خرده مگیرکه ندادند جز این تُحفه به ما روزِ الست
borow ey zâhed o bar dordkeshân khorde magir / ke nadâdand joz in tohfe be mâ ruz-e alast
Go away, ascetic, and do not find fault with the drinkers of dregs: on the first day of creation this was the only gift we were given.
COUPLET 6
آن چه او ریخت به پیمانهٔ ما نوشیدیماگر از خَمرِ بهشت است وگر بادهٔ مست
ân che u rikht be peymâne-ye mâ nushidim / agar az khamr-e behesht ast va gar bâde-ye mast
Whatever he poured into our cup, we drank, whether it was the wine of paradise or the wine of drunkenness.
COUPLET 7
خندهٔ جامِ می و زلفِ گره‌گیرِ نگارای بسا توبه که چون توبهٔ حافظ بشکست
khande-ye jâm-e mey o zolf-e gereh-gir-e negâr / ey basâ towbe ke chon towbe-ye Hâfez beshkast
The laughter of the wine cup and the knotted curls of the beloved: how many vows of repentance they have broken, just like Hafez's.
What this fâl tells you
Something you thought was over may come back to you, unexpected and full of life. Tradition reads this fal as a sign of a surprise visit or a feeling renewed. Accept what life pours into your cup, do not judge others, and do not be too hard on yourself if a resolution bends.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -ast (mast, dast, beneshast, hast, parast, alast, beshkast).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| ghazal-khân | singing a ghazal dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| نرگسش | narges-ash | her narcissus (= her eyes) dictionary |
| لبش | labash | her lip dictionary |
| نیم | nim | half; nim-shab = midnight dictionary |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| dush | last night (دیشب) dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| bâlin | pillow, bedside dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| âmad | came dictionary | |
| beneshast | sat down (نشست) dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| گوش | gush | ear; gush kon = listen dictionary |
| âvard | brought dictionary | |
| âvâz | voice, song dictionary | |
| hazin | sad, sorrowful (غمگین) | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| âshegh | lover dictionary | |
| dirine | long-standing, old dictionary | |
| khâbat | your sleep; khâbat hast? = are you asleep? dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| âsheghi | a lover dictionary | |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| dahand | (they) give dictionary | |
| کافر | kâfer | unbeliever; here "a traitor to" dictionary |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| نشود | nashavad | does not become dictionary |
| borow | go! dictionary | |
| zâhed | ascetic, outwardly pious man dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| khorde | fault; khorde gereftan = to find fault dictionary | |
| مگیر | magir | do not take; do not find (fault) (نگیر) dictionary |
| ندادند | nadâdand | (they) did not give dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| tohfe | gift dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| rikht | poured dictionary | |
| پیمانهٔ | peymâne | cup, measure dictionary |
| نوشیدیم | nushidim | we drank dictionary |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| khamr | wine (Arabic) (شراب) | |
| behesht | paradise; here also "left" (behesht = past of heshtan) dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| وگر | va gar | or if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| khande | laughter dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| beshkast | broke (شکست) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 26. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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