Ghazal 277 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
فکرِ بلبل همه آن است که گُل شد یارشگُل در اندیشه که چُون عشوه کُنَد در کارش
fekr-e bolbol hame ân ast ke gol shod yârash / gol dar andishe ke chon eshve konad dar kârash
All the nightingale thinks about is that the rose has become its love; the rose is thinking how to play coy with it.
COUPLET 2
دلربایی همه آن نیست که عاشق بِکُشَندخواجه آن است که باشد غَمِ خدمتکارش
delrobâyi hame ân nist ke âshegh bekoshand / khâje ân ast ke bâshad gham-e khedmatkârash
Charming hearts is not all about killing lovers; a true master is one who cares for his servant.
COUPLET 3
جایِ آن است که خون موج زَنَد در دلِ لعلزین تَغابُن که خَزَف می‌شکند بازارش
jâ-ye ân ast ke khun mowj zanad dar del-e la'l / z-in taghâbon ke khazaf mishekanad bâzârash
Well may blood surge in the heart of the ruby at this injustice: that a piece of broken pottery is spoiling its market.
COUPLET 4
بلبل از فیضِ گل آموخت سخن، ور نه نبوداین همه قول و غزل تعبیه در منقارش
bolbol az feyz-e gol âmukht sokhan, var na nabud / in hame ghowl o ghazal ta'biye dar menghârash
The nightingale learned to speak from the bounty of the rose; otherwise all these songs and ghazals would not be stored in its beak.
COUPLET 5
ای که در کوچهٔ معشوقهٔ ما می‌گُذَریبر حذر باش، که سر می‌شکند دیوارش
ey ke dar kuche-ye ma'shughe-ye mâ migozari / bar hazar bâsh ke sar mishekanad divârash
You who walk down our beloved's lane, beware: its walls break heads.
COUPLET 6
آن سفرکرده که صد قافله دل همرهِ اوستهر کجا هست خدایا به سلامت دارش
ân safarkarde ke sad ghâfele del hamrah-e u-st / har kojâ hast khodâyâ be salâmat dârash
That traveler who takes a hundred caravans of hearts along with him: O God, wherever he is, keep him safe.
COUPLET 7
صحبت عافیتت گرچه خوش افتاد ای دلجانبِ عشق عزیز است، فرومگذارش
sohbat-e âfiyatat garche khosh oftâd ey del / jâneb-e eshgh aziz ast, forumagzârash
O heart, though a quiet, safe life has suited you well, the side of love is precious: do not let it go.
COUPLET 8
صوفیِ سرخوش از این دست که کج کرد کلاهبه دو جامِ دگر آشفته شود دستارش
sufi-ye sarkhosh az in dast ke kaj kard kolâh / be do jâm-e degar âshofte shavad dastârash
The way this tipsy Sufi has tilted his cap, two more cups and his turban will come undone.
COUPLET 9
دلِ حافظ که به دیدارِ تو خوگر شده بودنازپروردِ وصال است، مجو آزارش
del-e Hâfez ke be didâr-e to khugar shode bud / nâz-parvard-e vesâl ast, maju âzârash
Hafez's heart, which had grown used to seeing you, was raised in the tenderness of union; do not try to hurt it.
What this fâl tells you
Tradition reads this fal as a prayer for someone who is traveling or far away: wherever they are, may they be kept safe. Love is precious, so do not trade it for mere comfort. Be a kind master to those who depend on you, and care gently for a heart that trusts you.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: -ash ("his, her, its"). qâfiye: -âr (yâr, kâr, khedmatkâr, bâzâr, menghâr, divâr, dâr, forumagzâr, dastâr, âzâr).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| فکر | fekr | thought dictionary |
| bolbol | nightingale dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| یارش | yârash | its love, its beloved dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| andishe | thought dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| eshve | flirting, coaxing; eshve dâdan = to deceive with charm; eshve kharidan = to be taken in dictionary | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| کارش | kârash | its affair; dar kârash = with it, toward it dictionary |
| delrobâyi | stealing hearts, charm dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| âshegh | lover dictionary | |
| bekoshand | they kill dictionary | |
| khâje | master, lord dictionary | |
| bâshad | is, has (bâshad gham-e ... = has concern for) dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| khedmatkârash | his servant dictionary | |
| jâ-ye | place of; jâ-ye ân ast = it is only right dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| موج | mowj | wave dictionary |
| zanad | strikes; mowj zadan = to surge in waves dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| z-in | from this (= az in); z-in pish = before this (از این) | |
| می‌شکند | mishekanad | breaks; bar shekastan = to break, mock dictionary |
| bâzârash | its market, its value dictionary | |
| فیض | feyz | grace, abundance dictionary |
| âmukht | taught dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| نبود | nabud | would not have been dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| قول | ghowl | song, sung verse dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ghazal | ghazal, lyric poem dictionary | |
| ta'biye | placed, stored, built in dictionary | |
| منقارش | menghârash | its beak dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| کوچهٔ | kuche | lane, street dictionary |
| معشوقهٔ | ma'shughe | beloved dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| migozari | you pass by dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| bâsh | be! dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| divârash | its wall dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| قافله | ghâfele | caravan dictionary |
| همره | hamrah | companion of (همراه) |
| u-st | is his (= u ast) dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| khodâyâ | O God! dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| salâmat | health, safety dictionary | |
| dârash | hold him! dictionary | |
| sohbat | company, companionship (classical sense) dictionary | |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| oftâd | fell; happened, arose (پیش آمد) dictionary | |
| aziz | precious, dear dictionary | |
| فرومگذارش | forumagzârash | do not abandon it! (رهایش نکن) |
| dast | hand; az in dast = in this manner dictionary | |
| کج | kaj | tilted, crooked dictionary |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| کلاه | kolâh | cap, hat dictionary |
| do | two dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| degar | again; other (= digar) (دیگر) | |
| âshofte | disordered, tangled, distraught dictionary | |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| dastârash | his turban dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| didâr | face; meeting dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| shode | become; khugar shode bud = had grown used dictionary | |
| bud | had (been) dictionary | |
| وصال | vesâl | union with the beloved dictionary |
| مجو | maju | do not seek (نجوی) dictionary |
| âzârash | hurting it dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 277. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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