Ghazal 28 of Hafez (8 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
به جانِ خواجه و حقِ قدیم و عهدِ درستکه مونسِ دمِ صبحم، دعایِ دولتِ توست
be jân-e khâje o hagh-e ghadim o ahd-e dorost / ke munes-e dam-e sobham do'â-ye dowlat-e to-st
I swear by the master's life, by our long friendship and our true covenant: my companion at dawn is the prayer for your good fortune.
COUPLET 2
سِرِشک من که ز طوفان نوح دست بَرَدز لوح سینه نیارَست نقشِ مهرِ تو شُست
sereshk-e man ke ze tufân-e nuh dast barad / ze lowh-e sine nayârast naghsh-e mehr-e to shost
My tears, which outdo Noah's flood, could not wash the image of your love from the tablet of my chest.
COUPLET 3
بکن معامله‌ای، وین دل شکسته بخرکه با شکستگی ارزد به صد هزار درست
bekon mo'âmele'i v-in del-e shekaste bekhar / ke bâ shekastegi arzad be sad hezâr dorost
Make a deal and buy this broken heart: even broken, it is worth a hundred thousand whole ones.
COUPLET 4
زبان مور به آصف دراز گشت و رواستکه خواجه خاتَمِ جم، یاوه کرد و باز نَجُست
zabân-e mur be âsef derâz gasht o ravâ-st / ke khâje khâtam-e jam yâve kard o bâz najost
The ant has grown bold and spoken against Asaf, and rightly so, since the master lost Jamshid's seal ring and did not look for it again.
COUPLET 5
دلا طَمَع مَبُر از لطفِ بی‌نهایتِ دوستچو لافِ عشق زدی، سر بباز، چابک و چُست
delâ tama' mabor az lotf-e bi-nahâyat-e dust / cho lâf-e eshgh zadi sar bebâz châbok o chost
O heart, do not give up hope of the friend's endless kindness. Since you boasted of love, stake your head on it, quick and nimble.
COUPLET 6
به صدق کوش، که خورشید زایَد از نَفَسَتکه از دروغ سیه‌روی گشت صبحِ نخست
be sedgh kush ke khorshid zâyad az nafasat / ke az dorugh siyah-ru gasht sobh-e nakhost
Strive for sincerity, so the sun will be born from your breath: the first dawn was shamed into darkness because it lied.
COUPLET 7
شدم ز دست تو شیدای کوه و دشت و هنوزنمی‌کنی به ترحم، نِطاق سلسله سست
shodam ze dast-e to sheydâ-ye kuh o dasht o hanuz / nemikoni be tarahhom netâgh-e selsele sost
Because of you I wander mad through mountain and plain, and still you will not loosen my chain out of pity.
COUPLET 8
مرنج حافظ و از دلبر‌ان حِفاظ مجویگناه باغ چه باشد چو این گیاه نَرُست
maranj Hâfez o az delbarân hefâz majuy / gonâh-e bâgh che bâshad cho in giyâh narost?
Do not be hurt, Hafez, and do not expect faithfulness from beauties. How is it the garden's fault if this plant never grew there?
What this fâl tells you
Your loyalty and your dawn prayers for someone are sincere, and sincerity is what brings the sun up. Tradition reads this fal as advice to be truthful, to offer your heart even if it feels broken, and to keep hoping for kindness. Do not expect from people what is not in their nature; seek it where it grows.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -ost (dorost, to-st, shost, najost, chost, nakhost, sost, rost). Beyt 3 puns on dorost, "whole" and a "whole coin"; beyt 6 alludes to the false dawn that fades before the true one.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| khâje | master, lord dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| hagh | right, claim dictionary | |
| قدیم | ghadim | old, ancient dictionary |
| ahd | covenant, promise dictionary | |
| dorost | sound, healthy dictionary | |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| sobham | my morning, my dawn dictionary | |
| do'â-ye | prayer of dictionary | |
| dowlat | good fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary | |
| tu-st | is (fold upon) fold dictionary | |
| sereshk | tears (اشک) dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| tufân | flood, storm dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| bord | took away dictionary | |
| لوح | lowh | tablet, slate dictionary |
| sine | chest dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| shost | wash (with nayârast: could not wash) dictionary | |
| bekon | make! do! dictionary | |
| mo'âmele'i | a deal, a trade dictionary | |
| وین | v-in | and this (= va in) (و این) |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| shekaste | broken; bent dictionary | |
| bekhar | buy! dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| zabân | tongue; language dictionary | |
| مور | mur | ant; mur-e khat = the ant-like down on the cheek dictionary |
| derâz | long dictionary | |
| گشت | gasht | became dictionary |
| ravâst | it is fitting, no wonder (= ravâ ast) dictionary | |
| khâtam | seal ring dictionary | |
| یاوه | yâve | lost; yâve kardan = to lose dictionary |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| نجست | najost | did not seek (نجست) dictionary |
| delâ | O heart! dictionary | |
| tama' | expectation; greed dictionary | |
| مبر | mabar | do not take; az yâd mabar = do not forget (نبر) dictionary |
| لطف | lotf | kindness, grace; be lotf = kindly, gently dictionary |
| bi-nahâyat | endless dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| لاف | lâf | boast dictionary |
| zadi | you shot, you struck dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| چابک | châbok | quick, agile dictionary |
| sedgh | sincerity, truth dictionary | |
| کوش | kush | strive! try! (بکوش) dictionary |
| نفست | nafasat | your breath dictionary |
| dorugh | lie, falsehood dictionary | |
| siyah-ru | black-faced, shamed (روسیاه) | |
| sobh | morning dictionary | |
| shodam | I became dictionary | |
| sheydâ-ye | lovesick, madly in love dictionary | |
| کوه | kuh | mountain dictionary |
| dasht | plain dictionary | |
| هنوز | hanuz | still, yet dictionary |
| nemikoni | you do not do dictionary | |
| selsele | chain dictionary | |
| sost | loose, slack dictionary | |
| مرنج | maranj | do not be hurt! (نرنج) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| delbarân | heart-stealers, beauties dictionary | |
| hefâz | faithfulness, keeping one's word dictionary | |
| maju | do not seek! (نجو) dictionary | |
| گناه | gonâh | sin dictionary |
| bâgh | garden dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| bâshad | may it be; bâshad ke = perhaps, so that maybe dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| گیاه | giyâh | plant dictionary |
| نرست | narost | did not grow (نرویید) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 28. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
Love Persian poetry? Learn to read it: free Starter Pack
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.