Ghazal 285 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
در عهدِ پادشاهِ خطابخشِ جُرم پوشحافظ قَرابه کَش شد و مفتی پیاله نوش
dar ahd-e pâdshâh-e khatâ-bakhsh-e jorm-push / Hâfez ghârâbe-kash shod o mofti piyâle-nush
In the reign of a king who forgives mistakes and covers faults, Hafez has become a carrier of wine flagons and the jurist a drinker of cups.
COUPLET 2
صوفی ز کُنجِ صومعه با پایِ خُم نشستتا دید محتسب که سَبو می‌کشد به دوش
sufi ze konj-e sowme'e bâ pâ-ye khom neshast / tâ did mohtaseb ke sabu mikeshad be dush
The Sufi left his corner in the cloister and sat down at the foot of the wine jar the moment he saw the morals officer carrying a jug on his shoulder.
COUPLET 3
احوالِ شیخ و قاضی و شُربُ الیَهودِشانکردم سؤال صبحدم از پیرِ مِی فروش
ahvâl-e sheykh o ghâzi o shorbol-yahud-eshân / kardam so'âl sobhdam az pir-e meyforush
At dawn I asked the old wine seller about the sheikh and the judge and their drinking in secret.
COUPLET 4
گفتا نه گفتنیست سخن گرچه محرمیدَرکَش زبان و پرده نگه دار و مِی بنوش
goftâ na gofteni-st sokhan garche mahrami / darkesh zabân o parde negah dâr o mey benush
He said, "Such things are not to be told, even though you are a confidant. Hold your tongue, keep the curtain drawn, and drink your wine."
COUPLET 5
ساقی بهار می‌رسد و وجهِ مِی نماندفکری بکن که خونِ دل آمد ز غم به جوش
sâghi bahâr miresad o vajh-e mey namând / fekri bekon ke khun-e del âmad ze gham be jush
Cupbearer, spring is coming and there is no money left for wine; think of something, for my heart's blood is boiling with grief.
COUPLET 6
عشق است و مفلسیّ و جوانیّ و نوبهارعُذرم پذیر و جرم به ذیلِ کرم بپوش
eshgh ast o mofles-i o javâni o nowbahâr / ozram pazir o jorm be zeyl-e karam bepush
There is love, and poverty, and youth, and early spring: accept my excuse, and cover my fault with the hem of your generosity.
COUPLET 7
تا چند همچو شمع زبان آوری کنی؟پروانهٔ مراد رسید ای مُحِب خموش
tâ chand hamcho sham' zabân-âvari koni / parvâne-ye morâd resid ey moheb khamush
How long will you keep talking, like a candle with its flickering tongue? The moth (and the permit) of your wish has arrived, lover: be quiet.
COUPLET 8
ای پادشاهِ صورت و معنی که مثل تونادیده هیچ دیده و نشنیده هیچ گوش
ey pâdshâh-e surat o ma'ni ke mesl-e to / nâdide hich dide o nashnide hich gush
O king of both outer form and inner meaning, whose like no eye has ever seen and no ear has ever heard.
COUPLET 9
چندان بمان که خرقهٔ اَزْرَق کُنَد قبولبختِ جوانَت از فلکِ پیرِ ژِنده پوش
chandân bemân ke kherghe-ye azragh konad ghabul / bakht-e javânat az falak-e pir-e zhende-push
Live so long that your young fortune receives the blue robe from the old sky dressed in rags.
What this fâl tells you
Tradition reads this fal as a sign that a strict season is over and a more forgiving time has come. Keep others' secrets kindly and do not talk too much about your own plans; what you wished for is already on its way. Ask a generous person for help without shame, and your fortune will stay young.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -ush (push, nush, dush, forush, benush, jush, bepush, khamush, gush). Beyt 7 puns on parvâne "moth" and parvâne "permit, royal order".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| ahd | time, era dictionary | |
| پادشاه | pâdeshâh | king dictionary |
| jorm | crime, fault dictionary | |
| پوش | push | covering; jorm-push = who covers faults; zhende-push = dressed in rags dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| کش | kash | carrier (ghârâbe-kash = carrier of wine flagons) dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| پیاله | piyâle | cup dictionary |
| نوش | nush | drinker (piyâle-nush = drinker of cups) dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| کنج | konj | corner dictionary |
| sowme'e | cloister, hermitage (place of formal piety) dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| پای | pâ | foot; az pâ oftâdan = to collapse dictionary |
| نشست | neshast | sat down dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| did | saw dictionary | |
| sabu | jug, pitcher dictionary | |
| می‌کشد | mikeshad | carries dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| dush | shoulder dictionary | |
| sheykh | sheikh, religious elder dictionary | |
| ghâzi | judge (religious court) dictionary | |
| کردم | kardam | I did, I made dictionary |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| فروش | forush | seller (in compounds) dictionary |
| گفتا | goftâ | (he/she) said (poetic form of goft) (گفت) dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| darkesh | drink up! (= bekesh) (بنوش) | |
| zabân | tongue; language dictionary | |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| نگه | negah | look; negah kon = look! (نگاه) |
| dâr | keep! hold! (imperative of dâshtan) dictionary | |
| benush | drink! dictionary | |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| bahâr | spring dictionary | |
| می‌رسد | miresad | arrives, reaches dictionary |
| وجه | vajh | money, means dictionary |
| نماند | namând | did not remain, ran out dictionary |
| fekri | a thought dictionary | |
| bekon | make! do! dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| âmad | came dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| jush | boiling; be jush âmad = came to a boil dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| javâni | youth; youthful dictionary | |
| پذیر | pazir | accept! (بپذیر) dictionary |
| zeyl-e | hem, skirt of dictionary | |
| bepush | cover! hide! dictionary | |
| چند | chand | how many; tâ chand = how long? dictionary |
| همچو | hamcho | like (مثل) |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| koni | you do, you make dictionary | |
| پروانهٔ | parvâne | moth; also a permit, royal order dictionary |
| مراد | morâd | wish, desire dictionary |
| resid | arrived, came dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| khamush | silent; hush! (خاموش) dictionary | |
| surat | outward appearance, form dictionary | |
| ma'ni | meaning, inner reality dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| نادیده | nâdide | unseen, what has not been seen dictionary |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| نشنیده | nashnide | not heard dictionary |
| گوش | gush | ear; gush kon = listen dictionary |
| چندان | chandân | so long, only so much dictionary |
| bemân | stay! live! dictionary | |
| kherghe | dervish's cloak, Sufi robe dictionary | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| قبول | ghabul | acceptance; ghabul-e khâter = being loved by people dictionary |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| javânat | your young dictionary | |
| فلک | falak | the sky, the heavens; fate dictionary |
| ژنده | zhende | rag, tattered cloth dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 285. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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