Ghazal 286 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
دوش با من گفت پنهان کاردانی تیزهوشوز شما پنهان نشاید کرد سِرِّ مِی‌فروش
dush bâ man goft penhân kârdâni tizhush / v-az shomâ penhân nashâyad kard serr-e meyforush
Last night a capable, sharp-witted man told me in confidence (and the wine seller's secret should not be kept from you):
COUPLET 2
گفت آسان گیر بر خود کارها کز رویِ طبعسخت می‌گردد جهان بر مردمانِ سخت‌کوش
goft âsân gir bar khod kâr-hâ k-az ru-ye tab' / sakht migardad jahân bar mardomân-e sakht-kush
He said, "Go easy on yourself, for by its very nature the world grows hard on those who strain too hard."
COUPLET 3
وان گَهَم دَر داد جامی کز فروغش بر فلکزهره در رقص آمد و بَرْبَط زنان می‌گفت نوش
v-ângaham dar dâd jâmi k-az forughash bar falak / zohre dar raghs âmad o barbat-zanân migoft nush
Then he handed me a cup whose glow set Venus dancing in the sky, and, strumming her lute, she kept saying, "Drink!"
COUPLET 4
با دلِ خونین لبِ خندان بیاور همچو جامنی گَرَت زخمی رسد، آیی چو چنگ اندر خروش
bâ del-e khunin lab-e khandân biyâvar hamcho jâm / ney garat zakhmi resad âyi cho chang andar khorush
Even with a bleeding heart, show a smiling lip, like the wine cup; not like the harp, which cries out every time it is struck.
COUPLET 5
تا نگردی آشْنا زین پرده رَمزی نشنویگوشِ نامحرم نباشد جایِ پیغامِ سروش
tâ nagardi âshenâ z-in parde ramzi nashnavi / gush-e nâmahram nabâshad jâ-ye peyghâm-e sorush
Until you become an intimate, you will not hear one secret from behind this curtain; an outsider's ear is no place for the angel's message.
COUPLET 6
گوش کن پند ای پسر وز بهرِ دنیا غم مَخورگفتمت چون دُر حدیثی، گر توانی داشت هوش
gush kon pand ey pesar v-az bahr-e donyâ gham makhor / goftamat chon dorr hadisi gar tavâni dâsht hush
Listen to advice, my son, and do not grieve over the world. I have told you a saying like a pearl, if you can keep it in mind.
COUPLET 7
در حریمِ عشق نَتْوان زد دَم از گفت و شنیدزان که آنجا جمله اعضا چشم باید بود و گوش
dar harim-e eshgh natvân zad dam az goft o shenid / z-ân ke ânjâ jomle a'zâ cheshm bâyad bud o gush
In the sanctuary of love no one may speak of talk and hearsay, for there every limb must become all eyes and ears.
COUPLET 8
بر بساطِ نکته‌دانان خودفروشی شرط نیستیا سخن دانسته گو ای مردِ عاقل، یا خموش
bar basât-e nokte-dânân khod-forushi shart nist / yâ sokhan dânaste gu ey mard-e âghel yâ khamush
On the carpet of the subtle and wise, showing off is not the custom: either speak with knowledge, wise man, or keep silent.
COUPLET 9
ساقیا مِی ده که رندی‌هایِ حافظ فهم کردآصِفِ صاحب‌قرانِ جرم‌بخشِ عیب‌پوش
sâghiyâ mey deh ke rendi-hâ-ye Hâfez fahm kard / âsef-e sâheb-gherân-e jorm-bakhsh-e eyb-push
Cupbearer, pour the wine, for the fortunate Asaf, who forgives crimes and covers faults, has understood Hafez's free-spirited ways.
What this fâl tells you
Tradition reads this fal as gentle, practical advice: go easy on yourself, because forcing things makes the world feel harder. Keep a smiling face even when your heart is hurt, listen more than you speak, and secrets worth knowing will open to you. Someone in a position of influence understands you better than you think.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -ush (hush, forush, kush, nush, khorush, sorush, gush, khamush, push).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dush | last night (دیشب) dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| پنهان | penhân | hidden dictionary |
| kârdâni | a capable person dictionary | |
| tizhush | sharp-witted dictionary | |
| وز | v-az | and from (= va az) (و از) |
| shomâ | you (polite) dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| serr | secret dictionary | |
| گیر | gir | take! yâd gir = learn! (بگیر) dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| khod | yourself dictionary | |
| کارها | kâr-hâ | things, works; kâr-hâ kardan = to achieve much dictionary |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| ru-ye | face; az ru-ye = by way of, according to dictionary | |
| tab'-e | nature, temperament dictionary | |
| sakht | very; hard dictionary | |
| می‌گردد | migardad | becomes, turns dictionary |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| مردمان | mardomân | people dictionary |
| وان | v-ân | and the one (= va ân) (و آن) dictionary |
| گهم | gaham | time + me; v-ângaham = and then (to) me dictionary |
| dar | in; dar dâdan = to hand over, offer dictionary | |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| jâmi | a cup dictionary | |
| فروغش | forughash | its glow, its light dictionary |
| فلک | falak | the sky, the heavens; fate dictionary |
| zohre | Venus, the planet of music in old astronomy dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| raghs | dance dictionary | |
| âmad | came dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| zanân | striking, playing (barbat-zanân = playing the lute) dictionary | |
| می‌گفت | migoft | was saying dictionary |
| نوش | nush | drink! (= benush) (بنوش) dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| khunin | bloody; khunin-del = heartsick, grieving dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| khandân | smiling, laughing dictionary | |
| biyâvar | bring! dictionary | |
| همچو | hamcho | like (مثل) |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| ney | not, no (نه) dictionary | |
| گرت | garat | if ... you (= agar to-râ) (اگر به تو) |
| zakhmi | a blow, a stroke; a wound dictionary | |
| resad | reaches (برسد) dictionary | |
| âyi | you come dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| چنگ | chang | harp dictionary |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| khorush | loud cry, song dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| nagardi | you do not become dictionary | |
| âshenâ | friend, familiar one dictionary | |
| z-in | from this (= az in); z-in pish = before this (از این) | |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| ramzi | a hint, a secret sign dictionary | |
| nashnavi | you will not hear dictionary | |
| گوش | gush | ear; gush kon = listen dictionary |
| نباشد | nabâshad | is not, will not be dictionary |
| jâ-ye | place of; be jâ-ye = toward, for (someone) (در حق) dictionary | |
| پیغام | peyghâm | message dictionary |
| sorush | angel, divine messenger dictionary | |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| پند | pand | advice dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| پسر | pesar | boy, son dictionary |
| bahr | sake; ze bahr-e = for the sake of (برای) | |
| donyâ | world dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| مخور | makhor | do not eat; gham makhor = do not grieve (نخور) dictionary |
| گفتمت | goftamat | I told you dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| dorr | pearl dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| tavâni | you can dictionary | |
| dâsht | keep (hush dâshtan = to keep in mind) dictionary | |
| harim | private precinct dictionary | |
| zad | strike; dam zadan = to speak, breathe a word dictionary | |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| shenid | heard dictionary | |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| ânjâ | there dictionary | |
| jomle | all (همه) dictionary | |
| a'zâ | limbs, parts of the body dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| bud | be (bâyad bud = must be) dictionary | |
| basât | carpet, court dictionary | |
| shart | rule, condition dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| dânaste | knowingly dictionary | |
| گو | gu | say! tell! (= begu) (بگو) dictionary |
| مرد | mard | man dictionary |
| âghel | wise, rational dictionary | |
| khamush | silent; hush! (خاموش) dictionary | |
| sâghiyâ | O cupbearer (sâghi + vocative -â) dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| deh | give! (= bedeh) (بده) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| فهم | fahm | understanding dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 286. 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.