Ghazal 289 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.
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COUPLET 1
مَجمَعِ خوبی و لطف است عِذار چو مَهَشلیکَنَش مِهر و وفا نیست خدایا بِدَهَش
majma'-e khubi o lotf ast ezâr-e cho mahash / likanash mehr o vafâ nist, khodâyâ bedehash
That moon-like cheek is a meeting place of beauty and grace, but there is no kindness or loyalty in my beloved: O God, grant some.
COUPLET 2
دلبرم شاهد و طفل است و به بازی روزیبِکُشد زارم و در شرع نباشد گُنَهَش
delbaram shâhed o tefl ast o be bâzi ruzi / bekoshad zâram o dar shar' nabâshad gonahash
My sweetheart is a beauty and still a child, and one day, just in play, will kill me miserably, and under religious law it will be no sin.
COUPLET 3
من همان بِه که از او نیک نگه دارم دلکه بد و نیک ندیده‌ست و ندارد نِگَهَش
man hamân beh ke az u nik negah dâram del / ke bad o nik nadide-st o nadârad negahash
It is best that I guard my heart well from this beloved, who has not yet seen good and bad and will not take care of it.
COUPLET 4
بویِ شیر از لبِ همچون شِکَرَش می‌آیدگرچه خون می‌چکد از شیوهٔ چشمِ سیَهَش
bu-ye shir az lab-e hamchon shekarash miâyad / garche khun michekad az shive-ye cheshm-e siyahash
The scent of milk still comes from those sugar-sweet lips, though blood drips from the ways of those black eyes.
COUPLET 5
چارده ساله بُتی چابُکِ شیرین دارمکه به جان حلقه به گوش است مَهِ چاردَهَش
chârdah sâle boti châbok-e shirin dâram / ke be jân halghe be gush ast mah-e chârdahash
I have a lively, sweet idol of fourteen, whose devoted servant, wearing the ring in its ear, is the full moon of the fourteenth night.
COUPLET 6
از پِی آن گُلِ نورُستِه دلِ ما یاربخود کجا شد که ندیدیم در این چند گَهَش؟
az pey-e ân gol-e nowroste del-e mâ yâ rab / khod kojâ shod ke nadidim dar in chand gahash
O Lord, where has our heart gone, chasing after that newly opened rose, that we have not seen it all this while?
COUPLET 7
یارِ دلدارِ من ار قلب بدین سان شِکَنَدبِبَرَد زود به جانداریِ خود پادشهَش
yâr-e deldâr-e man ar ghalb bedin sân shekanad / bebarad zud be jândâri-ye khod pâdshahash
If my heart-holding beloved goes on breaking hearts (and counterfeit coins) like this, the king will soon take this one into his own guard.
COUPLET 8
جان به شکرانه کنم صرف گَر آن دانهٔ دُرصدفِ سینهٔ حافظ بُوَد آرامگَهَش
jân be shokrâne konam sarf gar ân dâne-ye dorr / sadaf-e sine-ye Hâfez bovad ârâmgahash
I will spend my life in thanks if that single pearl makes the oyster shell of Hafez's breast its resting place.
What this fâl tells you
Tradition reads this fal as a gentle warning to guard your heart: someone or something you are drawn to is charming but still young and careless with feelings. Be patient and kind, and do not hand over your peace too quickly. If what is precious finally comes to rest with you, you will be deeply grateful.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: -ash ("his/her, its"). qâfiye: -ah (mah, deh, gonah, negah, siyah, chârdah, gah, pâdshah, ârâmgah). Beyt 7 puns on ghalb "heart" and ghalb "counterfeit coin": breaking false coins was the work of the king's officers.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| مجمع | majma'-e | meeting place, gathering of dictionary |
| khubi | goodness, beauty dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| لطف | lotf | kindness, grace; be lotf = kindly, gently dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| مهش | mahash | his/her moon (-like cheek) dictionary |
| لیکنش | likanash | but he/she ... (= likan + -ash) (ولی او) |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| وفا | vafâ | loyalty, faithfulness dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| khodâyâ | O God! dictionary | |
| bedehash | give (it) to him/her! dictionary | |
| delbaram | my sweetheart dictionary | |
| shâhed | beauty, the beloved (classical sense) dictionary | |
| tefl | child dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| bâzi | game; trick dictionary | |
| bekoshad | kills dictionary | |
| zâram | me miserably (zâr koshtan = to kill miserably) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| نباشد | nabâshad | is not, will not be dictionary |
| گنهش | gonahash | his/her sin dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| همان | hamân | the same dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| نیک | nik | good; well (nik negah dâshtan = to guard well) dictionary |
| نگه | negah | look; negah kon = look! (نگاه) |
| dâram | I have dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| bad | bad dictionary | |
| ندیده‌ست | nadide-st | has not seen (= nadide ast) dictionary |
| ندارد | nadârad | does not have dictionary |
| نگهش | negahash | care of it (negah dâshtan = to look after) dictionary |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| shir | milk dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| همچون | hamchon | like (مثل) |
| shekarash | his/her sugar (lips) dictionary | |
| می‌آید | miâyad | comes dictionary |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| می‌چکد | michekad | drips dictionary |
| shive | manner, way dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| siyahash | his/her black (eyes) (سیاه) dictionary | |
| چارده | chârdah | fourteen (= chahârdah) (چهارده) |
| sâle | -year-old (chârdah sâle = fourteen years old) dictionary | |
| boti | an idol, a beauty dictionary | |
| چابک | châbok | quick, agile dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| halghe | circle, ring dictionary | |
| گوش | gush | ear; gush kon = listen dictionary |
| مه | mah | moon (= mâh) (ماه) |
| pey | after; pey-e kâri gereftan = to go off about some business dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| khod | own; khod kojâ = where on earth dictionary | |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| shod | went dictionary | |
| ندیدیم | nadidim | we did not see dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| چند | chand | some, how many; in chand gah = all this while dictionary |
| گهش | gahash | time, while (in chand gah = all this while) (گاه) dictionary |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| قلب | ghalb | counterfeit (coin); also "heart" (pun) dictionary |
| bedin | with this, in this (= be in) (با این) | |
| shekanad | breaks dictionary | |
| bebarad | will take dictionary | |
| zud | soon, quickly dictionary | |
| jândâri-ye | serving as bodyguard of dictionary | |
| پادشهش | pâdshahash | the king (+ -ash: him/her) (پادشاه) dictionary |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| sarf | spending; sarf shodan = to be spent dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| dâne | seed, grain; bead dictionary | |
| dorr | pearl dictionary | |
| sadaf | shell, oyster shell dictionary | |
| sine | chest dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| ârâmgahash | its resting place (آرامگاه) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 289. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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