Ghazal 294 of Hafez (11 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 وفایِ عشقِ تو، مشهورِ خوبانم چو شمعشب‌نشینِ کویِ سربازان و رندانم چو شمع
dar vafâ-ye eshgh-e to mashhur-e khubânam cho sham' / shab-neshin-e ku-ye sarbâzân o rendânam cho sham'
For my loyalty in loving you I am famous among the beauties, like a candle; like a candle I stay up all night in the lane of the daring and the rends.
COUPLET 2
روز و شب خوابم نمی‌آید به چشمِ غم‌پرستبس که در بیماریِ هجرِ تو گریانم چو شمع
ruz o shab khâbam nemiâyad be cheshm-e gham-parast / bas ke dar bimâri-ye hejr-e to geryânam cho sham'
Day and night no sleep comes to my sorrow-loving eyes, so much do I weep like a candle in the sickness of separation from you.
COUPLET 3
رشتهٔ صبرم به مِقراضِ غمت بُبْریده شدهمچنان در آتشِ مهرِ تو سوزانم چو شمع
reshte-ye sabram be meghrâz-e ghamat bobride shod / hamchonân dar âtash-e mehr-e to suzânam cho sham'
The thread of my patience has been cut by the scissors of grief for you, yet I still burn in the fire of your love, like a candle's wick.
COUPLET 4
گر کُمَیتِ اشکِ گُلگونم نبودیِ گرم‌روکِی شدی روشن به گیتی رازِ پنهانم چو شمع؟
gar komeyt-e ashk-e golgunam nabudi garm-row / key shodi rowshan be giti râz-e penhânam cho sham'
If the bay horse of my rose-red tears had not galloped so fast, how would my hidden secret have become as plain to the world as a candle's flame?
COUPLET 5
در میانِ آب و آتش همچنان سرگرمِ توستاین دلِ زارِ نزارِ اشک‌بارانم چو شمع
dar miyân-e âb o âtash hamchonân sargarm-e to-st / in del-e zâr-e nezâr-e ashk-bârânam cho sham'
Caught between water and fire, this wretched, wasted heart of mine, raining tears like a candle, is still absorbed in you.
COUPLET 6
در شبِ هجران، مرا پروانهٔ وصلی فرستور نه از دَردَت جهانی را بسوزانم چو شمع
dar shab-e hejrân marâ parvâne-ye vasli ferest / var na az dardat jahâni râ besuzânam cho sham'
In the night of separation, send me a moth, a permit for union; otherwise, with the pain of you, I will set a whole world on fire like a candle.
COUPLET 7
بی جمالِ عالم‌آرایِ تو روزم چون شب استبا کمالِ عشقِ تو در عینِ نُقصانم چو شمع
bi jamâl-e âlam-ârâ-ye to ruzam chon shab ast / bâ kamâl-e eshgh-e to dar eyn-e noghsânam cho sham'
Without your world-adorning beauty my day is like night; even with the fullness of my love for you, I am wasting away like a candle.
COUPLET 8
کوهِ صبرم نرم شد چون موم در دستِ غمتتا در آب و آتشِ عشقت گدازانم چو شمع
kuh-e sabram narm shod chon mum dar dast-e ghamat / tâ dar âb o âtash-e eshghat godâzânam cho sham'
The mountain of my patience has gone soft as wax in the hands of grief for you, now that I am melting like a candle in the water and fire of your love.
COUPLET 9
همچو صبحم یک نفس باقی‌ست با دیدارِ توچهره بنما دلبرا تا جان برافشانم چو شمع
hamcho sobham yek nafas bâghi-st bâ didâr-e to / chehre benmâ delbarâ tâ jân barafshânam cho sham'
Like the dawn, I have just one breath left before I see you; show your face, heart-stealer, so that I may give up my life like a candle.
COUPLET 10
سرفرازم کن شبی از وصلِ خود ای نازنینتا مُنور گردد از دیدارت ایوانم چو شمع
sarfarâzam kon shabi az vasl-e khod ey nâzanin / tâ monavvar gardad az didârat eyvânam cho sham'
Honor me one night with your company, my darling, so that my hall may be lit up by your face as if by a candle.
COUPLET 11
آتشِ مِهر تو را حافظ عجب در سر گرفتآتشِ دل، کِی به آبِ دیده بنشانم چو شمع؟
âtash-e mehr-e to râ Hâfez ajab dar sar gereft / âtash-e del key be âb-e dide beneshânam cho sham'
Hafez has taken the fire of your love into his head in a wondrous way; how could I ever put out my heart's fire with the water of my eyes, like a candle?
What this fâl tells you
Tradition reads this fal as a sign of steady, faithful love that gives light even while it costs you something. Your devotion has not gone unnoticed. Ask openly for what you long for, a meeting, a word, a sign, because a single visit could light up your whole house.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: -am cho sham' ("I am ... like a candle"). qâfiye: -ân (khubân, rendân, geryân, suzân, penhân, bârân, besuzân, noghsân, godâzân, barafshân, eyvân, beneshân).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| مشهور | mashhur | famous dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| کوی | ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) |
| sarbâzân | those who stake their heads, the daring (modern: soldiers) dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| rendânam | (the lane of) the rends, I am dictionary | |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| khâbam | my sleep dictionary | |
| نمی‌آید | nemiâyad | does not come; dar nemiâyad = does not enter dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| bas | much; bas ke = so much that dictionary | |
| bimâri | sickness; the breeze's languor dictionary | |
| گریانم | geryânam | I am weeping dictionary |
| reshte | thread dictionary | |
| sabram | my patience dictionary | |
| مقراض | meghrâz-e | scissors of (used to trim a candle's wick) (قیچی) |
| ghamat | your grief dictionary | |
| bobride | cut dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| suzânam | I am burning dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| کمیت | komeyt-e | bay (reddish-brown) horse of dictionary |
| ashk | tear dictionary | |
| گلگونم | golgunam | my rose-colored, red dictionary |
| نبودی | nabudi | had not been (old conditional) dictionary |
| shodi | would have become (old conditional) dictionary | |
| rowshan | lit, bright dictionary | |
| giti | world; do giti = this world and the next dictionary | |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| پنهانم | penhânam | my hidden dictionary |
| میان | miyân | between; dar miyân-e = in the middle of dictionary |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| to-st | is (absorbed in) you (= to ast) dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| zâr | weeping, miserable dictionary | |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| پروانهٔ | parvâne | moth; also a permit, written order dictionary |
| فرست | ferest | send! (بفرست) dictionary |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| dardat | pain for you dictionary | |
| jahâni | a whole world dictionary | |
| besuzânam | I will burn up dictionary | |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| jamâl | beauty dictionary | |
| ruzam | my day dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| کمال | kamâl | perfection, height, fullness dictionary |
| eyn | the very essence of, pure dictionary | |
| نقصانم | noghsânam | I am wasting, diminishing dictionary |
| کوه | kuh | mountain dictionary |
| نرم | narm | soft, gentle dictionary |
| موم | mum | wax dictionary |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| همچو | hamcho | like (مثل) |
| sobham | my morning, my dawn dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| نفس | nafas | breath dictionary |
| didâr | face; meeting dictionary | |
| چهره | chehre | face dictionary |
| benamâ | show! (نشان بده) dictionary | |
| delbarâ | O heart-stealer (vocative) dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| shabi | one night dictionary | |
| khod | own dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| نازنین | nâzanin | dear, sweet, delicate dictionary |
| گردد | gardad | becomes (بشود) dictionary |
| didârat | your face, seeing you dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| sar | head; dar sar gereftan = to take into one's head dictionary | |
| گرفت | gereft | took; gushe gereft = withdrew dictionary |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| beneshânam | I put out, settle (âtash neshândan = to put out a fire) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 294. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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