Ghazal 296 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
طالع اگر مدد دهد، دامنَش آوَرَم به کفگر بکِشم زهی طرب، ور بکُشد زهی شرف
tâle' agar madad dahad dâmanash âvaram be kaf / gar bekesham zehi tarab, var bekoshad zehi sharaf
If fortune helps me, I will take hold of the hem of the beloved's robe: if I draw the beloved to me, what joy; and if the beloved kills me, what honor!
COUPLET 2
طرْفِ کرَم ز کَس نبست، این دلِ پُر امیدِ منگر چه سخن همی بَرَد، قصهٔ من به هر طرف
tarf-e karam ze kas nabast in del-e por omid-e man / garche sokhan hami barad ghesse-ye man be har taraf
This hopeful heart of mine has gained no kindness from anyone, though talk carries my story in every direction.
COUPLET 3
از خَمِ ابرویِ توام، هیچ گشایشی نشدوَه که در این خیالِ کَج، عمرِ عزیز شد تلف
az kham-e abru-ye to-am hich goshâyeshi nashod / vah ke dar in khiyâl-e kaj omr-e aziz shod talaf
The curve of your eyebrow has never opened any door for me; alas, my precious life has been wasted on this crooked fancy.
COUPLET 4
ابرویِ دوست کِی شود، دست‌کشِ خیالِ من؟کس نزده‌ست از این کمان، تیرِ مراد بر هدف
abru-ye dust key shavad dast-kesh-e khiyâl-e man / kas nazade-st az in kamân tir-e morâd bar hadaf
When will the friend's eyebrow bend to the hand of my imagination? No one has ever hit the target with the arrow of desire from this bow.
COUPLET 5
چند به ناز پرورم، مِهرِ بُتانِ سنگ‌دلیادِ پدر نمی‌کنند، این پسرانِ ناخلف
chand be nâz parvaram mehr-e botân-e sangdel / yâd-e pedar nemikonand in pesarân-e nâkhalaf
How long shall I tenderly nurse my love for stone-hearted idols? These unworthy sons never remember their father.
COUPLET 6
من به خیالِ زاهدی، گوشه‌نشین و طُرفه آنکمُغْبَچه‌ای ز هر طرف، می‌زندم به چنگ و دف
man be khiyâl-e zâhedi gushe-neshin o torfe ânk / moghbache'i ze har taraf mizanadam be chang o daf
I sit in my corner, dreaming of being an ascetic, and the strange thing is that from every side some young Magian tempts me with harp and drum.
COUPLET 7
بی‌خبرند زاهدان، نقش بخوان و لاتَقُلمستِ ریاسْت محتسب، باده بده و لاتَخَف
bikhabarand zâhedân, naghsh bekhân o lâ taghol / mast-e riyâ-st mohtaseb, bâde bedeh o lâ takhaf
The ascetics know nothing: read the sign and do not speak. The morals officer is drunk on hypocrisy: pour the wine and do not be afraid.
COUPLET 8
صوفی شهر بین که چون لقمهٔ شُبهه می‌خوردپاردُمَش دراز باد، آن حَیَوانِ خوش علف
sufi-ye shahr bin ke chon loghme-ye shobhe mikhorad / pârdomash derâz bâd, ân heyvân-e khosh-alaf
Look how the city's Sufi gobbles down morsels of doubtful origin; long may his crupper strap be, that well-fed beast!
COUPLET 9
حافظ اگر قدم زنی، در رَهِ خاندان به صِدقبدرقهٔ رهت شود، همتِ شَحنِهٔ نجف
Hâfez agar ghadam zani dar rah-e khândân be sedgh / badraghe-ye rahat shavad hemmat-e shahne-ye najaf
Hafez, if you walk sincerely on the path of the Prophet's family, the spiritual power of the guardian of Najaf will escort you on your way.
What this fâl tells you
Tradition reads this fal as encouragement to try your luck boldly: whatever the outcome, there is honor in having tried. Do not waste years on crooked hopes or on people who never return kindness. Walk your path with sincerity, ignore the hypocrites, and you will not walk it alone.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -af (kaf, sharaf, taraf, talaf, hadaf, nâkhalaf, daf, takhaf, alaf, najaf). Beyt 7 has two Arabic phrases: lâ taghol "do not say" and lâ takhaf "do not fear". The "guardian of Najaf" (shahne-ye najaf) is traditionally Ali, buried in Najaf.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| tâle' | horoscope, fate, fortune (بخت) dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| مدد | madad | help dictionary |
| dahad | gives, may give dictionary | |
| âvaram | I bring; be kaf âvardan = to get hold of dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| کف | kaf | palm (of the hand) dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| bekesham | I draw (the beloved) to me dictionary | |
| tarab | joy, merriment dictionary | |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| bekoshad | kills dictionary | |
| sharaf | honor dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| نبست | nabast | did not tie; tarfi nabast = gained nothing dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| پر | por | full dictionary |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| چه | che | gar che = although dictionary |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| hami | old prefix of continuing action (= mi-) (می) | |
| barad | carries dictionary | |
| قصهٔ | ghesse | story dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| taraf | side, region dictionary | |
| abru-ye | eyebrow of dictionary | |
| to-am | your ... to me (kham-e abru-ye to-am = the curve of your brow, for me) dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| نشد | nashod | did not become dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| کج | kaj | tilted, crooked dictionary |
| omr | life, lifetime dictionary | |
| aziz | precious, dear dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| dast-kesh-e | drawn by the hand of; obedient to dictionary | |
| نزده‌ست | nazade-st | has not struck, has not hit dictionary |
| tir | arrow dictionary | |
| مراد | morâd | wish, desire dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| هدف | hadaf | target dictionary |
| چند | chand | how long, how much dictionary |
| ناز | nâz | tenderness; be nâz = tenderly, with pampering dictionary |
| پرورم | parvaram | I nurture, raise dictionary |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| botân | idols: the beauties dictionary | |
| sangdel-e | stone-hearted dictionary | |
| یاد | yâd | memory dictionary |
| پدر | pedar | father dictionary |
| نمی‌کنند | nemikonand | they do not do; yâd nemikonand = they do not remember dictionary |
| پسران | pesarân | boys, young men dictionary |
| zâhedi | being an ascetic, asceticism dictionary | |
| گوشه‌نشین | gushe-neshin | sitting in a corner, a recluse dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ânk | that (= ân ke); az ânk = because (آنکه) | |
| می‌زندم | mizanadam | strikes at me, plays at me dictionary |
| چنگ | chang | harp dictionary |
| bikhabarand | they are unaware dictionary | |
| zâhedân | ascetics, the outwardly pious dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| bekhân | read! sing! recite! dictionary | |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| riyâ-st | is hypocrisy (= riyâ ast) dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| bedeh | give! pour! dictionary | |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| bin | see! (= bebin) (ببین) dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| لقمهٔ | loghme-ye | morsel of dictionary |
| shobhe | doubt; loghme-ye shobhe = food of doubtful (unlawful) origin dictionary | |
| می‌خورد | mikhorad | eats dictionary |
| derâz | long dictionary | |
| bâd | may it be dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| heyvân | animal, beast dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| alaf | grass, fodder; khosh-alaf = well-fed dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| قدم | ghadam | step dictionary |
| zani | you strike; ghadam zadan = to walk dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| khândân | family; here the Prophet's family dictionary | |
| sedgh | sincerity, truth dictionary | |
| badraghe-ye | escort for, companion on (a road) dictionary | |
| rahat | your road dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 296. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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