Ghazal 297 of Hafez (12 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
زبانِ خامه ندارد سرِ بیان فِراقوگرنه شرح دهم با تو داستانِ فِراق
zabân-e khâme nadârad sar-e bayân-e ferâgh / va gar na sharh daham bâ to dâstân-e ferâgh
The pen's tongue has no heart to describe separation; otherwise I would tell you the whole story of separation.
COUPLET 2
دریغ مدت عمرم که بر امیدِ وصالبه سر رسید و نیامد به سر زمانِ فِراق
darigh moddat-e omram ke bar omid-e vesâl / be sar resid o nayâmad be sar zamân-e ferâgh
Alas for my lifetime: it ran out in the hope of union, while the time of separation never came to an end.
COUPLET 3
سری که بر سرِ گردون به فخر می‌سودمبه راستان که نهادم، بر آستانِ فِراق
sari ke bar sar-e gardun be fakhr misudam / be râstân ke nahâdam bar âstân-e ferâgh
The head I once proudly rubbed against the top of the sky, I swear by the truthful, I have now laid on the threshold of separation.
COUPLET 4
چگونه باز کنم بال در هوایِ وصالکه ریخت مرغِ دلم پَر در آشیانِ فِراق
chegune bâz konam bâl dar havâ-ye vesâl / ke rikht morgh-e delam par dar âshiyân-e ferâgh
How can I spread my wings in the air of union, when the bird of my heart has shed its feathers in the nest of separation?
COUPLET 5
کنون چه چاره که در بَحرِ غم به گردابیفُتاد زورقِ صبرم ز بادبانِ فِراق
konun che châre ke dar bahr-e gham be gerdâbi / fetâd zowragh-e sabram ze bâdbân-e ferâgh
What can I do now? Driven by the sail of separation, the little boat of my patience has fallen into a whirlpool in the sea of grief.
COUPLET 6
بسی نَمانْد که کَشتیِ عمر غرقه شودز موجِ شوقِ تو در بحرِ بی‌کرانِ فِراق
basi namând ke keshti-ye omr gharghe shavad / ze mowj-e showgh-e to dar bahr-e bikarân-e ferâgh
The ship of my life very nearly sank under the waves of longing for you, in the boundless sea of separation.
COUPLET 7
اگر به دستِ من اُفتَد فِراق را بِکُشَمکه روزِ هجر سیَه باد و خان و مانِ فِراق
agar be dast-e man oftad ferâgh râ bekosham / ke ruz-e hajr siyah bâd o khân o mân-e ferâgh
If separation ever falls into my hands, I will kill it. May the day of parting turn black, and the house and home of separation with it.
COUPLET 8
رفیقِ خِیلِ خیالیم و همنشینِ شَکیبقَرینِ آتشِ هجران و هم قِرانِ فِراق
rafigh-e kheyl-e khiyâlim o hamneshin-e shakib / gharin-e âtash-e hejrân o ham gherân-e ferâgh
I travel with a crowd of fancies and keep company with patience; I am bound to the fire of parting and in conjunction with separation.
COUPLET 9
چگونه دَعویِ وصلت کُنَم به جان؟ که شده‌ستتنم وکیلِ قَضا و دلم ضمانِ فِراق
chegune da'vi-ye vaslat konam be jân ke shode-st / tanam vakil-e ghazâ o delam zamân-e ferâgh
How can I stake my life on a claim to union with you, when my body has become fate's agent and my heart the guarantor of separation?
COUPLET 10
ز سوزِ شوق دلم شد کباب دور از یارمدام خونِ جگر می‌خورم ز خوانِ فِراق
ze suz-e showgh delam shod kabâb dur az yâr / modâm khun-e jegar mikhoram ze khân-e ferâgh
Far from my love, my heart is roasted in the burning of longing; I keep drinking my heart's blood from the table of separation.
COUPLET 11
فلک چو دید سرم را اسیرِ چَنبَرِ عشقبِبَست گردنِ صبرم به ریسمانِ فِراق
falak cho did saram râ asir-e chanbar-e eshgh / bebast gardan-e sabram be rismân-e ferâgh
When the heavens saw my head caught in the noose of love, they tied the neck of my patience with the rope of separation.
COUPLET 12
به پایِ شوق گر این رَه به سر شدی حافظبه دستِ هجر ندادی کسی عِنانِ فِراق
be pâ-ye showgh gar in rah be sar shodi Hâfez / be dast-e hajr nadâdi kasi enân-e ferâgh
Hafez, if this road could be finished on the feet of longing, no one would hand the reins of separation over to parting.
What this fâl tells you
This fal speaks of a long wait that has tested your patience to the edge. Tradition reads it as a sign that the pain of distance is real but not the last word: keep your longing alive and your head up. Write, speak, or reach out to the one you miss; even a pen that hesitates can carry the story.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: ferâgh ("separation"). qâfiye: -ân (bayân, dâstân, zamân, âstân, âshiyân, bâdbân, bikarân, mân, gherân, zamân, khân, rismân, enân).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| zabân | tongue; language dictionary | |
| khâme | reed pen (قلم) dictionary | |
| ندارد | nadârad | does not have dictionary |
| sar | head; mind, inclination (sar-e chizi dâshtan = to feel like doing something) dictionary | |
| bayân | description, expression dictionary | |
| وگرنه | vagarna | otherwise dictionary |
| sharh-e | account of dictionary | |
| daham | I give dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| dâstân | story dictionary | |
| darigh | alas dictionary | |
| omram | my life dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| وصال | vesâl | union with the beloved dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| resid | arrived, came dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| نیامد | nayâmad | did not come dictionary |
| zamân | time dictionary | |
| sari | a head dictionary | |
| گردون | gardun | the turning sky; fortune dictionary |
| فخر | fakhr | pride; Fakhr al-Din = "pride of the faith", a title dictionary |
| râstân | the truthful; be râstân = I swear by the truthful dictionary | |
| نهادم | nahâdam | I laid, I placed (گذاشتم) dictionary |
| چگونه | chegune | how dictionary |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| bâl | wing dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| هوای | havâ | air; also longing dictionary |
| rikht | poured dictionary | |
| مرغ | morgh | bird dictionary |
| delam | my heart dictionary | |
| پر | par | feather dictionary |
| âshiyân | nest (لانه) | |
| کنون | konun | now (اکنون) |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| چاره | châre | remedy, way out dictionary |
| bahr | sea (دریا) dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| gerdâbi | a whirlpool dictionary | |
| فتاد | fetâd | fell, landed (افتاد) dictionary |
| zowragh | small boat, skiff (قایق) | |
| sabram | my patience dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| bâdbân | sail dictionary | |
| نماند | namând | did not remain, ran out dictionary |
| کشتی | keshti | ship, ark dictionary |
| omr | life, lifetime dictionary | |
| gharghe | drowned, sunk (غرق) | |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| موج | mowj | wave dictionary |
| showgh | longing, eagerness dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| oftad | falls; ghabul oftâdan = to be accepted (بیفتد) dictionary | |
| bekosham | I will kill dictionary | |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| siyah | black (سیاه) | |
| bâd | may it be dictionary | |
| khân | house; khân o mân = house and home (خانه) | |
| مان | mân | home; khân o mân = house and home (خانه) |
| rafigh-e | friend, companion of dictionary | |
| khiyâlim | of fancies (+ "we are") dictionary | |
| shakib | patience (صبر) dictionary | |
| قرین | gharin | joined to, companion of dictionary |
| هم | ham | also, too dictionary |
| da'vi | claim dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| shode-st | has become (= shode ast) (شده است) dictionary | |
| tanam | my body dictionary | |
| وکیل | vakil | agent, representative dictionary |
| قضا | ghazâ | fate, divine decree dictionary |
| zamân | guarantor (ضامن) | |
| suz | burning dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| کباب | kabâb | roasted, burning (hearts) dictionary |
| dur | far dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| مدام | modâm | constant, lasting; also "wine" (pun) dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| jegar | liver; khun-e jegar = deep grief dictionary | |
| می‌خورم | mikhoram | I drink dictionary |
| khân | tray of food, feast laid out (سفره) | |
| فلک | falak | the sky, the heavens; fate dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| did | saw dictionary | |
| saram | my head; over me dictionary | |
| bebast | locked, shut dictionary | |
| گردن | gardan | neck dictionary |
| rismân | rope dictionary | |
| پای | pâ | foot; az pâ oftâdan = to collapse dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| shodi | would be (be sar shodi = would be finished) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| nadâdi | would not give dictionary | |
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 297. 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.