Ghazal 298 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
مقامِ امن و میِ بی‌غَش و رفیقِ شفیقگَرَت مدام میسّر شود، زهی توفیق
maghâm-e amn o mey-e bi-ghash o rafigh-e shafigh / garat modâm moyassar shavad zehi towfigh
A safe place, pure wine and a kind friend: if these are always within your reach, what good fortune!
COUPLET 2
جهان و کارِ جهان جمله هیچ بَر هیچ استهزار بار من این نکته کرده‌ام تحقیق
jahân o kâr-e jahân jomle hich bar hich ast / hezâr bâr man in nokte karde-am tahghigh
The world and all its business are nothing upon nothing; I have checked this point a thousand times.
COUPLET 3
دریغ و دَرد که تا این زمان ندانستمکه کیمیایِ سعادت، رفیق بود، رفیق
darigh o dard ke tâ in zamân nadânestam / ke kimiyâ-ye sa'âdat rafigh bud, rafigh
Alas and pity that until now I did not know the alchemy of happiness was a friend, a true friend.
COUPLET 4
به مَأمَنی رو و فرصت شمُر غنیمتِ وقتکه در کمینگهِ عمرند قاطعانِ طریق
be ma'mani ro o forsat shomor ghanimat-e vaght / ke dar kamingah-e omrand ghâte'ân-e tarigh
Go to a safe refuge and treasure the chance as a gift of time, for highway robbers lie in ambush along the road of life.
COUPLET 5
بیا که توبه ز لعلِ نگار و خندهٔ جامحکایتی‌ست که عقلش نمی‌کُند تصدیق
biyâ ke towbe ze la'l-e negâr o khande-ye jâm / hekâyati-st ke aghlash nemikonad tasdigh
Come: giving up the beloved's ruby lips and the laughing cup is a tale that reason itself does not believe.
COUPLET 6
اگر چه مویِ میانت به چون منی نرسدخوش است خاطرم از فکرِ این خیالِ دقیق
agarche mu-ye miyânat be chon mani narasad / khosh ast khâteram az fekr-e in khiyâl-e daghigh
Though your hair-thin waist is beyond the reach of someone like me, my mind delights in thinking of this fine fancy.
COUPLET 7
حلاوتی که تو را در چَهِ زَنَخدان استبه کُنهِ آن نرسد صد هزار فکرِ عمیق
halâvati ke to râ dar chah-e zanakhdân ast / be konh-e ân narasad sad hezâr fekr-e amigh
The sweetness you keep in the well of your chin: a hundred thousand deep thoughts could never reach its bottom.
COUPLET 8
اگر به رنگِ عقیقی شد اشکِ من، چه عَجب؟که مُهرِ خاتمِ لَعلِ تو هست همچو عقیق
agar be rang-e aghighi shod ashk-e man che ajab / ke mohr-e khâtam-e la'l-e to hast hamcho aghigh
If my tears have turned the color of carnelian, is it any wonder? The seal of your ruby ring, your lips, is like carnelian.
COUPLET 9
به خنده گفت که «حافظ! غلامِ طبعِ تواَم»ببین که تا به چه حدَّم همی کُند تحمیق
be khande goft ke Hâfez gholâm-e tab'-e to-am / bebin ke tâ be che haddam hami konad tahmigh
Laughing, the beloved said, "Hafez, I am the servant of your talent." See how far the beloved goes in making a fool of me!
What this fâl tells you
This fal names three treasures: a safe place, a clear cup and a faithful friend. Tradition reads it as a reminder that the real alchemy of happiness is good company. Hold close the friend who is true to you, and treat the present chance as a gift rather than waiting for something more.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -igh (shafigh, towfigh, tahghigh, rafigh, tarigh, tasdigh, daghigh, amigh, aghigh, tahmigh).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| مقام | maghâm | place, station dictionary |
| amn | safety, security dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| می | mey | wine (شراب) dictionary |
| rafigh-e | friend, companion of dictionary | |
| shafigh | kind, caring dictionary | |
| گرت | garat | if ... you (= agar to-râ) (اگر به تو) |
| مدام | modâm | constant, lasting; also "wine" (pun) dictionary |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| jomle | all (همه) dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| bâr | time (hezâr bâr = a thousand times) dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| نکته | nokte | point, subtle point dictionary |
| کرده‌ام | karde-am | I have done dictionary |
| tahghigh | certainty; be tahghigh = truly dictionary | |
| darigh | withholding; darigh dâshtan = to hold back, deny dictionary | |
| dard | pain; darigh o dard = alas and pity dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| zamân | time dictionary | |
| ندانستم | nadânestam | I did not know dictionary |
| کیمیای | kimiyâ-ye | alchemy of (کیمیا) |
| sa'âdat | happiness, good fortune dictionary | |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| ma'mani | a safe refuge dictionary | |
| ro | go! (= borow) (برو) dictionary | |
| فرصت | forsat | chance, opportunity dictionary |
| shomor | count! consider! (بشمار) dictionary | |
| ghanimat | godsend; ghanimat dânestan = to treasure dictionary | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| کمینگه | kamingah | ambush, place of hiding (= kamingâh) (کمینگاه) |
| omrand | of life (+ "are") dictionary | |
| قاطعان | ghâte'ân | robbers; ghâte'ân-e tarigh = highway robbers dictionary |
| tarigh | way, path dictionary | |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| ze la'l | from the ruby (lips) (از لعل) dictionary | |
| khande | laughter dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| hekâyati-st | is a story dictionary | |
| aghlash | reason (+ "it": reason does not believe it) dictionary | |
| نمی‌کند | nemikonad | does not do dictionary |
| tasdigh | belief, confirmation dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| موی | mu-ye | hair of dictionary |
| میانت | miyânat | your waist dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| mani | someone like me (chon mani) dictionary | |
| نرسد | narasad | does not reach dictionary |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| khâteram | my mind dictionary | |
| فکر | fekr | thought dictionary |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| daghigh | fine, subtle dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| چه | chah | well, pit; chah-e zanakhdân = the dimple of the chin (چاه) dictionary |
| zanakhdân | chin; "apple of the chin" with a dimple ("well") is a classic image (چانه) | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| amigh | deep dictionary | |
| rang | color dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| ashk | tear dictionary | |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| مهر | mohr | seal dictionary |
| khâtam | seal ring dictionary | |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| همچو | hamcho | like (مثل) |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| gholâm | servant dictionary | |
| tab'-e | nature, temperament dictionary | |
| to-am | I am yours (to + -am) dictionary | |
| bebin | see! look! dictionary | |
| haddam | limit (+ "me": to what extent ... me) dictionary | |
| hami | old prefix of continuing action (= mi-) (می) | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 298. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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