Ghazal 30 of Hafez (7 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
زلفت هزار دل به یکی تار مو ببستراه هزار چاره‌گر از چارسو ببست
zolfat hezâr del be yeki târ-e mu bebast / râh-e hezâr châregar az châr su bebast
Your hair has bound a thousand hearts with a single strand, and blocked the road from all four sides to a thousand who might help.
COUPLET 2
تا عاشقان به بوی نسیمش دهند جانبگشود نافه‌ایّ و دَرِ آرزو ببست
tâ âsheghân be bu-ye nasimash dahand jân / bogshud nâfe'i o dar-e ârezu bebast
So that lovers would give their lives for the scent of its breeze, it opened a pod of musk and shut the door of desire.
COUPLET 3
شیدا از آن شدم که نگارم چو ماه نوابرو نُمود و جلوه‌گری کرد و رو ببست
sheydâ az ân shodam ke negâram cho mâh-e now / abru nemud o jelvegari kard o ru bebast
I went mad because my beloved, like the new moon, showed an eyebrow, flashed beauty, and then covered that face.
COUPLET 4
ساقی به چند رنگ، می اندر پیاله ریختاین نقش‌ها نگر که چه خوش در کدو ببست
sâghi be chand rang mey andar piyâle rikht / in naghsh-hâ negar ke che khosh dar kadu bebast
The cupbearer poured wine of many colors into the cup. Look at these designs and how beautifully he set them in the flask.
COUPLET 5
یا رب چه غمزه کرد صُراحی که خون خُمبا نعره‌های قُلقُلش اندر گلو ببست
yâ rab che ghamze kard sorâhi ke khun-e khom / bâ na're-hâ-ye gholgholash andar galu bebast
O Lord, what a glance did the wine flask give, that with its gurgling cries the jar's red blood stopped in its throat?
COUPLET 6
مطرب چه پرده ساخت که در پردهٔ سماعبر اهل وجد و حال، درِ های‌وهو ببست
motreb che parde sâkht ke dar parde-ye samâ' / bar ahl-e vajd o hâl dar-e hây o hu bebast
What melody did the musician play, that in the mode of the Sufi dance he closed the door of shouting on all those in ecstasy?
COUPLET 7
حافظ! هر آن که عشق نَورزید و وصل خواستاحرامِ طوفِ کعبهٔ دل، بی‌وضو ببست
Hâfez, har ân ke eshgh navarzid o vasl khâst / ehrâm-e towf-e ka'be-ye del bi vozu bebast
Hafez, whoever wanted union without practicing love put on the pilgrim's robe to circle the Kaaba of the heart without washing first.
What this fâl tells you
Something beautiful has caught your heart and made you restless. Tradition reads this fal as a reminder that union is earned by sincere love, not by wanting alone: prepare yourself the way a pilgrim does. Enjoy the music and color of this season, and let wonder quiet your complaints.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: bebast ("tied, closed"). qâfiye: -u (mu, su, ârezu, ru, kadu, galu, hu, vozu).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| zolfat | your curls dictionary | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| yeki | one (person) dictionary | |
| مو | mu | hair dictionary |
| bebast | locked, shut dictionary | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| âsheghân | lovers dictionary | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| نسیمش | nasimash | its breeze dictionary |
| dahand | (they) give dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| bogshud | opened (گشود) dictionary | |
| نافه‌ای | nâfe'i | a musk pod (from the musk deer) (کیسهٔ مشک) |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| sheydâ | madly in love dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| shodam | I became dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| نو | now | new dictionary |
| abru | eyebrow dictionary | |
| نمود | nemud | seemed, appeared (past of nemudan) (به نظر رسید) dictionary |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| ru | face; z-ân ru = for that reason dictionary | |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| چند | chand | har chand = although, however much dictionary |
| rang | color dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| پیاله | piyâle | cup dictionary |
| rikht | poured dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| نقش‌ها | naghsh-hâ | patterns, designs dictionary |
| نگر | negar | look! see! (ببین) dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| کدو | kadu | gourd; a gourd-shaped wine flask dictionary |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| na're-hâ-ye | the cries, shouts of dictionary | |
| گلو | galu | throat dictionary |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| sâkht | make (khâham sâkht = I will make) dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| ahl | people (of) dictionary | |
| hâl | state, condition dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| نورزید | navarzid | did not practice dictionary |
| khâst | wanted dictionary | |
| towf | circling (of the Kaaba) (طواف) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 30. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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