Ghazal 300 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
هزار دشمنم اَر می‌کنند قصدِ هلاکگَرَم تو دوستی از دشمنان ندارم باک
hezâr doshmanam ar mikonand ghasd-e halâk / garam to dusti az doshmanân nadâram bâk
Even if a thousand enemies set out to destroy me, if you are my friend I have no fear of enemies.
COUPLET 2
مرا امیدِ وصالِ تو زنده می‌داردو گر نه هر دَمم از هجرِ توست بیمِ هلاک
marâ omid-e vesâl-e to zende midârad / va gar na har damam az hajr-e to-st bim-e halâk
The hope of union with you keeps me alive; otherwise, every moment, your absence makes me fear for my life.
COUPLET 3
نفَس‌نفَس اگر از باد نَشنوم بویشزمان‌زمان چو گل از غم کُنم گریبان چاک
nafas-nafas agar az bâd nashnavam buyash / zamân-zamân cho gol az gham konam garibân châk
If I do not catch the beloved's scent on the breeze with every breath, then moment by moment I tear my collar in grief like the rose.
COUPLET 4
رَوَد به خواب، دو چشم از خیالِ تو؟ هیهاتبُوَد صبور، دل اندر فراقِ تو؟ حاشاک
ravad be khâb do cheshm az khiyâl-e to? heyhât / bovad sabur del andar ferâgh-e to? hâshâk
Could my eyes fall asleep while I dream of you? Far from it! Could my heart be patient while apart from you? Never!
COUPLET 5
اگر تو زخم زَنی، بِهْ که دیگری مَرهمو گر تو زهر دهی، بِهْ که دیگری تریاک
agar to zakhm zani beh ke digari marham / va gar to zahr dehi beh ke digari taryâk
A wound from you is better than a balm from anyone else; poison from you is better than an antidote from another.
COUPLET 6
بِضَربِ سَیْفِکَ قَتْلی حَیاتُنا اَبدالِأنَّ روحیَ قَدْ طابَ اَن یَکونَ فِداک
be-zarbe sayfeka ghatli hayâtonâ abadan / le-anna ruhiya ghad tâba an yakuna fedâk
(Arabic) To be killed by the stroke of your sword is our eternal life, for my soul is glad to be your ransom.
COUPLET 7
عنان مَپیچ که گر می‌زنی به شمشیرمسپر کُنم سر و دستت ندارم از فِتراک
enân mapich ke gar mizani be shamshiram / separ konam sar o dastat nadâram az fetrâk
Do not turn your reins away: even if you strike at me with your sword, I will make my head a shield and not let go of your saddle strap.
COUPLET 8
تو را چنان که تویی هر نظر کجا بیند؟به قدرِ دانشِ خود هر کسی کند ادراک
to râ chenân ke toyi har nazar kojâ binad / be ghadr-e dânesh-e khod har kasi konad edrâk
How could every eye see you as you truly are? Each person understands only as far as their own knowledge goes.
COUPLET 9
به چشمِ خَلق، عزیزِ جهان شود حافظکه بر درِ تو نَهد رویِ مَسکَنَت بر خاک
be cheshm-e khalgh aziz-e jahân shavad Hâfez / ke bar dar-e to nahad ru-ye maskanat bar khâk
In people's eyes Hafez becomes dear to the world, because at your door he lays his face humbly in the dust.
What this fâl tells you
With a true friend beside you, a thousand opponents lose their power to frighten you. Tradition reads this fal as a sign of loyalty that holds firm through hardship. Stay faithful to the one you love, and remember that people see you according to their own understanding, so do not be troubled by every judgment.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -âk (halâk, bâk, châk, hâshâk, taryâk, fedâk, fetrâk, edrâk, khâk). Beyt 6 is entirely Arabic.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| doshmanam | enemies (+ "me": enemies ... against me) dictionary | |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| می‌کنند | mikonand | they do; talab mikonand = they demand dictionary |
| قصد | ghasd | intent; ghasd kardan = to head for dictionary |
| گرم | garam | if... me (= agar ... marâ) (اگر مرا) |
| to | you dictionary | |
| dusti | friendship dictionary | |
| doshmanân | enemies dictionary | |
| ندارم | nadâram | I do not have; dast az chizi nadâshtan = not to give something up dictionary |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| وصال | vesâl | union with the beloved dictionary |
| zende | alive dictionary | |
| می‌دارد | midârad | keeps dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| damam | my moment, my breath dictionary | |
| to-st | is yours; is from you (= to ast) dictionary | |
| bim | fear dictionary | |
| نفس‌نفس | nafas-nafas | with every breath dictionary |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| نشنوم | nashnavam | I do not hear dictionary |
| buyash | his/her scent dictionary | |
| zamân-zamân | moment by moment dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| گریبان | garibân | collar; châk-e garibân = torn collar (sign of grief; an opening rosebud) dictionary |
| چاک | châk | tear, slit dictionary |
| ravad | goes; be khâb raftan = to fall asleep dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| khâb | sleep dictionary | |
| do | two dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| sabur | patient dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| zakhm | wound, blow dictionary | |
| zani | you strike; dam zadan = to talk dictionary | |
| مرهم | marham | healing ointment, balm dictionary |
| zahr | poison dictionary | |
| dehi | you give dictionary | |
| taryâk | antidote (theriac); in modern Persian "opium" (پادزهر) dictionary | |
| ghatli | my being killed (Arabic) dictionary | |
| hayâtonâ | our life (Arabic) dictionary | |
| abadan | forever (Arabic) dictionary | |
| ruhiya | my soul (Arabic) dictionary | |
| قد | ghad | (Arabic particle) indeed, has dictionary |
| مپیچ | mapich | do not get tangled! (نپیچ) dictionary |
| mizani | you strike; ta'ne mizani = you sneer dictionary | |
| shamshiram | me with the sword (be shamshiram = with a sword at me) dictionary | |
| separ | shield dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| dastat | your hand dictionary | |
| چنان | chenân | so, in such a way dictionary |
| toyi | you are the one (to + -i "you are") dictionary | |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| binad | sees dictionary | |
| قدر | ghadr | measure, extent dictionary |
| dânesh | knowledge, learning dictionary | |
| khod | own dictionary | |
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| edrâk | perception, understanding dictionary | |
| khalgh | people (مردم) dictionary | |
| aziz | precious, dear dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| نهد | nahad | lays, puts dictionary |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 300. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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