Ghazal 308 of Hafez (8 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
ای رُخَت چون خُلد و لَعلَت سَلسَبیلسَلسَبیلت کرده جان و دل سَبیل
ey rokhat chon khold o la'lat salsabil / salsabilat karde jân o del sabil
Your face is like paradise and your ruby lips like Salsabil, the spring of heaven; your Salsabil has made hearts and souls a free offering.
COUPLET 2
سبزپوشانِ خَطَت بر گِردِ لبهمچو مورانند گِردِ سَلسَبیل
sabzpushân-e khatat bar gerd-e lab / hamcho murânand gerd-e salsabil
The green-clad down of your cheek around your lips is like ants gathered around Salsabil.
COUPLET 3
ناوَکِ چشمِ تو در هر گوشه‌ایهمچو من افتاده دارد صد قَتیل
nâvak-e cheshm-e to dar har gushe'i / hamcho man oftâde dârad sad ghatil
In every corner the arrows of your eye have a hundred victims lying fallen like me.
COUPLET 4
یا رب این آتش که در جانِ من استسرد کن زان سان که کردی بر خلیل
yâ rab in âtash ke dar jân-e man ast / sard kon z-ân sân ke kardi bar khalil
O Lord, cool this fire that burns in my soul, the way you cooled it for Abraham, your Friend.
COUPLET 5
من نمی‌یابم مجال ای دوستانگرچه دارد او جمالی بس جمیل
man nemiyâbam majâl ey dustân / garche dârad u jamâli bas jamil
Friends, I find no chance to come near, though the beloved has a beauty most fair.
COUPLET 6
پای ما لَنگ است و منزل بس درازدست ما کوتاه و خرما بر نَخیل
pây-e mâ lang ast o manzel bas derâz / dast-e mâ kutâh o khormâ bar nakhil
Our feet are lame and the journey is very long; our hands are short and the dates hang high on the palm.
COUPLET 7
حافظ از سرپنجهٔ عشقِ نگارهمچو مور افتاده شد در پایِ پیل
Hâfez az sarpanje-ye eshgh-e negâr / hamcho mur oftâde shod dar pâ-ye pil
In the grip of love for the beloved, Hafez has fallen like an ant under an elephant's foot.
COUPLET 8
شاهِ عالم را بقا و عِزّ و نازباد و هر چیزی که باشد زین قَبیل
shâh-e âlam râ baghâ o ezz o nâz / bâd o har chizi ke bâshad z-in ghabil
May the king of the world have long life, glory and ease, and everything else of that kind.
What this fâl tells you
The goal looks high and the road long, like dates at the top of a palm. Tradition reads this fal as a prayer for relief: as fire turned cool for Abraham, the heat of your worry can be soothed. Take the road one step at a time, and ask for help from those able to give it.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -il (salsabil, sabil, ghatil, khalil, jamil, nakhil, pil, ghabil).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| rokhat | your face dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| khold | paradise, eternity (بهشت) | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| لعلت | la'lat | your ruby (lips) dictionary |
| کرده | karde | has made dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| khatat | your cheek-down, the first fine hair on the face dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| همچو | hamcho | like (مثل) |
| مورانند | murânand | are ants (murân + -and) dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| gushe'i | a corner dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| oftâde | fallen dictionary | |
| dârad | has; (with arze) shows dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| sard | cool, cold dictionary | |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| kardi | you made dictionary | |
| نمی‌یابم | nemiyâbam | I do not find dictionary |
| مجال | majâl | room, chance dictionary |
| dustân | friends dictionary | |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| jamâli | a beauty dictionary | |
| bas | much, many dictionary | |
| pâ | foot; az pâ oftâdan = to collapse dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| لنگ | lang | lame dictionary |
| منزل | manzel | stopping place, lodging; house dictionary |
| derâz | long dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| کوتاه | kutâh | short dictionary |
| khormâ | dates dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| مور | mur | ant; mur-e khat = the ant-like down on the cheek dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| پیل | pil | elephant (فیل) dictionary |
| shâh | king dictionary | |
| âlam | world dictionary | |
| baghâ | survival, staying alive dictionary | |
| ناز | nâz | delight, ease dictionary |
| bâd | may it be dictionary | |
| chizi | something; be chizi nakharidan = to value at nothing dictionary | |
| bâshad | may it be; bâshad ke = perhaps, so that maybe dictionary | |
| z-in | from this (= az in); z-in pish = before this (از این) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 308. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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