Ghazal 315 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
به غیر از آن که بِشُد دین و دانش از دستمبیا بگو که ز عشقت چه طَرْف بَربَستَم؟
be gheyr az ân ke beshod din o dânesh az dastam / biyâ begu ke ze eshghat che taraf barbastam
Apart from losing my faith and my learning, come and tell me: what have I gained from loving you?
COUPLET 2
اگر چه خَرمَنِ عمرم غمِ تو داد به بادبه خاک‌پایِ عزیزت که عهد نشکستم
agarche kharman-e omram gham-e to dâd be bâd / be khâk-pâ-ye azizat ke ahd nashekastam
Though grief for you has scattered the harvest of my life to the wind, I swear by the dust of your dear feet that I have not broken my pledge.
COUPLET 3
چو ذَرِّه گرچه حقیرم؛ ببین به دولتِ عشقکه در هوایِ رُخَت چون به مِهر پیوستم
cho zarre garche haghiram bebin be dowlat-e eshgh / ke dar havâ-ye rokhat chon be mehr peyvastam
Though I am as small as a mote of dust, see how, by the good fortune of love, longing for your face has joined me to the sun.
COUPLET 4
بیار باده که عمریست تا من از سَرِ اَمنبه کُنجِ عافیت از بهرِ عیش نَنشَستَم
biyâr bâde ke omri-st tâ man az sar-e amn / be konj-e âfiyat az bahr-e eysh naneshastam
Bring wine, for it has been a lifetime since I sat down in safety in a quiet corner to enjoy myself.
COUPLET 5
اگر ز مردمِ هشیاری ای نصیحت‌گوسخن به خاک مَیَفکَن؛ چرا که من مستم
agar ze mardom-e hoshyâri ey nasihat-gu / sokhan be khâk mayafkan cherâ ke man mastam
Adviser, if you are one of the sober, do not throw your words into the dust, for I am drunk.
COUPLET 6
چگونه سر ز خجالت برآورم بَرِ دوستکه خدمتی بسزا برنیامد از دستم
chegune sar ze khejâlat bar âvaram bar-e dust / ke khedmati besezâ bar-nayâmad az dastam
How can I lift my head for shame before the beloved, when I have not managed a single worthy service?
COUPLET 7
بسوخت حافظ و آن یارِ دلنواز نگفتکه مَرهمی بفرستم که خاطرش خَستم
besukht Hâfez o ân yâr-e delnavâz nagoft / ke marhami befrestam ke khâterash khastam
Hafez burned, and that heart-soothing beloved never said, "Let me send him some balm, for I have hurt his heart."
What this fâl tells you
You have given much and may wonder what you have gained. Tradition reads this fal as reassurance: even a speck of dust rises to the sun when it is carried by love, and a pledge you have kept is never wasted. Give yourself a moment of rest and enjoyment; you have earned it.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: -am ("I"). qâfiye: -ast (dast, barbast, shekast, peyvast, neshast, mast, khast).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| gheyr | other; gheyr az = apart from dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| beshod | went, passed away (رفت / گذشت) dictionary | |
| din | religion, faith dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| dânesh | knowledge, learning dictionary | |
| dastam | my hand; az dast raftan = to slip out of one's control dictionary | |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| begu | tell! say! dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| taraf | profit; taraf barbastan = to gain something dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| kharman | harvest, threshing heap dictionary | |
| omram | my life dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| azizat | your dear dictionary | |
| ahd | pledge, promise dictionary | |
| نشکستم | nashekastam | I did not break dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| haghiram | me as small, lowly dictionary | |
| bebin | see! look! dictionary | |
| dowlat | good fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| هوای | havâ-ye | longing for, desire for dictionary |
| rokhat | your face dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| مهر | mehr | the sun; also love (a pun) dictionary |
| پیوستم | peyvastam | I joined, became one with dictionary |
| biyâr | bring! dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| omri-st | it has been a lifetime (= omri ast) dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| sar | head; az sar-e amn = in security dictionary | |
| amn | safety, security dictionary | |
| کنج | konj | corner dictionary |
| bahr | sake; ze bahr-e = for the sake of (برای) | |
| eysh | pleasure, enjoyment dictionary | |
| ننشستم | naneshastam | I did not sit dictionary |
| مردم | mardom | people dictionary |
| hoshyâri | sobriety dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| میفکن | mayafkan | do not cast! (نیفکن) dictionary |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| مستم | mastam | me drunk; mastam kon = make me drunk dictionary |
| چگونه | chegune | how dictionary |
| bar | presence; bar-e = before dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| khedmati | a service dictionary | |
| besukht | burned (سوخت) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| delnavâz | heart-soothing, charming dictionary | |
| نگفت | nagoft | did not say dictionary |
| marhami | some balm dictionary | |
| befrestam | I (will) send dictionary | |
| khâterash | his/her mind dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 315. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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