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Hafez Ghazal 320: ⁧دیشب به سیل اشک ره خواب می‌زدم⁩

Hafez poetry book, pomegranate and candle in a Persian garden at night.

Ghazal 320 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
دیشب به سیلِ اشک رَهِ خواب می‌زدمنقشی به یادِ خَطِّ تو بر آب می‌زدم
dishab be seyl-e ashk rah-e khâb mizadam / naghshi be yâd-e khatt-e to bar âb mizadam
Last night I blocked the road of sleep with a flood of tears, and in memory of the down on your cheek I drew pictures on water.
COUPLET 2
ابرویِ یار در نظر و خرقه سوختهجامی به یادِ گوشهٔ محراب می‌زدم
abru-ye yâr dar nazar o kherghe sukhte / jâmi be yâd-e gushe-ye mehrâb mizadam
With the beloved's eyebrow before my eyes and my cloak burned, I drank a cup to the memory of the corner of the prayer niche.
COUPLET 3
هر مرغِ فکر کز سرِ شاخِ سخن بِجَستبازش ز طُرِّهٔ تو به مِضراب می‌زدم
har morgh-e fekr k-az sar-e shâkh-e sokhan bejast / bâzash ze torre-ye to be mezrâb mizadam
Every bird of thought that flew off the top of the branch of speech, I lured back again, using your curl as a plectrum.
COUPLET 4
رویِ نگار در نظرم جلوه می‌نمودوز دور بوسه بر رخِ مهتاب می‌زدم
ru-ye negâr dar nazaram jelve minemud / v-az dur buse bar rokh-e mahtâb mizadam
The beloved's face shone before my eyes, and from afar I kept kissing the face of the moonlight.
COUPLET 5
چشمم به رویِ ساقی و گوشم به قولِ چنگفالی به چشم و گوش در این باب می‌زدم
cheshmam be ru-ye sâghi o gusham be ghowl-e chang / fâli be cheshm o gush dar in bâb mizadam
My eyes on the cupbearer's face and my ears on the song of the harp, I was reading an omen for my eyes and ears in this matter.
COUPLET 6
نقشِ خیالِ رویِ تو تا وقتِ صبحدمبر کارگاهِ دیدهٔ بی‌خواب می‌زدم
naghsh-e khiyâl-e ru-ye to tâ vaght-e sobhdam / bar kârgâh-e dide-ye bi-khâb mizadam
Until dawn I kept painting the image of your face on the workshop of my sleepless eyes.
COUPLET 7
ساقی به صوتِ این غزلم کاسه می‌گرفتمی‌گفتم این سرود و مِیِ ناب می‌زدم
sâghi be sowt-e in ghazalam kâse migereft / migoftam in sorud o mey-e nâb mizadam
The cupbearer raised the bowl to the tune of this ghazal of mine; I sang this song and drank pure wine.
COUPLET 8
خوش بود وقتِ حافظ و فالِ مراد و کامبر نامِ عمر و دولتِ احباب می‌زدم
khosh bud vaght-e Hâfez o fâl-e morâd o kâm / bar nâm-e omr o dowlat-e ahbâb mizadam
Hafez's hour was sweet: I cast the omen of wishes fulfilled in the name of my friends' long life and good fortune.

What this fâl tells you

A sleepless night of longing turns, by morning, into song and good omens. Tradition reads this fal as a sign that your thoughts of someone dear are not wasted: they become art, music and blessing. Cast your hopes in the name of your friends' happiness, and the omen will turn sweet for you too.

A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.

How this ghazal is built

radif: mizadam ("I was striking"; each beyt uses zadan in a different sense). qâfiye: -âb (khâb, âb, mehrâb, mezrâb, mahtâb, bâb, bi-khâb, nâb, ahbâb).

Key words

WordSay itMeaning (modern Persian)
dishablast night dictionary
beto; for; with; in, by dictionary
seylflood dictionary
ashktear dictionary
rahroad, way (short for râh) (راه)
khâbsleep dictionary
می‌زدمmizadamI was striking (zadan in many senses: blocking a road, painting, drinking, casting an omen) dictionary
naghshian image dictionary
یادyâdmemory dictionary
khattline; here a painted line / the first down on the cheek dictionary
toyou dictionary
baron, upon dictionary
âbwater; stream dictionary
abru-yeeyebrow of dictionary
یارyârbeloved; friend dictionary
darin; door dictionary
نظرnazarsight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary
وva / oand dictionary
kherghedervish's cloak, Sufi robe dictionary
sukhteburnt; heartbroken dictionary
jâmia cup dictionary
گوشهٔgushecorner dictionary
محرابmehrâb-eprayer niche of dictionary
هرharevery dictionary
مرغmorghbird dictionary
فکرfekrthought dictionary
کزk-azthat from (= ke az) (که از)
sartop dictionary
shâkhbranch; shâkh-e nabât = a stick of rock candy (also the name tradition gives Hafez's beloved) dictionary
sokhanspeech, words dictionary
bejastleaped, flew off dictionary
bâzashit back again (bâz + -ash) dictionary
zefrom, of (= az) (از)
torrelock of hair, curl dictionary
ru-yeface of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary
نظرمnazarammy eye dictionary
jelvedisplay, showing oneself dictionary
می‌نمودminemudwas showing; jelve nemudan = to appear in splendor dictionary
وزv-azand from (= va az) (و از)
durfar; az dur = from afar dictionary
busekiss dictionary
rokhface, cheek dictionary
مهتابmahtâbmoonlight dictionary
چشممcheshmammy eye dictionary
sâghicupbearer dictionary
گوشمgushammy ear dictionary
قولghowlsong, sung verse dictionary
چنگchangharp dictionary
fâlian omen, a fortune reading dictionary
چشمcheshmeye dictionary
گوشgushear; gush kon = listen dictionary
inthis dictionary
bâbdoor; matter dictionary
نقشnaghshimage, shape dictionary
khiyâlfancy, notion dictionary
tâto, until; so that dictionary
وقتvaghttime dictionary
کارگاهkârgâhworkshop dictionary
dideeye (چشم)
bi-khâbsleepless dictionary
sowtsound, voice dictionary
ghazalammy ghazal dictionary
کاسهkâsebowl, cup dictionary
می‌گرفتmigereftwas taking; kâse gereftan = to raise the bowl dictionary
می‌گفتمmigoftamI used to say dictionary
sorudsong dictionary
میmeywine (شراب) dictionary
نابnâbpure dictionary
khoshwell, sweetly; pleasant dictionary
budwas dictionary
HâfezHafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary
فالfâlomen, fortune reading dictionary
مرادmorâdwish, desire dictionary
کامkâmwish, desire; be kâm = as one wishes dictionary
نامnâmname, fame dictionary
omrlife, lifetime dictionary
dowlatgood fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary
ahbâbfriends, loved ones (دوستان)

Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 320. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.

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