Ghazal 340 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
من که از آتشِ دل چون خُمِ مِی در جوشممُهر بر لب زده، خون می‌خورم و خاموشم
man ke az âtash-e del chon khom-e mey dar jusham / mohr bar lab zade khun mikhoram o khâmusham
I am boiling like a jar of wine from the fire in my heart; with a seal on my lips, I swallow blood and stay silent.
COUPLET 2
قصدِ جان است طمع در لبِ جانان کردنتو مرا بین که در این کار به جان می‌کوشم
ghasd-e jân ast tama' dar lab-e jânân kardan / to marâ bin ke dar in kâr be jân mikusham
To set your hopes on the beloved's lips is to put your life at risk; yet look at me, striving at this with all my soul.
COUPLET 3
من کِی آزاد شَوَم از غمِ دل؟ چون هر دَمهندویِ زلفِ بُتی حلقه کُنَد در گوشم
man key âzâd shavam az gham-e del chon har dam / hendu-ye zolf-e boti halghe konad dar gusham
How could I ever be free from my heart's sorrow, when every moment the dark curl of some idol hangs a slave's ring in my ear?
COUPLET 4
حاشَ لِلَّه که نیَم معتقدِ طاعتِ خویشاین قَدَر هست که گَه گَه قدحی می‌نوشم
hâshâ lellâh ke nayam mo'taghed-e tâ'at-e khish / in ghadar hast ke gah gah ghadahi minusham
God forbid that I should put my trust in my own worship; this much is true: now and then I drink a cup.
COUPLET 5
هست امیدم که علیرغمِ عدو روزِ جزافیضِ عَفوَش نَنَهد بارِ گُنَه بر دوشم
hast omidam ke ala-raghm-e adu ruz-e jazâ / feyz-e afvash nanehad bâr-e gonah bar dusham
I hope that, in spite of the enemy, on the Day of Judgment His overflowing forgiveness will not lay the burden of sin on my shoulders.
COUPLET 6
پدرم روضهٔ رضوان به دو گندم بفروختمن چرا مُلکِ جهان را به جوی نفروشم؟!
pedaram rowze-ye rezvân be do gandom befrukht / man cherâ molk-e jahân râ be javi nafurusham
My father Adam sold the garden of paradise for two grains of wheat; why should I not sell the kingdom of this world for a grain of barley?
COUPLET 7
خرقه‌پوشیِ من از غایتِ دین‌داری نیستپرده‌ای بر سرِ صد عیبِ نهان می‌پوشم
kherghe-pushi-ye man az ghâyat-e dindâri nist / parde'i bar sar-e sad eyb-e nahân mipusham
I do not wear the dervish cloak out of great piety: I am drawing a cover over a hundred hidden faults.
COUPLET 8
من که خواهم که ننوشم به جز از راوَقِ خُمچه کنم گر سخنِ پیرِ مُغان نَنْیوشَم؟
man ke khâham ke nanusham bejoz az râvagh-e khom / che konam gar sokhan-e pir-e moghân naniyusham
I want to drink nothing but the clear wine filtered from the jar; how could I not listen to the words of the elder of the Magi?
COUPLET 9
گر از این دست زَنَد مُطربِ مجلس رَهِ عشقشعرِ حافظ بِبَرَد وقتِ سماع از هوشم
gar az in dast zanad motreb-e majles rah-e eshgh / she'r-e Hâfez bebarad vaght-e samâ' az husham
If the musician of the gathering plays the tune of love like this, Hafez's verse will carry me out of my senses during the samâ'.
What this fâl tells you
Not everything needs to be said out loud; some things are better carried quietly. Tradition reads this fal as a gentle word against pride in one's own goodness: trust in grace and forgiveness rather than in a show of virtue. Listen to the advice of someone wiser, and let music and beauty lift you.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -usham (jusham, khâmusham, mikusham, gusham, minusham, dusham, nafurusham, mipusham, naniyusham, husham). Beyt 4 opens with the Arabic hâshâ lellâh "God forbid".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| jusham | I am boiling dictionary | |
| مهر | mohr | seal dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| zade | having set (a seal) dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| می‌خورم | mikhoram | I drink dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| khâmusham | I am silent dictionary | |
| قصد | ghasd | attack on; ghasd-e jân = an attempt on one's life dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| tama' | expectation; greed dictionary | |
| jânân | the beloved (معشوق) | |
| کردن | kardan | doing; kardan-e sehr = working magic dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| bin | see! (= bebin) (ببین) dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| می‌کوشم | mikusham | I strive dictionary |
| âzâd | free; âzâd kardan = set free dictionary | |
| shavam | I (will) become dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| boti | an idol, a beauty dictionary | |
| halghe | circle, ring dictionary | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| گوشم | gusham | my ear dictionary |
| hâsha | Arabic: far be it; hâsha lellâh = God forbid! dictionary | |
| نیم | nayam | I am not (نیستم) dictionary |
| معتقد | mo'taghed | believer in, follower of dictionary |
| khish | one's own (خود) dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| گه | gah | time; har gah = whenever (= gâh) (گاه) |
| ghadahi | a cup dictionary | |
| می‌نوشم | minusham | I drink dictionary |
| omidam | I am in hope dictionary | |
| ala-raghm | in spite of dictionary | |
| adu | enemy (دشمن) dictionary | |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| jazâ | requital; ruz-e jazâ = the Day of Judgment dictionary | |
| فیض | feyz | grace, abundance dictionary |
| afvash | His forgiveness dictionary | |
| ننهد | nanehad | does not set, place (نگذارد) dictionary |
| bâr | burden, weight dictionary | |
| گنه | gonah | sin (گناه) |
| dusham | my shoulder dictionary | |
| پدرم | pedaram | my father (here Adam) dictionary |
| do | two dictionary | |
| گندم | gandom | wheat (in Persian tradition, the forbidden fruit of paradise) dictionary |
| befrukht | sold dictionary | |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| javi | a grain of barley dictionary | |
| نفروشم | nafurusham | I do not sell dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| parde'i | a veil, a cover dictionary | |
| sar | top; bar sar-e = over dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| eyb | fault, flaw dictionary | |
| نهان | nahân | hidden (پنهان) dictionary |
| می‌پوشم | mipusham | I cover, I draw over dictionary |
| khâham | I will (future auxiliary) dictionary | |
| ننوشم | nanusham | I do not drink dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| dast | kind, manner; az in dast = in this way dictionary | |
| zanad | plays (a tune) dictionary | |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| she'r | poem, poetry dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| bebarad | will carry away dictionary | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 340. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
Love Persian poetry? Learn to read it: free Starter Pack
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.