Ghazal 342 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
حجابِ چهرهٔ جان می‌شود غبارِ تنمخوشا دَمی که از آن چهره پرده برفکنم
hejâb-e chehre-ye jân mishavad ghobâr-e tanam / khoshâ dami ke az ân chehre parde bar fekanam
The dust of my body becomes a veil over the face of my soul; how sweet the moment when I throw the veil off that face.
COUPLET 2
چُنین قفس نه سزایِ چو من خوش‌اَلحانی‌سترَوَم به گلشنِ رضوان، که مرغِ آن چمنم
chonin ghafas na sezâ-ye cho man khosh-alhâni-st / ravam be golshan-e rezvân ke morgh-e ân chamanam
Such a cage is not fit for a sweet singer like me; I will go to the rose garden of paradise, for I am a bird of that meadow.
COUPLET 3
عیان نشد که چرا آمدم، کجا رفتمدریغ و درد که غافل ز کارِ خویشتنم
ayân nashod ke cherâ âmadam kojâ raftam / darigh o dard ke ghâfel ze kâr-e khishtanam
It never became clear why I came or where I am going; alas and pain, that I know nothing of my own affairs.
COUPLET 4
چگونه طوف کنم در فضایِ عالمِ قدس؟که در سراچهٔ ترکیب، تخته‌‌بندِ تنم
chegune towf konam dar fazâ-ye âlam-e ghods / ke dar sarâche-ye tarkib takhte-band-e tanam
How can I circle freely in the open space of the holy world, when in this little house of mixed elements I am strapped to the board of my body?
COUPLET 5
اگر ز خونِ دلم بویِ شوق می‌آیدعجب مدار که هم‌دردِ نافهٔ خُتنم
agar ze khun-e delam bu-ye showgh miâyad / ajab madâr ke hamdard-e nâfe-ye khotanam
If my heart's blood smells of longing, do not be surprised: I share the pain of the musk pod of Khotan.
COUPLET 6
طرازِ پیرهنِ زَرکشم مبین چون شمعکه سوزهاست نهانی درونِ پیرهنم
tarâz-e pirhan-e zarkesham mabin chon sham' / ke suz-hâ-st nahâni darun-e pirhanam
Do not look at the gold-embroidered border of my shirt, as you would with a candle: there are hidden burnings inside my shirt.
COUPLET 7
بیا و هستیِ حافظ ز پیشِ او بردارکه با وجودِ تو کس نشنود ز من که منم
biyâ o hasti-ye Hâfez ze pish-e u bardâr / ke bâ vojud-e to kas nashenavad ze man ke manam
Come and take Hafez's self out of his way, for while you are here, no one will hear me say "It is I."
What this fâl tells you
Something in you wants to be free and to sing in a wider space. Tradition reads this fal as a sign that a heavy cover is ready to be lifted: what has felt like a cage can open. Do not judge yourself or others by the shining outside; the real story is within, and love will help you set the ego aside.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -anam (tanam, fekanam, chamanam, khishtanam, khotanam, pirhanam, manam).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| hejâb | veil, curtain dictionary | |
| چهرهٔ | chehre | face dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| می‌شود | mishavad | becomes dictionary |
| ghobâr | dust; also a fine script, like the down of a cheek dictionary | |
| tanam | my body dictionary | |
| dami | a moment dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| قفس | ghafas | cage dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ravam | I go dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| مرغ | morgh | bird dictionary |
| چمنم | chamanam | of the meadow (+ -am: I am) dictionary |
| نشد | nashod | did not become dictionary |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| âmadam | I came dictionary | |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| raftam | I went; here "I am going" dictionary | |
| darigh | alas dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| dard | pain dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| khishtanam | my own (+ -am: I am) dictionary | |
| چگونه | chegune | how dictionary |
| towf | circling (of the Kaaba) (طواف) | |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| فضای | fazâ-ye | the space of dictionary |
| âlam | world dictionary | |
| قدس | ghods | holiness; âlam-e ghods = the holy world dictionary |
| tarkib | composition, mixture (the body made of elements) dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| delam | my heart dictionary | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| showgh | longing, eagerness dictionary | |
| می‌آید | miâyad | comes dictionary |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| مدار | madâr | do not have (old imperative of dâshtan) (نداشته باش) dictionary |
| هم‌درد | hamdard | sympathetic, sharing one's pain dictionary |
| پیرهن | pirhan-e | shirt of (پیراهن) |
| مبین | mabin | do not look (old imperative) (نگاه نکن) dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| suz-hâ-st | there are burnings (= suz-hâ ast) dictionary | |
| nahâni | hidden, secret dictionary | |
| darun | inside dictionary | |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| هستی | hasti | existence, being dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| پیش | pish | before, in the way of dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| bardâr | lift! take away! dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| نشنود | nashenavad | does not hear dictionary |
| منم | manam | I am (the one) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 342. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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