Ghazal 354 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.
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COUPLET 1
به مژگان سیَه کردی هزاران رِخنه در دینمبیا کز چَشمِ بیمارت هزاران دَرد برچینم
be mozhgân-e siyah kardi hezârân rakhne dar dinam / biyâ k-az cheshm-e bimârat hezârân dard barchinam
With your black lashes you have broken a thousand holes in my faith; come, so that I may take away a thousand pains from your languid eyes.
COUPLET 2
الا ای همنشینِ دل که یارانت بِرَفت از یادمرا روزی مباد آن دَم که بی یادِ تو بنشینم
alâ ey hamneshin-e del ke yârânat beraft az yâd / marâ ruzi mabâd ân dam ke bi yâd-e to beneshinam
O companion of my heart, you who have forgotten your friends: may there never come a day when I sit for a moment without remembering you.
COUPLET 3
جهان پیر است و بی‌بنیاد از این فرهادکُش فریادکه کرد افسون و نیرنگش ملول از جانِ شیرینم
jahân pir ast o bibonyâd az in farhâd-kosh faryâd / ke kard afsun o neyrangash malul az jân-e shirinam
The world is old and has no foundation. I cry out against this killer of Farhad, whose spells and tricks have made me weary of my sweet life.
COUPLET 4
ز تابِ آتش دوری، شدم غرقِ عرق چون گُلبیار ای بادِ شبگیری نسیمی زان عرقچینم
ze tâb-e âtash-e duri shodam ghargh-e aragh chon gol / biyâr ey bâd-e shabgiri nasimi z-ân araghchinam
From the heat of the fire of separation I am covered in sweat like a dewy rose; O night wind, bring me a breath from that skullcap.
COUPLET 5
جهانِ فانی و باقی فدایِ شاهد و ساقیکه سلطانیِّ عالَم را طُفیلِ عشق می‌بینم
jahân-e fâni o bâghi fadâ-ye shâhed o sâghi / ke soltâni-ye âlam râ tofeyl-e eshgh mibinam
I would give this passing world and the everlasting one for the beauty and the cupbearer, for I see kingship over the world as a mere hanger-on of love.
COUPLET 6
اگر بر جایِ من غیری گزیند دوست، حاکم اوستحرامم باد اگر من جان، به جایِ دوست بُگزینم
agar bar jâ-ye man gheyri gozinad dust hâkem ust / harâmam bâd agar man jân be jâ-ye dust bogzinam
If the Friend chooses someone else in my place, the choice is the Friend's; but may my life be forbidden to me if I ever choose life over the Friend.
COUPLET 7
صَباحَ الخیر زد بلبل، کجایی ساقیا؟ برخیزکه غوغا می‌کند در سر خیالِ خوابِ دوشینم
sabâh-ol-kheyr zad bolbol kojâyi sâghiyâ barkhiz / ke ghowghâ mikonad dar sar khiyâl-e khâb-e dushinam
The nightingale has sung "Good morning!" Where are you, cupbearer? Get up, for the dream of last night is stirring up a storm in my head.
COUPLET 8
شبِ رحلت هم از بستر رَوَم در قصرِ حورُالعیناگر در وقتِ جان دادن تو باشی شمعِ بالینم
shab-e rehlat ham az bastar ravam dar ghasr-e hur-ol-ein / agar dar vaght-e jân dâdan to bâshi sham'-e bâlinam
On the night I depart, I will go straight from my bed into the palace of the wide-eyed houris, if at the moment I give up my soul you are the candle by my pillow.
COUPLET 9
حدیثِ آرزومندی که در این نامه ثبت افتادهمانا بی‌غلط باشد، که حافظ داد تلقینم
hadis-e ârezumandi ke dar in nâme sabt oftâd / hamânâ bi-ghalat bâshad ke Hâfez dâd talghinam
The story of longing written down in this letter must surely be free of error, for Hafez himself dictated it to me.
What this fâl tells you
Love asks you to stay faithful even when you are not sure you are remembered. Tradition reads this fal as a sign that sincerity is never wasted: the one you think of may still be thinking of you. Start the day fresh, let go of old worries, and trust that kindness will be at your side when you need it.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -inam (dinam, barchinam, beneshinam, shirinam, araghchinam, mibinam, bogzinam, dushinam, bâlinam, talghinam). Beyt 3 puns on Shirin, the beloved for whom Farhad died; beyt 7 opens with the Arabic greeting sabâh-ol-kheyr "good morning".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| مژگان | mozhgân | eyelashes dictionary |
| siyah | black (سیاه) | |
| kardi | you made dictionary | |
| هزاران | hezârân | thousands dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| dinam | my faith dictionary | |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| bimârat | your languid (literally "sick") eye dictionary | |
| dard | pain dictionary | |
| barchinam | I gather, pick up, take away dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| یارانت | yârânat | your friends dictionary |
| beraft | went away (رفت) dictionary | |
| یاد | yâd | memory dictionary |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| مباد | mabâd | may it not be (نباشد) dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| beneshinam | I sit dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| پیر | pir | old dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| فریاد | faryâd | cry, shout dictionary |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| afsun | spell, charm dictionary | |
| نیرنگش | neyrangash | its tricks dictionary |
| ملول | malul | weary, sad dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| tâb | heat dictionary | |
| shodam | I became dictionary | |
| ghargh | drowned, immersed dictionary | |
| aragh | sweat dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| biyâr | bring! dictionary | |
| bâd | may it be dictionary | |
| nasimi | a breeze dictionary | |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| araghchinam | skullcap (literally "sweat-catcher") (+ -am: to me) dictionary | |
| fâni | passing, mortal dictionary | |
| shâhed | beauty, the beloved (classical sense) dictionary | |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| soltâni | kingship, sovereignty dictionary | |
| âlam | world dictionary | |
| می‌بینم | mibinam | I see dictionary |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| jâ | place; bar jâ-ye / be jâ-ye = in place of dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| gheyri | someone else dictionary | |
| گزیند | gozinad | chooses dictionary |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| hâkem | ruler, the one who decides dictionary | |
| ust | is his/hers (= u ast) dictionary | |
| harâmam | forbidden to me dictionary | |
| begozinam | I choose dictionary | |
| zad | called out, sang dictionary | |
| bolbol | nightingale dictionary | |
| kojâyi | where are you dictionary | |
| sâghiyâ | O cupbearer (sâghi + vocative -â) dictionary | |
| barkhiz | rise! get up! dictionary | |
| می‌کند | mikonad | does, is doing dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| khâb | sleep dictionary | |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| هم | ham | right, straight (ham az bastar = straight from bed) dictionary |
| bastar | bed dictionary | |
| ravam | I go dictionary | |
| قصر | ghasr | palace dictionary |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| dâdan | to give; az dast dâdan = to let go dictionary | |
| bâshi | you are, you be dictionary | |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| bâlinam | my pillow, bedside dictionary | |
| نامه | nâme | letter dictionary |
| sabt | recorded, registered dictionary | |
| oftâd | fell; happened, arose (پیش آمد) dictionary | |
| همانا | hamânâ | indeed, truly (به‌راستی) dictionary |
| bâshad | must be dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| dâd | gave dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 354. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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