Ghazal 357 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
در خراباتِ مُغان نورِ خدا می‌بینماین عجب بین که چه نوری ز کجا می‌بینم
dar kharâbât-e moghân nur-e khodâ mibinam / in ajab bin ke che nuri ze kojâ mibinam
In the tavern of the Magi I see the light of God. Look at this wonder: what a light I see, and from where!
COUPLET 2
جلوه بر من مفروش ای مَلِکُ‌الْحاج که توخانه می‌بینی و من خانه خدا می‌بینم
jelve bar man mafrush ey malekol-hâj ke to / khâne mibini o man khâne-khodâ mibinam
Do not parade yourself before me, O lord of the pilgrims: you see the house, and I see the Lord of the house.
COUPLET 3
خواهم از زلفِ بُتان نافه‌گشایی کردنفکرِ دور است همانا که خطا می‌بینم
khâham az zolf-e botân nâfe-goshâyi kardan / fekr-e dur ast hamânâ ke khatâ mibinam
I would like to open the musk pods in the curls of the beauties, but it is a far-fetched thought; indeed I see it is a mistake.
COUPLET 4
سوزِ دل، اشکِ روان، آهِ سحر، نالهٔ شباین همه از نظرِ لطفِ شما می‌بینم
suz-e del, ashk-e ravân, âh-e sahar, nâle-ye shab / in hame az nazar-e lotf-e shomâ mibinam
The burning of the heart, flowing tears, the sigh at dawn, the lament at night: all this I see as the gift of your kind glance.
COUPLET 5
هر دَم از رویِ تو نقشی زَنَدَم راهِ خیالبا که گویم که در این پرده چه‌ها می‌بینم
har dam az ru-ye to naghshi zanadam râh-e khiyâl / bâ ke guyam ke dar in parde che-hâ mibinam
Every moment an image of your face waylays my imagination. To whom can I tell what things I see behind this veil?
COUPLET 6
کس ندیده‌ست ز مُشکِ خُتَن و نافهٔ چینآنچه من هر سَحَر از بادِ صبا می‌بینم
kas nadide-st ze moshk-e khotan o nâfe-ye chin / ân che man har sahar az bâd-e sabâ mibinam
No one has ever found in the musk of Khotan or the musk pods of China what I find every dawn in the morning breeze.
COUPLET 7
دوستان عیبِ نظربازیِ حافظ مکنیدکه من او را ز مُحِبّانِ شما می‌بینم
dustân eyb-e nazarbâzi-ye Hâfez makonid / ke man u râ ze mohebbân-e shomâ mibinam
Friends, do not blame Hafez for gazing at beauty, for I count him among those who love you.
What this fâl tells you
This fal finds light in an unexpected place: the poet sees God's radiance in the humble tavern while the proud pilgrim sees only walls. Tradition reads it as a reminder to look past outward forms to what is real. Even the pains of longing are taken here as gifts of kindness, and each dawn breeze brings some good news.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: mibinam. qâfiye: -â (khodâ, kojâ, khatâ, shomâ, che-hâ, sabâ). Beyt 3 plays on khatâ "mistake" and Khatâ (Cathay), a land famous for musk.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| نور | nur | light dictionary |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| می‌بینم | mibinam | I see dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| bin | see! (= bebin) (ببین) dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| nuri | a light dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| jelve | display, showing oneself dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| مفروش | maforush | do not sell! (here: do not show off) (نفروش) dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| ملک‌الحاج | malekol-hâj | lord of the pilgrims, leader of the Hajj caravan (Arabic) (امیر حاجیان) |
| to | you dictionary | |
| khâne | house dictionary | |
| mibini | you see dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| khodâ | lord; khâne-khodâ = master of the house (here God) (صاحب‌خانه) dictionary | |
| khâham | I will (future auxiliary) dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| botân | idols: the beauties dictionary | |
| کردن | kardan | doing; kardan-e sehr = working magic dictionary |
| فکر | fekr | thought dictionary |
| dur | far; fekr-e dur = a far-fetched thought dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| همانا | hamânâ | indeed, truly (به‌راستی) dictionary |
| khatâ | mistake; also Khatâ (Cathay), a land of musk (pun) dictionary | |
| suz | burning dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| ashk | tear dictionary | |
| sahar | dawn dictionary | |
| نالهٔ | nâle | moan, lament dictionary |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| لطف | lotf | kindness, grace; be lotf = kindly, gently dictionary |
| shomâ | you (polite) dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| naghshi | an image dictionary | |
| zanadam | strikes ... for me; râh zanad = waylays (me) dictionary | |
| râh | way; râh zadan = to waylay dictionary | |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| گویم | guyam | I say dictionary |
| پرده | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| چه‌ها | che-hâ | what things! dictionary |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| ندیده‌ست | nadide-st | has not seen (= nadide ast) dictionary |
| چین | chin | China; also a curl, fold (pun) dictionary |
| ân che | what, whatever dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| dustân | friends dictionary | |
| eyb | fault, flaw dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| مکنید | makonid | do not do! (plural) (نکنید) dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| محبان | mohebbân | lovers, friends (دوستداران) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 357. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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