Ghazal 358 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
غمِ زمانه که هیچش کَران نمی‌بینمدَواش جز مِیِ چون ارغوان نمی‌بینم
gham-e zamâne ke hichash karân nemibinam / davâsh joz mey-e chon arghavân nemibinam
For the sorrow of this age, which I see no end to, I see no cure but wine as red as the Judas-tree blossom.
COUPLET 2
به تَرک خدمتِ پیرِ مُغان نخواهم گفتچرا که مصلحتِ خود در آن نمی‌بینم
be tark-e khedmat-e pir-e moghân nakhâham goft / cherâ ke maslahat-e khod dar ân nemibinam
I will never give up serving the elder of the Magi, because I see no good for myself in that.
COUPLET 3
ز آفتابِ قَدَح ارتفاعِ عیش بگیرچرا که طالعِ وقت آن چُنان نمی‌بینم
ze âftâb-e ghadah ertefâ'-e eysh begir / cherâ ke tâle'-e vaght ân chenân nemibinam
Take the height of your pleasure from the sun of the goblet, as an astronomer measures the sun, for I do not see the stars of this time as favorable.
COUPLET 4
نشانِ اهل خدا عاشقیست، با خود دارکه در مشایخِ شهر این نشان نمی‌بینم
neshân-e ahl-e khodâ âsheghi-st, bâ khod dâr / ke dar mashâyekh-e shahr in neshân nemibinam
The mark of God's people is love; keep it with you, for I do not see this mark in the sheikhs of the city.
COUPLET 5
بدین دو دیدهٔ حیران من هزار افسوسکه با دو آینه رویش عیان نمی‌بینم
bedin do dide-ye heyrân-e man hezâr afsus / ke bâ do âyene ruyash ayân nemibinam
A thousand pities for these two bewildered eyes of mine: even with two mirrors I cannot see that face clearly.
COUPLET 6
قدِ تو تا بِشُد از جویبارِ دیدهٔ منبه جایِ سرو جز آبِ روان نمی‌بینم
ghadd-e to tâ beshod az juybâr-e dide-ye man / be jâ-ye sarv joz âb-e ravân nemibinam
Since your figure left the stream of my eyes, in place of the cypress I see only flowing water.
COUPLET 7
در این خُمار کَسَم جرعه‌ای نمی‌بخشدببین که اهل دلی در میان نمی‌بینم
dar in khomâr kasam jor'e'i nemibakhshad / bebin ke ahl-e deli dar miyân nemibinam
In this hangover no one grants me even a sip. See: I find no one with a heart among us.
COUPLET 8
نشانِ مویِ میانش که دل در او بستمز من مَپرس که خود در میان نمی‌بینم
neshân-e mu-ye miyânash ke del dar u bastam / ze man mapors ke khod dar miyân nemibinam
Do not ask me to describe that hair-fine waist I tied my heart to: I see nothing there in the middle, not even myself.
COUPLET 9
من و سفینهٔ حافظ که جز در این دریابضاعت سخن دُرفشان نمی‌بینم
man o safine-ye Hâfez ke joz dar in daryâ / bezâ'at-e sokhan-e dorafshân nemibinam
For me there is only Hafez's book of poems, for outside this sea I find no treasure of pearl-scattering speech.
What this fâl tells you
This fal admits that the sorrows of the age seem endless, yet it points to simple, faithful remedies: keep loving and keep serving what you believe in. Tradition reads it as advice to hold on to sincerity rather than look for it in people with grand titles. When others will not share with you, return to your own deep source, as the poet returns to his book of verse.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nemibinam. qâfiye: -ân (karân, arghavân, ân, chenân, neshân, ayân, ravân, miyân, dorafshân). Beyt 3 uses the astrolabe image of "taking the altitude of the sun"; beyt 8 puns on miyân "waist" and "in the middle".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| هیچش | hichash | it has no ... at all (hich + -ash "its") dictionary |
| نمی‌بینم | nemibinam | I do not see dictionary |
| davâsh | its cure (davâ + -ash) (درمانش) dictionary | |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| می | mey | wine (شراب) dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| tark | abandoning; be tark goftan = to give up, abandon dictionary | |
| khedmat | service dictionary | |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| نخواهم | nakhâham | I will not dictionary |
| گفت | goft | say; be tark-e chizi goftan = to give something up dictionary |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| khod | self, myself; one's own dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| âftâb | sun dictionary | |
| قدح | ghadah | cup, goblet dictionary |
| ertefâ' | altitude, height (of the sun, measured with an astrolabe) dictionary | |
| eysh | pleasure, enjoyment dictionary | |
| begir | take! dictionary | |
| tâle' | horoscope, fate, fortune (بخت) dictionary | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| چنان | chenân | so, in such a way dictionary |
| نشان | neshân | sign dictionary |
| ahl | people (of) dictionary | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| dâr | keep! hold! (imperative of dâshtan) dictionary | |
| مشایخ | mashâyekh | sheikhs, spiritual elders dictionary |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| bedin | with this, in this (= be in) (با این) | |
| do | two dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| afsus | alas dictionary | |
| âyene | mirror (آیینه) | |
| ruyash | his/her face dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| tâ | since, ever since dictionary | |
| beshod | went, passed away (رفت / گذشت) dictionary | |
| jâ-ye | place of; be jâ-ye = instead of dictionary | |
| sarv | cypress (image of a tall beloved) dictionary | |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| khomâr | hangover, the headache after wine dictionary | |
| کسم | kasam | anyone ... to me; (with negative) no one ... me dictionary |
| jor'e'i | a sip, a draught dictionary | |
| نمی‌بخشد | nemibakhshad | does not grant, does not give dictionary |
| bebin | see! look! dictionary | |
| deli | a heart dictionary | |
| میان | miyân | middle; dar miyân = present, among (us) dictionary |
| موی | mu-ye | hair of dictionary |
| میانش | miyânash | her waist dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| bastam | I tied; del bastan = to give one's heart dictionary | |
| مپرس | mapors | do not ask! (نپرس) dictionary |
| میان | miyân | middle; also waist (pun): dar miyân = in it, involved dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| safine | anthology, notebook of poems (lit. ship) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| daryâ | sea dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 358. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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