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Hafez Ghazal 367: ⁧فتوی پیر مغان دارم و قولی‌ست قدیم⁩

Hafez poetry book, pomegranate and candle in a Persian garden at night.

Ghazal 367 of Hafez (11 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
فتوی پیرِ مُغان دارم و قولی‌ست قدیمکه حرام است مِی آن جا که نه یار است ندیم
fatvâ-ye pir-e moghân dâram o ghowli-st ghadim / ke harâm ast mey ânjâ ke na yâr ast nadim
I have a ruling from the elder of the Magi, and it is an old saying: wine is forbidden wherever the beloved is not your companion.
COUPLET 2
چاک خواهم زدن این دلقِ ریایی، چه کنم؟روح را صحبتِ ناجنس، عذابی‌ست اَلیم
châk khâham zadan in dalgh-e riyâyi, che konam? / ruh râ sohbat-e nâjens azâbi-st alim
I am going to tear this hypocrite's patched cloak; what else can I do? For the soul, the company of those unlike it is a painful torment.
COUPLET 3
تا مگر جرعه فشانَد لبِ جانان بر منسال‌ها شد که منم بر درِ میخانه مقیم
tâ magar jor'e feshânad lab-e jânân bar man / sâl-hâ shod ke manam bar dar-e meykhâne moghim
In the hope that the beloved's lip may sprinkle a sip on me, for years I have lived at the tavern door.
COUPLET 4
مگرش خدمتِ دیرین من از یاد برفتای نسیم سحری! یاد دَهَش عهدِ قدیم
magarash khedmat-e dirin-e man az yâd beraft / ey nasim-e sahari yâd daha-sh ahd-e ghadim
Perhaps my long service has slipped from the beloved's memory. O dawn breeze, remind that one of our old promise.
COUPLET 5
بعد صد سال اگر بر سرِ خاکم گذریسر برآرد ز گِلم رقص‌کنان عَظمِ رَمیم
ba'd-e sad sâl agar bar sar-e khâkam gozari / sar barârad ze gelam raghs-konân azm-e ramim
If after a hundred years you pass over my grave, my crumbled bones will rise dancing out of the clay.
COUPLET 6
دلبر از ما به صد امّید سِتد اول دلظاهراً عهد فرامُش نکُند خُلقِ کریم
delbar az mâ be sad omid setad avval del / zâheran ahd farâmush nakonad kholgh-e karim
At first the heart-stealer took my heart with a hundred hopes; surely a generous nature does not forget its promise.
COUPLET 7
غنچه گو «تنگ‌دل از کارِ فروبسته مَباشکز دم صبح مدد یابی و انفاسِ نسیم»
ghonche gu "tang-del az kâr-e forubaste mabâsh / k-az dam-e sobh madad yâbi o anfâs-e nasim"
Tell the rosebud: "Do not be heavy-hearted because things are closed up tight, for help will come to you from the breath of morning and the breathing of the breeze."
COUPLET 8
فکر بهبود خود ای دل ز دری دیگر کندرد عاشق نشود به، به مداوایِ حکیم
fekr-e behbud-e khod ey del ze dari digar kon / dard-e âshegh nashavad beh be modâvâ-ye hakim
O heart, look for your healing through another door: a lover's pain is not cured by a physician's treatment.
COUPLET 9
گوهرِ معرفت آموز که با خود بِبَریکه نصیبِ دگران است نِصابِ زر و سیم
gowhar-e ma'refat âmuz ke bâ khod bebari / ke nasib-e degarân ast nesâb-e zar o sim
Learn the jewel of true knowledge, which you can carry away with you, for heaps of gold and silver end up as the share of others.
COUPLET 10
دام سخت است مگر یار شود لطفِ خداور نه آدم نَبَرد صرفه ز شیطانِ رجیم
dâm sakht ast magar yâr shavad lotf-e khodâ / var na âdam nabarad sarfe ze sheytân-e rajim
The trap is strong; only God's grace can be our friend here, otherwise man will never get the better of the accursed Satan.
COUPLET 11
حافظ ار سیم و زرت نیست، چه شد؟ شاکر باشچه به از دولتِ لطفِ سخن و طَبع سلیم
Hâfez ar sim o zarat nist che shod? shâker bâsh / che beh az dowlat-e lotf-e sokhan o tab'-e salim
Hafez, if you have no silver and gold, so what? Be thankful: what is better than the gift of graceful speech and a sound nature?

What this fâl tells you

This fal comforts a heart whose affairs feel tightly closed, like a rosebud. Tradition reads it as a promise that the morning breeze will open it: help is on its way, and an old promise has not been forgotten. Value what you carry inside, your knowledge and your gift for words, above gold and silver, and be thankful.

A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.

How this ghazal is built

radif: none. qâfiye: -im (ghadim, nadim, alim, moghim, ramim, karim, nasim, hakim, sim, rajim, salim). Beyt 2 ends with the Arabic phrase azâb-e alim "a painful torment"; beyt 5 echoes the Quranic phrase "bones that have crumbled" (azm-e ramim).

Key words

WordSay itMeaning (modern Persian)
fatvâreligious ruling (فتوا)
پیرpirelder; spiritual master dictionary
dâramI have dictionary
وva / oand dictionary
قولی‌ستghowli-stis a saying (= ghowli ast) dictionary
قدیمghadimold, ancient dictionary
harâmforbidden dictionary
astis dictionary
meywine (شراب) dictionary
ânthat dictionary
jâplace dictionary
نهnanot, no dictionary
یارyârbeloved; friend dictionary
ندیمnadimboon companion, courtier dictionary
چاکchâktear, slit dictionary
khâhamI will (future auxiliary) dictionary
zadanto strike; châk zadan = to tear open dictionary
inthis dictionary
riyâyihypocritical, false dictionary
چهchewhat; how much! dictionary
کنمkonamI make, I do dictionary
ruhsoul, spirit dictionary
sohbatcompany, companionship (classical sense) dictionary
azâbi-stis a torment (= azâbi ast) dictionary
alimpainful (Arabic) (دردناک)
tâto, until; so that dictionary
مگرmagarperhaps? could it be that? (in questions) dictionary
jor'esip, mouthful dictionary
فشاندfeshânadscatters, shoots dictionary
لبlablip dictionary
jânânthe beloved (معشوق)
baron, upon dictionary
منmanI, me dictionary
sâl-hâfor years dictionary
shodbecame; sâl-hâ shod = it has been years dictionary
منمmanamI am (the one) dictionary
darin; door dictionary
میخانهmeykhânetavern dictionary
مقیمmoghimresident dictionary
مگرشmagarashperhaps ... him (magar + -ash) dictionary
khedmatservice dictionary
یادyâdmemory dictionary
beraftwent away (رفت) dictionary
eyO (vocative) dictionary
نسیمnasimbreeze dictionary
daha-shgive him / her!; yâd dâdan = to remind (بده به او) dictionary
ahdpromise, bond dictionary
ba'dafter; ba'd az in = from now on dictionary
sadhundred dictionary
sâlyear dictionary
agarif dictionary
sartop; bar sar-e khâk = over (my) grave dictionary
khâkammy dust (my remains) dictionary
gozariyou pass dictionary
sarhead; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary
zefrom, of (= az) (از)
گلمgelammy clay dictionary
azmbone (Arabic) (استخوان)
ramimdecayed, crumbling (Arabic) (پوسیده)
delbarheart-stealer, the beloved dictionary
ماmâwe, us; our dictionary
beto; for; with; in, by dictionary
omidhope dictionary
setadtook (= setând) (گرفت) dictionary
avvalat first dictionary
delheart dictionary
فرامشfarâmushforgotten (= farâmush) (فراموش)
نکندnakonaddoes not do dictionary
kholghgood nature, character (اخلاق) dictionary
ghonchebud, rosebud dictionary
گوgusay! tell! (= begu) (بگو) dictionary
کارkârwork; affair, matter dictionary
مباشmabâshdo not be! (نباش) dictionary
کزk-azthat from (= ke az) (که از)
dammoment; breath dictionary
sobhmorning dictionary
مددmadadhelp dictionary
yâbiyou find, gain dictionary
anfâsbreaths, breathing (نفس‌ها) dictionary
فکرfekrthought dictionary
behbudimprovement, recovery dictionary
khodself; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary
daria door, a doorway dictionary
کنkondo! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary
dardpain dictionary
âsheghlover dictionary
نشودnashavaddoes not become dictionary
مداوایmodâvâ-yetreatment by, care of dictionary
hakimphysician; also a sage dictionary
گوهرgowharpearl, jewel dictionary
معرفتma'refatknowledge, mystical insight dictionary
âmuzlearn! (بیاموز) dictionary
bâwith dictionary
bebariyou may carry away; jân bordan = to save one's life dictionary
نصیبnasibshare, lot dictionary
degarânothers (دیگران)
zargold dictionary
simsilver dictionary
dâmtrap, net dictionary
sakhtvery; hard dictionary
shavadbecomes dictionary
لطفlotfkindness, grace; be lotf = kindly, gently dictionary
khodâGod; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary
ورvarand if (= va agar) (و اگر)
âdamman, mankind (Adam) dictionary
نبردnabaraddoes not carry, does not win dictionary
sarfeadvantage, profit dictionary
sheytânSatan dictionary
rajimaccursed, driven out (Arabic epithet of Satan) dictionary
HâfezHafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary
arif (= agar) (اگر)
zaratyour gold (= zar-e to) dictionary
نیستnistis not; there is not dictionary
shodhappened; che shod? = so what? dictionary
shâkerthankful dictionary
bâshbe! dictionary
dowlatgood fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary
sokhanspeech, words dictionary
tab'-enature, temperament dictionary

Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 367. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.

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