Ghazal 370 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
صَلاح از ما چه می‌جویی؟ که مستان را صَلا گفتیمبه دورِ نرگسِ مستت سلامت را دعا گفتیم
salâh az mâ che miju'i? ke mastân râ salâ goftim / be dowr-e narges-e mastat salâmat râ do'â goftim
Why look for good conduct from us? We have called all the drunkards to the feast. In the reign of your drunken narcissus eye, we have bidden farewell to safety.
COUPLET 2
درِ میخانه‌ام بُگشا که هیچ از خانقه نَگشودگَرَت باور بُوَد ور نه سخن این بود و ما گفتیم
dar-e meykhâne'am bogshâ ke hich az khâneghah nagshud / garat bâvar bovad var na sokhan in bud o mâ goftim
Open the tavern door for me, for nothing was ever solved at the Sufi lodge. Believe it if you will; if not, this was the truth, and we have said it.
COUPLET 3
من از چشمِ تو ای ساقی خراب افتاده‌ام لیکنبلایی کز حبیب آید هِزارش مَرحَبا گفتیم
man az cheshm-e to ey sâghi kharâb oftâde-am likan / balâyi k-az habib âyad hezârash marhabâ goftim
Cupbearer, I have fallen in ruins because of your eye; yet to any trouble that comes from the beloved, we say a thousand welcomes.
COUPLET 4
اگر بر من نَبَخشایی پشیمانی خوری آخربه خاطر دار این معنی که در خدمت کجا گفتیم
agar bar man nabakhshâyi pashimâni khori âkher / be khâter dâr in ma'ni ke dar khedmat kojâ goftim
If you do not show me mercy, you will regret it in the end. Keep in mind where, while serving you, I said this.
COUPLET 5
قَدَت گفتم که شمشاد است؛ بس خِجلَت به بار آوردکه این نسبت چرا کردیم و این بُهتان چرا گفتیم
ghadat goftam ke shemshâd ast bas khejlat be bâr âvard / ke in nesbat cherâ kardim o in bohtân cherâ goftim
I said your figure was a boxwood tree, and that brought me great shame: why did I make such a comparison, why did I speak such a slander?
COUPLET 6
جگر چون نافه‌ام خون گشت کم زینم نمی‌بایدجزای آن که با زلفت سخن از چین خطا گفتیم
jegar chon nâfe'am khun gasht kam z-inam nemibâyad / jazâ-ye ân ke bâ zolfat sokhan az chin-e khatâ goftim
My heart has turned to blood like a musk pod, and I deserve no less: that is the penalty for talking to your curls about the musk of China and Cathay.
COUPLET 7
تو آتش گشتی ای حافظ ولی با یار درنگرفتز بدعهدیِّ گُل گویی حکایت با صبا گفتیم
to âtash gashti ey Hâfez vali bâ yâr dar nagreft / ze bad-ahdi-ye gol gu'i hekâyat bâ sabâ goftim
Hafez, you turned into fire, but it did not catch with the beloved; it was as if we told the breeze the story of the rose's faithlessness.
What this fâl tells you
This fal is frank and a little playful: it tells you that what the formal, proper path could not solve may open through warmth and sincerity. Tradition reads it as advice to welcome even the troubles that come from someone you love, and to choose your words with care, since a careless comparison can wound. If your passion does not yet reach its goal, be patient; the season of the rose returns.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: goftim. qâfiye: -â (salâ, do'â, mâ, marhabâ, kojâ, cherâ, khatâ, sabâ). Beyt 6 puns on chin "China" and "curl", and on khatâ "Cathay" and "error".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| miju'i | you seek, you look for dictionary | |
| مستان | mastân | the drunk ones dictionary |
| گفتیم | goftim | we said dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| dowr | turn; the passing round of the cup; the age dictionary | |
| نرگس | narges | narcissus (image of the beloved's languid eye) dictionary |
| مستت | mastat | your drunken dictionary |
| salâmat | health, safety dictionary | |
| do'â | prayer; do'â goftan = to bid farewell dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| میخانه‌ام | meykhâne'am | tavern + -am: (open the tavern door) for me dictionary |
| begoshâ | open! lift! dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| khâneghah | Sufi lodge (خانقاه) | |
| نگشود | nagshud | did not open, did not solve dictionary |
| گرت | garat | if ... you (= agar to-râ) (اگر به تو) |
| bâvar | belief; bâvar kardan = to believe dictionary | |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| kharâb | ruined; (in Hafez) drunk, wrecked by love dictionary | |
| oftâde'am | I have fallen dictionary | |
| لیکن | likan | but (ولی) |
| balâyi | any trouble, an affliction dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| âyad | comes, will come (می‌آید) dictionary | |
| هزارش | hezârash | thousand of its (sad hezâr = a hundred thousand) dictionary |
| مرحبا | marhabâ | welcome! (Arabic) dictionary |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| pashimâni | regret dictionary | |
| khori | you eat; gham khordan = grieve dictionary | |
| khâter | mind, heart dictionary | |
| dâr | keep! hold! (imperative of dâshtan) dictionary | |
| ma'ni | meaning, inner reality dictionary | |
| khedmat | service dictionary | |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| قدت | ghadat | your stature dictionary |
| گفتم | goftam | I said dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| bas | much, many dictionary | |
| bâr | fruit; be bâr âvardan = to bring about, produce dictionary | |
| âvard | brought; be bâr âvard = produced dictionary | |
| نسبت | nesbat | relation, connection dictionary |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| کردیم | kardim | we did dictionary |
| bohtân | slander, false accusation dictionary | |
| jegar | liver; khun-e jegar = deep grief dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| گشت | gasht | became dictionary |
| کم | kam | less; kam z-in = less than this dictionary |
| z-inam | than this for me (= az in ... marâ) (از این مرا) | |
| jazâ-ye | penalty, recompense of dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| zolfat | your curls dictionary | |
| چین | chin | China; also a curl, fold (pun) dictionary |
| khatâ | Khatâ (Cathay), a land of musk; also error (pun) dictionary | |
| gashti | you became dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| gu'i | as if; you would say dictionary | |
| hekâyat | tale dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 370. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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