Ghazal 371 of Hafez (8 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
ما درس سحر در ره میخانه نهادیممحصول دعا در ره جانانه نهادیم
mâ dars-e sahar dar rah-e meykhâne nahâdim / mahsul-e do'â dar rah-e jânâne nahâdim
We laid down our dawn lessons on the road to the tavern, and the harvest of our prayers on the beloved's path.
COUPLET 2
در خرمن صد زاهد عاقل زند آتشاین داغ که ما بر دل دیوانه نهادیم
dar kharman-e sad zâhed-e âghel zanad âtash / in dâgh ke mâ bar del-e divâne nahâdim
This brand that we have laid on our mad heart would set fire to the harvest of a hundred sensible ascetics.
COUPLET 3
سلطان ازل گنج غم عشق به ما دادتا روی در این منزل ویرانه نهادیم
soltân-e azal ganj-e gham-e eshgh be mâ dâd / tâ ru-y dar in manzel-e virâne nahâdim
The Sultan of eternity gave us the treasure of love's sorrow the moment we turned our face toward this ruined dwelling.
COUPLET 4
در دل ندهم ره پس از این مهر بتان رامهر لب او بر در این خانه نهادیم
dar del nadaham rah pas az in mehr-e botân râ / mohr-e lab-e u bar dar-e in khâne nahâdim
From now on I will not let the love of other beauties into my heart: we have set the seal of that one's lip on the door of this house.
COUPLET 5
در خرقه از این بیش منافق نتوان بودبنیاد از این شیوه رندانه نهادیم
dar kherghe az in bish monâfegh natavân bud / bonyâd az in shive-ye rendâne nahâdim
One cannot go on being a hypocrite in a dervish cloak any longer; that is why we built our foundation on the free-spirited way.
COUPLET 6
چون می‌رود این کشتی سرگشته که آخرجان در سر آن گوهر یک دانه نهادیم
chon miravad in keshti-ye sargashte ke âkher / jân dar sar-e ân gowhar-e yek-dâne nahâdim
How will this wandering ship fare, now that in the end we have staked our life on that one matchless pearl?
COUPLET 7
المنة للَّه که چو ما بی‌دل و دین بودآن را که لقب عاقل و فرزانه نهادیم
al-mennato lellâh ke cho mâ bi-del o din bud / ân râ ke lagab âghel o farzâne nahâdim
Thank God: the one we had named wise and learned turned out to be just like us, without heart or faith.
COUPLET 8
قانع به خیالی ز تو بودیم چو حافظیا رب چه گداهمت و بیگانه نهادیم
ghâne' be khiyâli ze to budim cho Hâfez / yâ rab che gedâ-hemmat o bigâne-nahâdim
Like Hafez, we were content with a mere dream of you. O Lord, how beggarly our ambition, how shy and distant our nature!
What this fâl tells you
This fal belongs to someone who has chosen sincerity over show and given the heart wholly to one love. Tradition reads it as a sign that this choice, though it looks like ruin to others, holds a hidden treasure. Do not settle for a mere dream of what you want; aim higher and let your spirit be bolder.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nahâdim. qâfiye: -âne (meykhâne, jânâne, divâne, virâne, khâne, rendâne, yek-dâne, farzâne, bigâne). Beyt 7 begins with the Arabic phrase al-mennato lellâh "thanks be to God"; in beyt 8 nahâdim is read as nahâd "nature" + -im "we are".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| dars | lesson, study dictionary | |
| sahar | dawn dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| میخانه | meykhâne | tavern dictionary |
| نهادیم | nahâdim | we laid dictionary |
| محصول | mahsul | harvest, produce dictionary |
| do'â | prayer, blessing dictionary | |
| kharman | harvest, threshing heap dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| zâhed | ascetic, outwardly pious man dictionary | |
| âghel | wise, rational dictionary | |
| zanad | strikes; dam zadan = to speak, to breathe dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| dâgh | brand, burning mark (like the dark spot in a tulip) dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| divâne | madman dictionary | |
| soltân | sultan, king dictionary | |
| گنج | ganj | treasure dictionary |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| tâ | as soon as, when dictionary | |
| ru-y | face; ru-y nahâdan = to turn toward dictionary | |
| منزل | manzel | stopping place, lodging; house dictionary |
| ویرانه | virâne | ruined dictionary |
| ندهم | nadaham | I would not give dictionary |
| پس | pas | after; pas az in = from now on dictionary |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| botân | idols: the beauties dictionary | |
| مهر | mohr | seal dictionary |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| khâne | house dictionary | |
| kherghe | dervish's cloak, Sufi robe dictionary | |
| bish | more; bish nist = is no more than dictionary | |
| bud | was; (natavân bud = one cannot be) dictionary | |
| bonyâd | foundation dictionary | |
| shive | manner, way dictionary | |
| rendâne | in the manner of a rend, free-spirited dictionary | |
| چون | chon | how? (چگونه) dictionary |
| می‌رود | miravad | is going dictionary |
| keshti | ship, ark dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| sar | head; dar sar-e chizi nahâdan = to stake on, give up for dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| گوهر | gowhar | pearl, jewel dictionary |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| dâne | seed, grain; bead dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| din | religion, faith dictionary | |
| فرزانه | farzâne | wise, learned dictionary |
| khiyâli | a fancy, a dream dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| budim | we were dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| bigâne | stranger dictionary | |
| نهادیم | nahâd-im | nature + -im "we are"; bigâne-nahâd = strange, distant by nature dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 371. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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