Ghazal 372 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
بگذار تا ز شارع میخانه بگذریمکز بهر جرعه‌ای همه محتاج این دریم
bogzâr tâ ze shâre'-e meykhâne bogzarim / k-az bahr-e jor'e'i hame mohtâj-e in darim
Let us go by way of the tavern street, for we all depend on this door for a single sip.
COUPLET 2
روز نخست چون دم رندی زدیم و عشقشرط آن بود که جز ره آن شیوه نسپریم
ruz-e nakhost chon dam-e rendi zadim o eshgh / shart ân bud ke joz rah-e ân shive naspârim
On the very first day, when we spoke up for the free-spirited life and for love, the condition was that we would walk no road but that one.
COUPLET 3
جایی که تخت و مسند جم می‌رود به بادگر غم خوریم خوش نبود به که می خوریم
jâyi ke takht o masnad-e jam miravad be bâd / gar gham khorim khosh nabvad beh ke mey khorim
In a place where even Jamshid's throne and royal seat are blown away by the wind, it is no good to swallow sorrow; better that we drink wine.
COUPLET 4
تا بو که دست در کمر او توان زدندر خون دل نشسته چو یاقوت احمریم
tâ bu ke dast dar kamar-e u tavân zadan / dar khun-e del neshaste cho yâghut-e ahmarim
In the hope that we may one day put our arms around that waist, we sit steeped in our heart's blood like a red ruby.
COUPLET 5
واعظ مکن نصیحت شوریدگان که مابا خاک کوی دوست به فردوس ننگریم
vâ'ez makon nasihat-e shuridegân ke mâ / bâ khâk-e ku-ye dust be ferdows nangarim
Preacher, do not lecture the love-crazed: with the dust of the beloved's street at hand, we would not even look at paradise.
COUPLET 6
چون صوفیان به حالت و رقصند مقتداما نیز هم به شعبده دستی برآوریم
chon sufiyân be hâlat o raghsand moghtadâ / mâ niz ham be sho'bade dasti barâvarim
Since the Sufis are followed as leaders for their ecstasies and dancing, we too will raise our hands and try a trick or two.
COUPLET 7
از جرعه تو خاک زمین در و لعل یافتبیچاره ما که پیش تو از خاک کمتریم
az jor'e-ye to khâk-e zamin dorr o la'l yâft / bichâre mâ ke pish-e to az khâk kamtarim
From the sip you spilled, the dust of the earth gained pearls and rubies; how wretched are we, who count for less than dust in your eyes.
COUPLET 8
حافظ چو ره به کنگره کاخ وصل نیستبا خاک آستانه این در به سر بریم
Hâfez cho rah be kongere-ye kâkh-e vasl nist / bâ khâk-e âstâne-ye in dar be sar barim
Hafez, since there is no way up to the battlements of the palace of union, let us spend our days in the dust of this door's threshold.
What this fâl tells you
This fal reminds you that thrones and grand seats are blown away by the wind, so there is no sense in feeding on sorrow. Tradition reads it as advice to stay true to the path you chose at the start and to enjoy what is good in the present. If the high palace seems out of reach, stay close to the door you love; patience at the threshold has its own reward.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -arim (bogzarim, darim, naspârim, khorim, ahmarim, nangarim, barâvarim, kamtarim, barim).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| bogzâr | let! allow! dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| shâre' | street, road dictionary | |
| میخانه | meykhâne | tavern dictionary |
| bogzarim | we pass on dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| bahr | sake; ze bahr-e = for the sake of (برای) | |
| jor'e'i | a sip, a draught dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| محتاج | mohtâj | in need dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| darim | door + -im "we are (in need of)" dictionary | |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| dam | breath; dam zadan az = to speak of, profess dictionary | |
| rendi | free-spirited life of the "rend" (a rogue who scorns hypocrisy) dictionary | |
| zadim | we struck; zadan bar saf = to join (or charge into) the ranks dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| shart | rule, condition dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| shive | manner, way dictionary | |
| نسپریم | naspârim | we do not walk, do not tread dictionary |
| jâyi | somewhere dictionary | |
| takht | throne dictionary | |
| مسند | masnad | seat of power, throne dictionary |
| می‌رود | miravad | is going dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| khorim | we eat, we drink; gham khordan = to grieve dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| نبود | nabvad | is not (old form) (نیست / نباشد) dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| bu | scent; tâ bu ke = in the hope that dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| کمر | kamar | waist; belt; kamar bastan = to get ready to set out dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| tavân | one can dictionary | |
| zadan | to strike; dast dar kamar zadan = to embrace dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| نشسته | neshaste | sitting, seated dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| یاقوت | yâghut | ruby; here the red wine in the cup dictionary |
| واعظ | vâ'ez | preacher dictionary |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| نصیحت | nasihat | advice dictionary |
| shuridegân | the love-crazed, distraught lovers dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| فردوس | ferdows | paradise dictionary |
| ننگریم | nangarim | we do not look dictionary |
| hâlat | state, condition dictionary | |
| raghsand | (their) dance + -and "they are" dictionary | |
| نیز | niz | also dictionary |
| هم | ham | also, too dictionary |
| sho'bade | conjuring trick dictionary | |
| dasti | a hand; dasti bar âvardan = to raise a hand, perform a trick dictionary | |
| jor'e | sip, mouthful dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| zamin | earth, ground dictionary | |
| dorr | pearl dictionary | |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| یافت | yâft | find (with nakhâhi: will not find) (پیدا کرد) dictionary |
| bichâre | poor, helpless one dictionary | |
| پیش | pish | in the eyes of, for dictionary |
| کمتریم | kamtarim | we are less dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| کنگره | kongere | battlement dictionary |
| کاخ | kâkh | palace dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| âstâne | threshold dictionary | |
| sar | end; be sar bordan = to spend, live out dictionary | |
| barim | we take; be sar bordan = to spend (one's life) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 372. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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