Ghazal 375 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
صوفی بیا که خرقه سالوس برکشیموین نقش زرق را خط بطلان به سر کشیم
sufi biyâ ke kherghe-ye sâlus barkeshim / v-in naghsh-e zargh râ khatt-e botlân be sar keshim
Come, Sufi, let us pull off this cloak of hypocrisy and draw a line of cancellation through this picture of pretense.
COUPLET 2
نذر و فتوح صومعه در وجه می نهیمدلق ریا به آب خرابات برکشیم
nazr o fotuh-e sowme'e dar vajh-e mey nahim / dalgh-e riyâ be âb-e kharâbât barkeshim
Let us spend the cloister's vows and offerings on wine, and rinse the patched cloak of hypocrisy in the water of the tavern.
COUPLET 3
فردا اگر نه روضه رضوان به ما دهندغلمان ز روضه حور ز جنت به درکشیم
fardâ agar na rowze-ye rezvân be mâ dahand / gholmân ze rowze hur ze jannat be dar keshim
Tomorrow, if they will not give us Rezvan's garden of paradise, we will drag the heavenly page boys out of that garden and the houris out of paradise.
COUPLET 4
بیرون جهیم سرخوش و از بزم صوفیانغارت کنیم باده و شاهد به بر کشیم
birun jahim sarkhosh o az bazm-e sufiyân / ghârat konim bâde o shâhed be bar keshim
Let us leap out merry, carry off the wine as plunder from the Sufis' gathering, and take the beauty into our arms.
COUPLET 5
عشرت کنیم ور نه به حسرت کشندمانروزی که رخت جان به جهانی دگر کشیم
eshrat konim var na be hasrat keshandemân / ruzi ke rakht-e jân be jahâni degar keshim
Let us enjoy ourselves, or else regret will drag us off on the day we carry the baggage of our soul to another world.
COUPLET 6
سر خدا که در تتق غیب منزویستمستانه‌اش نقاب ز رخسار برکشیم
serr-e khodâ ke dar totogh-e gheyb monzavi-st / mastâne-ash neghâb ze rokhsâr barkeshim
The secret of God, hidden away behind the curtain of the unseen: let us, drunk, pull the veil from its face.
COUPLET 7
کو جلوه‌ای ز ابروی او تا چو ماه نوگوی سپهر در خم چوگان زر کشیم
ku jelve'i ze abru-ye u tâ cho mâh-e now / gu-ye sepehr dar kham-e chowgân-e zar keshim
Where is one glimpse of that eyebrow, so that, like the new moon, we may catch the ball of the sky in the curve of a golden polo stick?
COUPLET 8
حافظ نه حد ماست چنین لاف‌ها زدنپای از گلیم خویش چرا بیشتر کشیم
Hâfez na hadd-e mâ-st chenin lâf-hâ zadan / pâ az gelim-e khish cherâ bishtar keshim
Hafez, such boasts are beyond our measure. Why should we stretch our feet past the edge of our own rug?
What this fâl tells you
This fal begins with bold plans to throw off pretense and seize joy, and ends by gently pulling the dreamer back to his own measure. Tradition reads it as encouragement to be honest and to enjoy life while you can, without boasting or reaching too far. Stretch your feet only as far as your rug, and your plans will go well.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: keshim. qâfiye: -ar (bar, sar, dar, degar, zar, bishtar). The last line uses the proverb "do not stretch your feet beyond your rug" (pâ az gelim-e khish birun makesh).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| kherghe | dervish's cloak, Sufi robe dictionary | |
| sâlus | hypocrisy, false piety (ریاکاری) | |
| وین | v-in | and this (= va in) (و این) |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| zargh | pretense, sanctimonious show (ریا) dictionary | |
| khatt | line; khatt-e botlân = a cancelling line dictionary | |
| botlân | cancellation, invalidity; khatt-e botlân = a line struck through dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| sar | head, top; be sar keshidan = to draw across dictionary | |
| کشیم | keshim | (we) pull; sar keshidan = to turn away dictionary |
| نذر | nazr | vow; nazr kardan = to make a vow dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| sowme'e | cloister, hermitage (place of formal piety) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| وجه | vajh | cost; dar vajh-e ... = to pay for dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| نهیم | nahim | let us put; dar vajh-e ... nahâdan = to spend on dictionary |
| riyâ | hypocrisy, showing off piety dictionary | |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| فردا | fardâ | tomorrow dictionary |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| dahand | (they) give dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| jannat | paradise (بهشت) | |
| dar keshim | let us drag out; be dar keshidan = to pull out dictionary | |
| birun | outside dictionary | |
| jahim | let us leap dictionary | |
| bazm | feast, party dictionary | |
| ghârat | plunder; ghârat kardan = to carry off dictionary | |
| کنیم | konim | let us do dictionary |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| shâhed | beauty, the beloved (classical sense) dictionary | |
| bar | bosom, arms; be bar keshidan = to embrace (آغوش) dictionary | |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| کشندمان | keshandemân | they drag us dictionary |
| rakht | baggage, belongings dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| jahâni | a whole world dictionary | |
| degar | again; other (= digar) (دیگر) | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| منزویست | monzavi-st | is secluded, hidden away (= monzavi ast) dictionary |
| نقاب | neghâb | veil dictionary |
| rokhsâr | cheek, face dictionary | |
| کو | ku | where is? (کجاست) dictionary |
| jelve'i | a showing, a display dictionary | |
| abru-ye | eyebrow of dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| نو | now | new dictionary |
| gu-ye | ball of dictionary | |
| sepehr | sky, the heavens dictionary | |
| چوگان | chowgân | polo stick dictionary |
| zar | gold dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| hadd | limit, capacity; hadd-e ... nist = not within the power of dictionary | |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| لاف‌ها | lâf-hâ | boasts; lâf zadan = to boast dictionary |
| zadan | to strike; lâf zadan = to boast dictionary | |
| pâ | foot; az pâ oftâdan = to collapse dictionary | |
| khish | one's own (خود) dictionary | |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| bishtar | more dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 375. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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