Ghazal 384 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
می‌سوزم از فِراقت روی از جَفا بگردانهجران بلایِ ما شد، یا رب بلا بگردان
misuzam az ferâghat ru-y az jafâ begardân / hejrân balâ-ye mâ shod yâ rab balâ begardân
I am burning from being apart from you; turn your face away from cruelty. Separation has become our torment; O Lord, turn this trouble away.
COUPLET 2
مَه جلوه می‌نماید بر سبز خِنگِ گَردونتا او به سر درآید، بر رَخش پا بگردان
mah jelve minamâyad bar sabz-kheng-e gardun / tâ u be sar dar âyad bar rakhsh pâ begardân
The moon is showing off on the green steed of the sky; ride out on your Rakhsh so that it falls headlong in defeat.
COUPLET 3
مَرغول را بَرافشان یعنی به رَغمِ سنبلگِردِ چمن بُخوری همچون صبا بگردان
marghul râ barafshân ya'ni be raghm-e sonbol / gerd-e chaman bokhuri hamchon sabâ begardân
Shake out your curls, in other words to spite the hyacinth, and like the morning breeze carry fragrant incense around the meadow.
COUPLET 4
یغمایِ عقل و دین را بیرون خرام سرمستدر سر کلاه بِشکن در بَر قَبا بگردان
yaghmâ-ye aghl o din râ birun khorâm sarmast / dar sar kolâh beshkan dar bar ghabâ begardân
To plunder reason and faith, stroll out drunk: tilt the cap on your head and swirl the robe around you.
COUPLET 5
ای نورِ چشمِ مستان در عینِ انتظارمچنگِ حزین و جامی بِنواز یا بگردان
ey nur-e cheshm-e mastân dar eyn-e entezâram / chang-e hazin o jâmi benvâz yâ begardân
O light of the drunkards' eyes, I am waiting with all my being: play the sad harp, or pass a cup around.
COUPLET 6
دوران همی‌نویسد بر عارضش خطی خوشیا رب نوشتهٔ بد از یارِ ما بگردان
dowrân hami-nevisad bar ârezash khatti khosh / yâ rab neveshte-ye bad az yâr-e mâ begardân
Time is writing a fine line of down on that cheek; O Lord, keep any evil that is written away from our beloved.
COUPLET 7
حافظ ز خوبرویان بختت جز این قَدَر نیستگر نیستت رضایی حُکمِ قضا بگردان
Hâfez ze khub-ruyân bakhtat joz in ghadar nist / gar nist-at rezâyi hokm-e ghazâ begardân
Hafez, this is all the share your fortune has from the beautiful ones; if you are not content, go and change the decree of fate.
What this fâl tells you
This fal opens with a prayer to turn misfortune away and asks the beloved to set cruelty aside. Tradition reads it as a sign that a time of separation is near its end, and that grace, music and fragrance will return to your days. Accept your share with a good heart; what cannot be changed is best met with contentment.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: begardân. qâfiye: -â (jafâ, balâ, pâ, sabâ, ghabâ, yâ, mâ, ghazâ). Rakhsh in beyt 2 is the famous horse of the hero Rostam.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| می‌سوزم | misuzam | I am burning dictionary |
| ru-y | face; ru-y begardân = turn your face away dictionary | |
| jafâ | cruelty, unkindness dictionary | |
| begardân | turn! turn away; pass round; change dictionary | |
| balâ | calamity, torment dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| balâ | trouble, misfortune dictionary | |
| مه | mah | moon (= mâh) (ماه) |
| jelve | display, showing oneself dictionary | |
| می‌نماید | minamâyad | appears, seems (به نظر می‌رسد) dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| sabz | green dictionary | |
| kheng | white or piebald horse dictionary | |
| گردون | gardun | the turning sky; fortune dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| sar | head; be sar dar âmadan = to fall headlong dictionary | |
| پا | pâ | foot dictionary |
| ya'ni | that is, I mean dictionary | |
| چمن | chaman | meadow, lawn dictionary |
| همچون | hamchon | like (مثل) |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| یغمای | yaghmâ | plunder dictionary |
| aghl | reason, intellect dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| din | religion, faith dictionary | |
| birun | outside dictionary | |
| khorâm | stroll!, walk gracefully! (بخرام) dictionary | |
| sarmast | drunk, intoxicated dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| کلاه | kolâh | cap, hat dictionary |
| beshkan | break!; kolâh-gushe shekastan = to tilt one's cap (a sign of pride) dictionary | |
| bar | bosom, body; dar bar = on the body dictionary | |
| قبا | ghabâ | robe; here a robe of honor given as a reward dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| نور | nur | light dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| مستان | mastân | the drunk ones dictionary |
| eyn | the very essence of, pure dictionary | |
| entezâram | waiting + -am "I am (in)" dictionary | |
| چنگ | chang | harp dictionary |
| hazin | sad, sorrowful (غمگین) | |
| jâmi | a cup dictionary | |
| benvâz | play (an instrument)! dictionary | |
| همی‌نویسد | hami-nevisad | is writing (old form of minevisad) dictionary |
| ârezash | her cheek (گونه) | |
| khatti | a line, a script; also the down on a cheek dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| نوشتهٔ | neveshte | what is written; fate dictionary |
| bad | bad dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| bakhtat | your fortune dictionary | |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| نیستت | nist-at | you do not have (nist + -at) dictionary |
| hokm | command, control dictionary | |
| قضا | ghazâ | fate, divine decree dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 384. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
Love Persian poetry? Learn to read it: free Starter Pack
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.