Ghazal 387 of Hafez (9 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
شاه شمشادقدان، خسرو شیرین‌دهنانکه به مژگان شکند قلب همه صف‌شکنان
shâh-e shemshâd-ghadân, khosrow-e shirin-dahanân / ke be mozhgân shekanad ghalb-e hame saf-shekanân
The king of the boxwood-tall, the sovereign of the sweet-mouthed, who with his eyelashes breaks the center of every army of rank-breakers.
COUPLET 2
مست بگذشت و نظر بر من درویش انداختگفت: ای چشم و چراغ همه شیرین‌سخنان
mast bogzasht o nazar bar man-e darvish andâkht / goft ey cheshm o cherâgh-e hame shirin-sokhanân
He passed by drunk and cast a glance at me, the poor dervish, and said, "O eye and lamp of all the sweet-tongued!"
COUPLET 3
تا کی از سیم و زرت کیسه تهی خواهد بود؟بندهٔ من شو و برخور ز همه سیم‌تنان
tâ key az sim o zarat kise tohi khâhad bud / bande-ye man sho o bar khor ze hame sim-tanân
"How long will your purse be empty of silver and gold? Become my servant, and enjoy all the silver-bodied beauties."
COUPLET 4
کمتر از ذره نه‌ای، پست مشو، مهر بورزتا به خلوتگه خورشید رسی چرخ‌زنان
kamtar az zarre nei, past masho, mehr bevarz / tâ be khalvatgah-e khorshid rasi charkh-zanân
"You are no less than a speck of dust: do not stay low. Practice love, so that you reach the private chamber of the sun, whirling."
COUPLET 5
بر جهان تکیه مکن ور قدحی مِی داریشادی زهره‌جبینان خور و نازک‌بدنان
bar jahân tekye makon v-ar ghadahi mey dâri / shâdi-ye zohre-jabinân khor o nâzok-badanân
"Do not lean on the world; and if you have a cup of wine, drink it to the joy of the Venus-browed and the delicate-bodied."
COUPLET 6
پیر پیمانه‌کش من که روانش خوش بادگفت: پرهیز کن از صحبت پیمان‌شکنان
pir-e peymâne-kesh-e man ke ravânash khosh bâd / goft parhiz kon az sohbat-e peymân-shekanân
My cup-draining elder, may his soul be happy, said: "Keep away from the company of those who break their promises."
COUPLET 7
دامن دوست به دست آر و ز دشمن بگسلمرد یزدان شو و فارغ گذر از اهرمنان
dâman-e dust be dast âr o ze doshman bogsal / mard-e yazdân sho o fâregh gozar az ahremanân
"Take hold of the Friend's hem and break away from the enemy; be a man of God, and pass by the devils without a care."
COUPLET 8
با صبا در چمن لاله سحر می‌گفتمکه شهیدانِ که‌اند این همه خونین‌کفنان
bâ sabâ dar chaman-e lâle sahar migoftam / ke shahidân-e ke-and in hame khunin-kafanân
At dawn, in the tulip meadow, I was asking the morning breeze: "Whose martyrs are all these in blood-stained shrouds?"
COUPLET 9
گفت: حافظ! من و تو محرم این راز نه‌ایماز می لعل حکایت کن و شیرین‌دهنان
goft Hâfez man o to mahram-e in râz neim / az mey-e la'l hekâyat kon o shirin-dahanân
It said, "Hafez, you and I are not admitted to this secret. Tell stories of ruby wine and of the sweet-mouthed."
What this fâl tells you
A generous voice is calling you out of a narrow, empty time: you are worth more than you think, so do not make yourself small. Tradition reads this fal as advice to hold on to true friends, avoid people who break their word, and turn toward love and light. Some questions are not yours to solve; enjoy the sweetness you are given.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -anân (dahanân, shekanân, sokhanân, tanân, zanân, badanân, ahremanân, kafanân).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| shâh | king dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| مژگان | mozhgân | eyelashes dictionary |
| shekanad | breaks dictionary | |
| قلب | ghalb | center of an army; also "heart" (pun) dictionary |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| bogzasht | passed (گذشت) dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| نظر | nazar | glance, look dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| andâkht | threw dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| چراغ | cherâgh | lamp dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| sim | silver dictionary | |
| zarat | your gold (= zar-e to) dictionary | |
| کیسه | kise | purse, pouch dictionary |
| tohi | empty (خالی) dictionary | |
| khâhad | will (future auxiliary) dictionary | |
| bud | be (khâhad bud = will be) dictionary | |
| bande | servant; humble "I" dictionary | |
| sho | become! be! (بشو) dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| کمتر | kamtar | less dictionary |
| ne'i | you are not (نیستی) | |
| پست | past | low dictionary |
| مشو | masho | do not be, do not become (نشو) dictionary |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| bevarz | practice! cultivate! dictionary | |
| khalvatgah | private chamber, place of retreat (خلوتگاه) | |
| rasi | you reach, arrive (برسی) dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| tekye | leaning, reliance dictionary | |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| ghadahi | a cup dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| dâri | you have dictionary | |
| shâdi | joy dictionary | |
| khor | drink! (shâdi-ye ... khor = drink to the joy of) (بخور) dictionary | |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| bâd | may it be (khosh bâd = may it be happy) (باشد) dictionary | |
| پرهیز | parhiz | abstaining; parhiz kon = beware dictionary |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| sohbat | company, companionship (classical sense) dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| âr | bring! dar amal âr = put into practice (بیاور) dictionary | |
| doshman | enemy dictionary | |
| bogsal | break off! cut loose! (جدا شو) dictionary | |
| مرد | mard | man dictionary |
| یزدان | yazdân | God (خدا) dictionary |
| گذر | gozar | pass! (imperative) (بگذر) dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| چمن | chaman | meadow, lawn dictionary |
| sahar | dawn; at dawn dictionary | |
| می‌گفتم | migoftam | I used to say dictionary |
| shahidân | martyrs dictionary | |
| که‌اند | ke-and | who are they? (here: whose are they?) (چه کسانی هستند) |
| in | this dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| نه‌ایم | neim | we are not (نیستیم) dictionary |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| hekâyat | tale dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 387. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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