Ghazal 39 of Hafez (10 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
باغِ مرا چه حاجتِ سرو و صنوبر است؟شمشادِ خانه‌پرورِ ما از که کمتر است؟
bâgh-e marâ che hâjat-e sarv o sanowbar ast / shemshâd-e khâne-parvar-e mâ az ke kamtar ast
What need does my garden have of cypress and pine? Who is our home-grown boxwood any less than?
COUPLET 2
ای نازنین‌پسر، تو چه مذهب گرفته‌ای؟کِت خونِ ما حلال‌تر از شیرِ مادر است
ey nâzanin-pesar, to che mazhab gerefte'i / ket khun-e mâ halâl-tar az shir-e mâdar ast
O lovely boy, what creed have you taken up, that our blood is more lawful to you than your mother's milk?
COUPLET 3
چون نقشِ غم ز دور بِبینی شراب خواهتشخیص کرده‌ایم و مداوا مقرّر است
chon naghsh-e gham ze dur bebini sharâb khâh / tashkhis karde'im o modâvâ mogharrar ast
When you see the shape of sorrow coming from afar, ask for wine: we have made the diagnosis, and the cure is prescribed.
COUPLET 4
از آستانِ پیرِ مغان، سر چرا کشیم؟دولت در آن سرا و گشایش در آن در است
az âstân-e pir-e moghân sar cherâ keshim / dowlat dar ân sarâ o goshâyesh dar ân dar ast
Why should we turn away from the threshold of the tavern master? Good fortune is in that house, and the way opens at that door.
COUPLET 5
یک قِصّه بیش نیست غمِ عشق، وین عجبکز هر زبان که می‌شنوم، نامکرّر است
yek ghesse bish nist gham-e eshgh, v-in ajab / k-az har zabân ke mishenavam nâmokarrar ast
The sorrow of love is only one story, and yet, strangely, in every tongue I hear it, it never sounds repeated.
COUPLET 6
دی وعده داد وصلم و در سر شراب داشتامروز تا چه گوید و بازش چه در سر است
di va'de dâd vaslam o dar sar sharâb dâsht / emruz tâ che guyad o bâzash che dar sar ast
Yesterday she promised to meet me, but there was wine in her head. Let us see what she says today, and what is on her mind now.
COUPLET 7
شیراز و آبِ رکنی و این بادِ خوش نسیمعیبش مکن که خالِ رُخِ هفت کشور است
shirâz o âb-e rokni o in bâd-e khosh-nasim / eybash makon ke khâl-e rokh-e haft keshvar ast
Shiraz, the Rokni water and this sweet breeze: do not find fault with it, for it is the beauty spot on the face of the seven lands.
COUPLET 8
فرق است از آبِ خِضر که ظُلمات جای او استتا آبِ ما که مَنبَعش الله اکبر است
fargh ast az âb-e khezr ke zolomât jâ-ye u-st / tâ âb-e mâ ke manba'ash allâho akbar ast
There is a difference between Khizr's water of life, which lies in the land of darkness, and our water, whose source is Allâho Akbar.
COUPLET 9
ما آبرویِ فقر و قناعت نمی‌بریمبا پادشه بگوی که روزی مقدّر است
mâ âbru-ye faghr o ghanâ'at nemibarim / bâ pâdshah beguy ke ruzi moghaddar ast
We will not throw away the dignity of poverty and contentment. Tell the king that our daily bread is already decreed.
COUPLET 10
حافظ چه طُرفه شاخ نباتیست کِلکِ توکِش میوه دلپذیرتر از شهد و شکّر است
Hâfez che torfe shâkh-e nabâti-st kelk-e to / kesh mive delpazir-tar az shahd o shekkar ast
Hafez, what a rare stick of rock candy your pen is: its fruit is more delightful than honey and sugar.
What this fâl tells you
Value what you already have at home; it is no less than what others show off. Tradition reads this fal as a call to contentment and self-respect: do not bow to anyone for your daily bread, because your share is already written. Sorrow has a cure, and the door to good fortune is open.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: ast. qâfiye: -ar (sanowbar, kamtar, mâdar, mogharrar, dar, sar, keshvar, akbar, shekkar).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| bâgh | garden dictionary | |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| hâjat | need (نیاز) | |
| sarv | cypress (image of a tall beloved) dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| sanowbar | pine dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| کمتر | kamtar | less dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| مذهب | mazhab | creed, religion dictionary |
| gerefte'i | you have taken (up) dictionary | |
| کت | ket | that ... to you (= ke to-râ) (که تو را) |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| halâl-tar | more lawful dictionary | |
| shir | milk dictionary | |
| مادر | mâdar | mother dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| dowr | turn; the passing round of the cup; the age dictionary | |
| bebini | you see dictionary | |
| sharâb | wine dictionary | |
| khâh | ask for! want! (بخواه) dictionary | |
| tashkhis | diagnosis dictionary | |
| کرده‌ایم | karde'im | we have done, made dictionary |
| مداوا | modâvâ | treatment, cure dictionary |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| کشیم | keshim | (we) pull; sar keshidan = to turn away dictionary |
| dowlat | good fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| sarâ | house (خانه) | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| قصه | ghesse | story dictionary |
| bish | more; bish nist = is no more than dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| وین | v-in | and this (= va in) (و این) |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| zabân | tongue; language dictionary | |
| می‌شنوم | mishenavam | I hear dictionary |
| نامکرر | nâmokarrar | unrepeated, never the same (تکراری نیست) |
| di | yesterday (دیروز) | |
| وعده | va'de | promise dictionary |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| dâsht | had dictionary | |
| emruz | today dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| گوید | guyad | says, tells dictionary |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| نسیم | nasim | breeze dictionary |
| eybash | its fault; eyb kardan = to criticize dictionary | |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| khâl | mole, beauty spot dictionary | |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| هفت | haft | seven; haft keshvar = the seven climes, the whole world dictionary |
| کشور | keshvar | land, country dictionary |
| فرق | fargh | difference dictionary |
| jâ-ye | place of; be jâ-ye = toward, for (someone) (در حق) dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| منبعش | manba'ash | its source dictionary |
| akbar | greatest; Allâho Akbar (here the name of the pass at Shiraz) dictionary | |
| فقر | faghr | poverty dictionary |
| نمی‌بریم | nemibarim | we do not take away; âbru bordan = to lose dignity dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| پادشه | pâdshah | king (پادشاه) |
| beguy | tell! (بگو) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| shâkh | branch; shâkh-e nabât = a stick of rock candy (also the name tradition gives Hafez's beloved) dictionary | |
| نباتیست | nabâti-st | is a (stick of) rock candy (= nabât-i ast) dictionary |
| کلک | kelk | reed pen (قلم) |
| کش | kesh | that its (= ke ash) (که آن را) |
| میوه | mive | fruit dictionary |
| shahd | honey dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 39. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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