Ghazal 392 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.
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COUPLET 1
دانی که چیست دولت؟ دیدار یار دیدندر کوی او گدایی، بر خسروی گزیدن
dâni ke chist dowlat? didâr-e yâr didan / dar ku-ye u gedâyi bar khosravi gozidan
Do you know what good fortune is? To see the beloved's face; to prefer begging in that street to being a king.
COUPLET 2
از جان طمع بریدن آسان بود ولیکناز دوستان جانی، مشکل توان بریدن
az jân tama' boridan âsân bovad valikan / az dustân-e jâni moshkel tavân boridan
Giving up hope of life is easy, but to part from friends dear as life is hard.
COUPLET 3
خواهم شدن به بستان، چون غنچه با دلِ تنگوآنجا به نیک‌نامی، پیراهنی دریدن
khâham shodan be bostân chon ghonche bâ del-e tang / v-ânjâ be niknâmi pirâhani daridan
I will go to the garden like a bud with a tight heart, and there, with honor, tear open a shirt.
COUPLET 4
گه چون نسیم با گل، راز نهفته گفتنگه سِرّ عشق‌بازی، از بلبلان شنیدن
gah chon nasim bâ gol râz-e nahofte goftan / gah serr-e eshghbâzi az bolbolân shenidan
Now, like the breeze, telling hidden secrets to the rose; now hearing the mystery of love from the nightingales.
COUPLET 5
بوسیدن لب یار، اول ز دست مگذارکآخر ملول گردی، از دست و لب گزیدن
busidan-e lab-e yâr avval ze dast magzâr / k-âkher malul gardi az dast o lab gazidan
Do not let the kissing of the beloved's lips slip away at the start, or in the end you will grow weary of biting your hand and lip in regret.
COUPLET 6
فرصت شمار صحبت، کز این دوراهه منزلچون بگذریم دیگر، نتوان به هم رسیدن
forsat shomâr sohbat k-az in do-râhe manzel / chon bogzarim digar natavân be ham residan
Count companionship as a precious chance, for once we pass beyond this two-road inn, we can never meet again.
COUPLET 7
گویی برفت حافظ، از یاد شاه یحیییا رب به یادش آور، درویش پروریدن
guyi beraft Hâfez az yâd-e shâh yahyâ / yâ rab be yâdash âvar darvish parvaridan
It seems Hafez has slipped from Shah Yahya's memory; O Lord, remind him to care for the dervish.
What this fâl tells you
The true wealth in your question is love and the company of dear ones, not rank or gain. Tradition reads this fal as advice to seize the time you have with the people you love, because chances like this do not come twice. Do not let a sweet moment slip away out of hesitation.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -idan (didan, gozidan, boridan, daridan, shenidan, gazidan, residan, parvaridan). Shah Yahya was a Mozaffarid ruler of Yazd.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dâni | you know (می‌دانی) dictionary | |
| dowlat | good fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary | |
| didâr | face; meeting dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| didan | to see dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| tama' | expectation; greed dictionary | |
| boridan | to cut; tama' boridan = to give up hope; az kasi boridan = to part from someone dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| ولیکن | valikan | but (ولی) |
| dustân | friends dictionary | |
| jâni | dear as life, beloved dictionary | |
| مشکل | moshkel | hard, difficult dictionary |
| tavân | one can dictionary | |
| khâham | I will (future auxiliary) dictionary | |
| shodan | to go (classical sense) (رفتن) dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| bostân | garden (باغ) | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| ghonche | bud, rosebud dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| وآنجا | v-ânjâ | and there (= va ânjâ) (و آنجا) |
| pirâhani | a shirt dictionary | |
| daridan | to tear dictionary | |
| گه | gah | time; har gah = whenever (= gâh) (گاه) |
| نسیم | nasim | breeze dictionary |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| نهفته | nahofte | hidden dictionary |
| گفتن | goftan | to say; tark goftan = to give up dictionary |
| serr | secret, mystery (راز) | |
| bolbolân | nightingales dictionary | |
| shenidan | to hear dictionary | |
| busidan | kissing, to kiss dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| avval | at first dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| مگذار | magzâr | do not let! (ze dast magzâr = do not let it slip away) (نگذار) dictionary |
| کآخر | k-âkher | that at last (= ke âkher) (که آخر) |
| ملول | malul | weary, sad dictionary |
| gardi | you become dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| گزیدن | gazidan | to bite (lab gazidan = biting one's lip in regret) dictionary |
| فرصت | forsat | chance, opportunity dictionary |
| shomâr | count! consider! (imperative) (بشمار) dictionary | |
| sohbat | company, companionship (classical sense) dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| in | this dictionary | |
| منزل | manzel | stopping place, lodging; house dictionary |
| bogzarim | we pass on dictionary | |
| هم | ham | each other; be ham = together dictionary |
| residan | to reach, to arrive dictionary | |
| gu'i | you say dictionary | |
| beraft | went away (رفت) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| یاد | yâd | memory dictionary |
| shâh | king dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| یادش | yâdash | his memory dictionary |
| âvar | bring!; be dast âvar = win (someone's heart) (بیاور) dictionary | |
| پروریدن | parvaridan | to nurture, to look after (پروردن) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 392. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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