Ghazal 393 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
منم که شهره شهرم به عشق ورزیدنمنم که دیده نیالوده‌ام به بد دیدن
manam ke shohre-ye shahram be eshgh varzidan / manam ke dide nayâlude-am be bad didan
I am the one famous in the city for loving; I am the one who has never stained his eyes by looking at evil.
COUPLET 2
وفا کنیم و ملامت کشیم و خوش باشیمکه در طریقتِ ما کافریست رنجیدن
vafâ konim o malâmat keshim o khosh bâshim / ke dar tarighat-e mâ kâfarist ranjidan
Let us be faithful, bear the blame, and stay cheerful: on our path, taking offense is unbelief.
COUPLET 3
به پیرِ میکده گفتم که چیست راه نجاتبخواست جامِ می و گفت عیب پوشیدن
be pir-e meykade goftam ke chist râh-e najât / bekhâst jâm-e mey o goft eyb pushidan
I asked the tavern master what the road to salvation is. He called for a cup of wine and said, "Covering others' faults."
COUPLET 4
مرادِ دل ز تماشای باغِ عالم چیست؟به دستِ مردمِ چشم از رخِ تو گل چیدن
morâd-e del ze tamâshâ-ye bâgh-e âlam chist / be dast-e mardom-e cheshm az rokh-e to gol chidan
What does the heart want from gazing at the garden of the world? To pick roses from your face with the hand of the eye's pupil.
COUPLET 5
به مِیْ پرستی از آن نقشِ خود زدم بر آبکه تا خراب کنم نقشِ خود پرستیدن
be mey-parasti az ân naghsh-e khod zadam bar âb / ke tâ kharâb konam naghsh-e khod-parastidan
I cast my own image on the water by worshipping wine, so that I might wreck the pattern of self-worship.
COUPLET 6
به رحمتِ سرِ زلفِ تو واثقم ورنهکشش چو نَبوَد از آن سو چه سود کوشیدن؟
be rahmat-e sar-e zolf-e to vâsegham varna / keshesh cho nabvad az ân su che sud kushidan
I trust in the mercy of your curl's tip; otherwise, if there is no pull from that side, what use is striving?
COUPLET 7
عنان به میکده خواهیم تافت زین مجلسکه وعظ بی‌عملان واجب است نشنیدن
enân be meykade khâhim tâft z-in majles / ke va'z-e bi-amalân vâjeb ast nashnidan
We will turn our reins from this assembly toward the tavern, for the sermons of those who do not practice what they preach are best left unheard.
COUPLET 8
ز خطّ یار بیاموز مِهر با رخِ خوبکه گرد عارضِ خوبان خوش است گردیدن
ze khatt-e yâr biyâmuz mehr bâ rokh-e khub / ke gerd-e ârez-e khubân khosh ast gardidan
Learn love for a fair face from the down on the beloved's cheek: how sweet it is to circle around the cheeks of the beautiful.
COUPLET 9
مبوس جز لبِ ساقی و جامِ می حافظکه دستِ زهد فروشان خطاست بوسیدن
mabus joz lab-e sâghi o jâm-e mey Hâfez / ke dast-e zohd-forushân khatâst busidan
Kiss nothing but the cupbearer's lip and the cup of wine, Hafez: kissing the hands of those who sell piety is a mistake.
What this fâl tells you
Faithfulness, a forgiving eye and a light heart are the way through what you are facing. Tradition reads this fal as advice not to take offense, to cover other people's faults, and to let go of pride. Trust that grace comes from the other side too, and keep away from people whose words do not match their deeds.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -idan (varzidan, didan, ranjidan, pushidan, chidan, parastidan, kushidan, nashnidan, gardidan, busidan).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| منم | manam | I am (the one) dictionary |
| shahram | my city (= shahr-am); shohre-ye shahram = famous in my city dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| ورزیدن | varzidan | to practice (eshgh varzidan = to love) dictionary |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| نیالوده‌ام | nayâlude-am | I have not stained dictionary |
| bad | bad dictionary | |
| didan | to see dictionary | |
| وفا | vafâ | loyalty, faithfulness dictionary |
| کنیم | konim | let us do dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ملامت | malâmat | blame, reproach dictionary |
| کشیم | keshim | (we) bear; malâmat keshidan = to bear blame dictionary |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| bâshim | let us be dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| tarighat | the Sufi path dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| کافریست | kâfarist | is unbelief (= kâfari ast) (کفر است) |
| ranjidan | to take offense, to feel hurt dictionary | |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| میکده | meykade | tavern dictionary |
| گفتم | goftam | I said dictionary |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| bekhâst | asked for, called for (خواست) dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| eyb | fault, flaw dictionary | |
| پوشیدن | pushidan | to cover, to conceal dictionary |
| مراد | morâd | wish, desire dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| tamâshâ-ye | watching, the sight of dictionary | |
| bâgh | garden dictionary | |
| âlam | world dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| مردم | mardom | pupil (mardom-e cheshm); also "people" dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| چیدن | chidan | to pick (flowers) dictionary |
| parasti | worship; mey-parasti = wine-worship dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| khod | self, one's own dictionary | |
| zadam | I struck; lâf zadan = to boast dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| kharâb | ruined; (in Hafez) drunk, wrecked by love dictionary | |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| پرستیدن | parastidan | to worship; khod-parastidan = self-worship dictionary |
| rahmat | mercy dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| واثقم | vâsegham | I am confident, I trust (مطمئنم) |
| ورنه | v-arna | otherwise (= va agar na) (وگرنه) |
| کشش | keshesh | pull, attraction dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| نبود | nabvad | is not (old form) (نیست / نباشد) dictionary |
| su | direction, side dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| sud | profit, gain dictionary | |
| کوشیدن | kushidan | to strive; effort dictionary |
| khâhim | we will dictionary | |
| z-in | from this (= az in); z-in pish = before this (از این) | |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| وعظ | va'z | sermon, preaching dictionary |
| واجب | vâjeb | obligatory, a duty dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| نشنیدن | nashnidan | not to hear dictionary |
| khatt | line; here a painted line / the first down on the cheek dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| biyâmuz | learn! dictionary | |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| khub | good dictionary | |
| âraz | cheek (گونه) | |
| khubân | the beautiful ones (زیبارویان) | |
| گردیدن | gardidan | to circle, to go around dictionary |
| مبوس | mabus | do not kiss! (نبوس) dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| فروشان | forushân | sellers; meyforushân = wine-sellers dictionary |
| khatâ-st | is a mistake, wrong (= khatâ ast) dictionary | |
| busidan | kissing, to kiss dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 393. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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