Ghazal 398 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
ای نور چشم من سخنی هست گوش کنچون ساغرت پُر است بنوشان و نوش کن
ey nur-e cheshm-e man sokhani hast gush kon / chon sâgharat por ast benushân o nush kon
O light of my eyes, I have something to say: listen. Since your cup is full, give others to drink, and drink yourself.
COUPLET 2
در راه عشق وسوسهٔ اهرمن بسیستپیش آی و گوشِ دل به پیام سروش کن
dar râh-e eshgh vasvase-ye ahreman basi-st / pish ây o gush-e del be payâm-e sorush kon
On the road of love the demon's whispers are many; come forward and turn the ear of your heart to the angel's message.
COUPLET 3
برگ نوا تبه شد و ساز طرب نماندای چنگ ناله برکش و ای دف خروش کن
barg-e navâ tabah shod o sâz-e tarab namând / ey chang nâle bar kesh o ey daf khorush kon
The means of music are ruined and the instrument of joy is gone: O harp, raise your lament; O drum, cry out.
COUPLET 4
تسبیح و خرقه لذّت مستی نبخشدتهمّت در این عمل طلب از می‌فروش کن
tasbih o kherghe lezzat-e masti nabakhshadat / hemmat dar in amal talab az meyforush kon
Rosary and Sufi cloak will not give you the pleasure of drunkenness; for this work, ask the wine-seller for his blessing.
COUPLET 5
پیران سخن ز تجربه گویند گفتمتهان ای پسر که پیر شوی پند گوش کن
pirân sokhan ze tajrobe guyand goftamat / hân ey pesar ke pir shavi pand gush kon
The old speak from experience, I told you: listen, my son, take this advice, for you too will grow old.
COUPLET 6
بر هوشمند سلسله ننهاد دست عشقخواهی که زلف یار کشی ترک هوش کن
bar hushmand selsele nanhâd dast-e eshgh / khâhi ke zolf-e yâr keshi tark-e hush kon
The hand of love never chained the clever; if you want to pull the beloved's curl, give up your cleverness.
COUPLET 7
با دوستان مضایقه در عمر و مال نیستصد جان فدای یار نصیحت نیوش کن
bâ dustân mozâyeghe dar omr o mâl nist / sad jân fadâ-ye yâr, nasihat niyush kon
With friends, no one holds back life or wealth; a hundred lives for the beloved: heed this advice.
COUPLET 8
ساقی که جامت از می صافی تهی مبادچشم عنایتی به من دردنوش کن
sâghi ke jâmat az mey-e sâfi tohi mabâd / cheshm-e enâyati be man-e dord-nush kon
Cupbearer, may your cup never be empty of clear wine: cast a kind glance at me, the drinker of dregs.
COUPLET 9
سرمست در قبای زرافشان چو بگذرییک بوسه نذر حافظ پشمینه‌پوش کن
sar-mast dar ghabâ-ye zar-afshân cho bogzari / yek buse nazr-e Hâfez-e pashmine-push kon
When you pass by, drunk, in your gold-scattering robe, vow one kiss to Hafez in his woolen cloak.
What this fâl tells you
Listen to the voice of experience: someone wiser has good advice for you. Tradition reads this fal as a call to share what you have generously, to ignore the inner whispers that discourage you, and to follow the kind messenger of your heart. Do not hold back from friends.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: kon ("do!, make!"). qâfiye: -ush (gush, nush, sorush, khorush, meyforush, hush, niyush, dord-nush, pashmine-push).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| نور | nur | light dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| sokhani | a saying dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| گوش | gush | ear; gush kon = listen dictionary |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| sâgharat | your cup dictionary | |
| پر | por | full dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| نوش | nush | drink! (= benush) (بنوش) dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| وسوسهٔ | vasvase-ye | whispering, nagging of dictionary |
| basi-st | is much (= basi ast) dictionary | |
| پیش | pish | forward; pish ây = come forward dictionary |
| ây | come! (بیا) dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| پیام | payâm | message dictionary |
| sorush | angel, divine messenger dictionary | |
| barg | leaf, petal dictionary | |
| نوا | navâ | provision, means; also melody (pun) dictionary |
| tabah | ruined (تباه) | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| tarab | joy, merriment dictionary | |
| نماند | namând | did not remain, ran out dictionary |
| چنگ | chang | harp dictionary |
| ناله | nâle | moan, lament dictionary |
| khorush | loud cry, song dictionary | |
| tasbih | praising God; rosary dictionary | |
| kherghe | dervish's cloak, Sufi robe dictionary | |
| لذت | lezzat | pleasure dictionary |
| masti | intoxication dictionary | |
| نبخشدت | nabakhshadat | does not give you dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| amal | action, practice dictionary | |
| talab | request, search dictionary | |
| پیران | pirân | elders, old men dictionary |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| tajrobe | experience, test dictionary | |
| گویند | guyand | (they) say (می‌گویند) dictionary |
| گفتمت | goftamat | I told you dictionary |
| پسر | pesar | boy, son dictionary |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| shavi | you become dictionary | |
| پند | pand | advice dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| هوشمند | hushmand | clever, rational person dictionary |
| selsele | chain dictionary | |
| ننهاد | nanahâd | did not set, did not put dictionary |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| khâhi | you want dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| keshi | you draw dictionary | |
| tark | giving up; tark-e hush kon = give up reason dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| dustân | friends dictionary | |
| مضایقه | mozâyeghe | holding back, stinting dictionary |
| omr | life, lifetime dictionary | |
| مال | mâl | property, money dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| نصیحت | nasihat | advice dictionary |
| نیوش | niyush | listen! hear! (بشنو) |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| jâmat | your cup dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| sâfi-ye | pure dictionary | |
| tohi | empty (خالی) dictionary | |
| مباد | mabâd | may it not be (نباشد) dictionary |
| sarmast | drunk, intoxicated dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| bogzari | you pass by dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| buse | kiss dictionary | |
| نذر | nazr | vow; nazr kardan = to make a vow dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 398. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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