Ghazal 40 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
اَلْمِنَّةُ لِلَّه که درِ میکده، باز استزان رو که مرا بر در او، رویِ نیاز است
al-mennato lellâh ke dar-e meykade bâz ast / z-ân ru ke marâ bar dar-e u ru-ye niyâz ast
Thanks be to God, the tavern door is open, for I have turned to that door in need.
COUPLET 2
خُم‌ها، همه در جوش و خُروش‌اند ز مَسْتیوان می که در آن‌جاست، حقیقت، نه مَجاز است
khom-hâ hame dar jush o khorush-and ze masti / v-ân mey ke dar ânjâ-st haghighat, na majâz ast
The wine jars are all bubbling and roaring with drunkenness, and the wine there is real, not figurative.
COUPLET 3
از وی، همه، مَسْتی و غُرور است و تَکَبُّروز ما همه بیچارگی و عَجْز و نیاز است
az vey hame masti o ghorur ast o takabbor / v-az mâ hame bichâregi o ajz o niyâz ast
From the beloved come all drunkenness, pride and arrogance; from us, all helplessness, weakness and need.
COUPLET 4
رازی که بَرِ غیر نگفتیم و نگوییمبا دوست بگوییم که او مَحْرَمِ راز است
râzi ke bar-e gheyr nagoftim o nagu'im / bâ dust beguyim ke u mahram-e râz ast
The secret we have never told and never will tell anyone else, we will tell the friend, who can be trusted with secrets.
COUPLET 5
شَرْحِ شِکَنِ زُلْفِ خَم اندر خَمِ جانانکوتَه نَتَوان کرد که این قِصِّه، دراز است
sharh-e shekan-e zolf-e kham andar kham-e jânân / kutah natavân kard ke in ghesse derâz ast
The account of the beloved's curls, twist upon twist, cannot be made short: this is a long story.
COUPLET 6
بارِ دِلِ مَجْنون و خَمِ طُرِّهٔ لیلیرُخسارهٔ مَحمود و کَفِ پایِ اَیاز است
bâr-e del-e majnun o kham-e torre-ye leyli / rokhsâre-ye mahmud o kaf-e pâ-ye ayâz ast
The burden of Majnun's heart and the curl of Layla's lock are like the face of Mahmud and the sole of Ayaz's foot.
COUPLET 7
بردوخته‌ام دیده چو باز از همه عالَمتا دیدهٔ من بر رُخِ زیبایِ تو، باز است
bar dukhte-am dide cho bâz az hame âlam / tâ dide-ye man bar rokh-e zibâ-ye to bâz ast
Like a falcon, I have sewn my eyes shut to the whole world, so that they stay open only to your beautiful face.
COUPLET 8
در کعبهٔ کویِ تو، هر آن‌کس که بیایداز قبلهٔ ابرویِ تو در عِیْنِ نماز است
dar ka'be-ye ku-ye to har ân kas ke biyâyad / az ghible-ye abru-ye to dar eyn-e namâz ast
Whoever comes to the Kaaba of your lane is already in true prayer, facing the qibla of your eyebrow.
COUPLET 9
ای مجلسیان، سوزِ دلِ «حافظِ» مسکیناز شمع بپرسید که در سوز و گداز است
ey majlesiyân suz-e del-e Hâfez-e meskin / az sham' bepors-id ke dar suz o godâz ast
People of the gathering, ask the candle about the burning heart of poor Hafez: it too is burning and melting.
What this fâl tells you
A door you need has been opened for you; thank God and walk through it with humility. Tradition reads this fal as advice to share your deepest secret only with a trusted friend and to keep your eyes on what you truly love. Your sincere need is itself a kind of prayer.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: ast. qâfiye: -âz (bâz, niyâz, majâz, râz, derâz, ayâz, namâz, godâz). The first half-line opens with Arabic: al-mennato lellâh, "thanks be to God". Beyt 7 puns on bâz, "falcon" and "open". Mahmud of Ghazni and his slave Ayaz, like Majnun and Layla, are proverbial lovers.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| میکده | meykade | tavern dictionary |
| bâz | open dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| ru | face; z-ân ru = for that reason dictionary | |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| نیاز | niyâz | need, humble pleading dictionary |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| jush | boiling; be jush âmad = came to a boil dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| khorush-and | are roaring dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| masti | intoxication dictionary | |
| وان | v-ân | and the one (= va ân) (و آن) dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| ânjâ-st | is there (= ânjâ ast) dictionary | |
| haghighat | truth dictionary | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| vey | it, him, her (= u) (او) | |
| ghorur | pride dictionary | |
| وز | v-az | and from (= va az) (و از) |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| bichâregi | helplessness dictionary | |
| ajz | weakness, powerlessness dictionary | |
| râzi | a secret (that) dictionary | |
| gheyr | other; gheyr az = apart from dictionary | |
| نگفتیم | nagoftim | we did not tell dictionary |
| نگوییم | nagu'im | we do not say dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| beguyim | we will tell dictionary | |
| râz | secret dictionary | |
| sharh-e | account of dictionary | |
| shekan-e | the curl, fold of dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| jânân | the beloved (معشوق) | |
| کوته | kutah | short (کوتاه) |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| قصه | ghesse | story dictionary |
| derâz | long dictionary | |
| bâr | burden, weight dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| مجنون | majnun | Majnun, the lover driven mad by love for Leyli dictionary |
| torre | lock of hair, curl dictionary | |
| کف | kaf | palm (of the hand) dictionary |
| پای | pâ | foot; az pâ oftâdan = to collapse dictionary |
| bar dukhte-am | I have sewn shut dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| bâz | falcon (whose eyes were sewn shut in training); pun with bâz "open" dictionary | |
| âlam | world dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| zibâ-ye | beautiful dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| کوی | ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| biyâyad | comes dictionary | |
| abru-ye | eyebrow of dictionary | |
| eyn | the very essence of, pure dictionary | |
| نماز | namâz | ritual prayer dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| مجلسیان | majlesiyân | people of the gathering dictionary |
| suz | burning dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| مسکین | meskin | poor, wretched dictionary |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| bepors-id | ask! (plural) dictionary | |
| گداز | godâz | melting dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 40. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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