Ghazal 401 of Hafez (8 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
چون شوم خاک رهش دامن بیفشاند ز منور بگویم دل بگردان رو بگرداند ز من
chon shavam khâk-e rahash dâman beyafshânad ze man / v-ar beguyam del begardân ru begardânad ze man
When I become the dust of her path, she shakes her hem free of me; and if I say "change your heart," she turns her face away from me.
COUPLET 2
روی رنگین را به هر کس می‌نماید همچو گلور بگویم بازپوشان بازپوشاند ز من
ru-ye rangin râ be har kas minamâyad hamcho gol / v-ar beguyam bâz pushân bâz pushânad ze man
Like the rose, she shows her colorful face to everyone; and if I say "cover it," she covers it again, from me.
COUPLET 3
چشم خود را گفتم آخر یک نظر سیرش ببینگفت می‌خواهی مگر تا جوی خون راند ز من؟
cheshm-e khod râ goftam âkher yek nazar sirash bebin / goft mikhâhi magar tâ ju-ye khun rânad ze man
I said to my eye, "At least look at her once to your heart's content." It said, "Do you want a stream of blood to flow from me?"
COUPLET 4
او به خونم تشنه و من بر لبش تا چون شودکام بستانم از او یا داد بستاند ز من
u be khunam teshne o man bar labash tâ chon shavad / kâm bestânam az u yâ dâd bestânad ze man
She thirsts for my blood and I for her lip; let us see how it ends: will I take my desire from her, or will she take her revenge on me?
COUPLET 5
گر چو فرهادم به تلخی جان برآید باک نیستبس حکایت‌های شیرین باز می‌ماند ز من
gar cho farhâdam be talkhi jân bar âyad bâk nist / bas hekâyat-hâ-ye shirin bâz mimânad ze man
If, like Farhad, my soul leaves me in bitterness, it does not matter: many sweet stories will remain behind me.
COUPLET 6
گر چو شمعش پیش میرم بر غمم خندان شودور برنجم خاطر نازک برنجاند ز من
gar cho sham'ash pish miram bar ghamam khandân shavad / v-ar beranjam khâter-e nâzok beranjânad ze man
If I die before her like a candle, she laughs at my grief; and if I complain, her delicate heart is offended by me.
COUPLET 7
دوستان جان داده‌ام بهر دهانش بنگریدکو به چیزی مختصر چون باز می‌ماند ز من
dustân jân dâde-am bahr-e dahânash bengarid / k-u be chizi mokhtasar chon bâz mimânad ze man
Friends, I have given my life for her mouth; look how she holds back from me even such a little thing.
COUPLET 8
صبر کن حافظ که گر زین دست باشد درس غمعشق در هر گوشه‌ای افسانه‌ای خواند ز من
sabr kon Hâfez ke gar z-in dast bâshad dars-e gham / eshgh dar har gushe-i afsâne-i khânad ze man
Be patient, Hafez: if the lesson of grief goes on like this, Love will tell my legend in every corner.
What this fâl tells you
Someone you care about may seem distant or hard to please right now. Tradition reads this fal as advice to be patient: devotion that seems unanswered still leaves sweet stories behind, and steadiness earns respect in the end. Do not lose heart over small refusals.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: ze man ("from me"). qâfiye: -ânad (afshânad, gardânad, pushânad, rânad, stânad, mânad, ranjânad, khânad).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| shavam | I (will) become dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| rahash | its way, its road dictionary | |
| beyafshânad | shakes off dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ور | var | and if (= va agar) (و اگر) |
| beguyam | (that) I say dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| begardân | turn! change (the mode) dictionary | |
| ru | face; z-ân ru = for that reason dictionary | |
| begardânad | turns away dictionary | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| rangin | colored; stained dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| می‌نماید | minamâyad | appears, seems (به نظر می‌رسد) dictionary |
| همچو | hamcho | like (مثل) |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| bâz pushân | cover (it) again! dictionary | |
| bâz pushânad | covers (it) again dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| گفتم | goftam | I said dictionary |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| sirash | at her, to your fill (sir = sated) dictionary | |
| bebin | see! look! dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| mikhâhi | you want dictionary | |
| مگر | magar | perhaps? could it be that? (in questions) dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| ju | stream (جوی) | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| rând | move, drive dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| khunam | my blood dictionary | |
| teshne | thirsty dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| لبش | labash | her lip dictionary |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| کام | kâm | wish, desire; be kâm = as one wishes dictionary |
| bestânam | I will take dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| dâd | justice; dâd setândan = to take revenge, exact justice dictionary | |
| bestânad | takes dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| talkhi | bitterness dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| bar âyad | rises; comes true; comes out (برمی‌آید) | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| bas | much, many dictionary | |
| hekâyat-hâ-ye | stories of dictionary | |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| می‌ماند | mimânad | remains; bâz mândan = to remain behind; to hold back dictionary |
| sham'ash | (like) a candle (before her) dictionary | |
| پیش | pish | before, in front of dictionary |
| میرم | miram | I die (for) dictionary |
| ghamam | my grief dictionary | |
| khandân | smiling, laughing dictionary | |
| beranjam | I am hurt, I resent dictionary | |
| khâter | mind, heart dictionary | |
| نازک | nâzok | delicate dictionary |
| beranjânad | takes offense (khâter beranjânad = her heart is hurt) dictionary | |
| dustân | friends dictionary | |
| dâde-am | I have given dictionary | |
| bahr | sake; ze bahr-e = for the sake of (برای) | |
| dahânash | her mouth dictionary | |
| bengarid | look! (plural) dictionary | |
| کو | k-u | that she (= ke u) (که او) dictionary |
| chizi | something; be chizi nakharidan = to value at nothing dictionary | |
| مختصر | mokhtasar | short, brief dictionary |
| sabr | patience dictionary | |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| z-in | from this (= az in); z-in pish = before this (از این) | |
| dast | kind, sort; z-in dast = like this dictionary | |
| bâshad | is, goes on dictionary | |
| dars | lesson, study dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| gushe'i | a corner dictionary | |
| afsâne-i | a legend, a tale dictionary | |
| khând | sang, read; called dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 401. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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