Ghazal 408 of Hafez (11 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
ای آفتاب آینه دار جمال تومشک سیاه مجمره گردان خال تو
ey âftâb âyene-dâr-e jamâl-e to / moshk-e siyâh mejmare-gardân-e khâl-e to
O you whose beauty the sun holds a mirror up to, black musk is the censer-bearer of your mole.
COUPLET 2
صحن سرای دیده بشستم ولی چه سودکـ‌این گوشه نیست درخور خیل خیال تو
sahn-e sarâ-ye dide beshostam vali che sud / k-in gushe nist darkhor-e kheyl-e khiyâl-e to
I washed the courtyard of my eye's house, but what use? This corner is not worthy of the host of your image.
COUPLET 3
در اوج ناز و نعمتی ای پادشاه حسنیا رب مباد تا به قیامت زوال تو
dar owj-e nâz o ne'mati ey pâdeshâh-e hosn / yâ rab mabâd tâ be ghiyâmat zavâl-e to
You are at the height of grace and plenty, O king of beauty; Lord, may you never decline until the Day of Judgment.
COUPLET 4
مطبوعتر ز نقش تو صورت نبست بازطغرانویس ابروی مشکین مثال تو
matbu'-tar ze naghsh-e to surat nabast bâz / toghrâ-nevis-e abru-ye moshkin-mesâl-e to
The scribe who drew the royal seal of your eyebrow on your musk-black decree has never again drawn a form more pleasing than yours.
COUPLET 5
در چین زلفش ای دل مسکین چگونه‌ایکآشفته گفت باد صبا شرح حال تو
dar chin-e zolfash ey del-e meskin chegune-i / k-âshofte goft bâd-e sabâ sharh-e hâl-e to
O poor heart, how are you in the folds of that curl? The morning breeze told of your state in such disarray.
COUPLET 6
برخاست بوی گل ز در آشتی درآیای نوبهار ما رخ فرخنده فال تو
barkhâst bu-ye gol ze dar-e âshti dar ây / ey nowbahâr-e mâ rokh-e farkhonde-fâl-e to
The scent of the rose has risen: come in through the door of peace, O you whose lucky face is our early spring.
COUPLET 7
تا آسمان ز حلقه به گوشان ما شودکو عشوه‌ای ز ابروی همچون هلال تو
tâ âsemân ze halghe be gushân-e mâ shavad / ku eshve-i ze abru-ye hamchon helâl-e to
To make the sky one of our ring-eared servants, where is one flirtatious gesture of your crescent eyebrow?
COUPLET 8
تا پیش بخت باز رَوَم تهنیت کنانکو مژده‌ای ز مقدم عید وصال تو
tâ pish-e bakht bâz ravam tahniyat-konân / ku mozhde-i ze maghdam-e eyd-e vesâl-e to
So that I may go back to Fortune with congratulations, where is the good news of the coming of the feast of union with you?
COUPLET 9
این نقطه سیاه که آمد مدار نورعکسیست در حدیقه بینش ز خال تو
in noghte-ye siyâh ke âmad madâr-e nur / aksi-st dar hadighe-ye binesh ze khâl-e to
This black point that has become the center of light, the pupil of the eye, is a reflection of your mole in the garden of sight.
COUPLET 10
در پیش شاه عرض کدامین جفا کنمشرح نیازمندی خود یا ملال تو
dar pish-e shâh arz-e kodâmin jafâ konam / sharh-e niyâzmandi-ye khod yâ malâl-e to
Which hardship should I lay before the king: the story of my own need, or your weariness of me?
COUPLET 11
حافظ در این کمند سر سرکشان بسیستسودای کج مپز که نباشد مجال تو
Hâfez dar in kamand sar-e sarkeshân basi-st / sowdâ-ye kaj mapaz ke nabâshad majâl-e to
Hafez, many a proud head is caught in this lasso; do not cook up crooked fancies, for you will have no chance.
What this fâl tells you
A season of reconciliation is near: the door of peace is open and good news may be on its way. Tradition reads this fal as a sign of beauty and good fortune at their height, with a wish that they last. Prepare your heart to receive what you hope for, and do not let wild schemes spoil it.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: to ("your"). qâfiye: -âl (jamâl, khâl, khiyâl, zavâl, mesâl, hâl, fâl, helâl, vesâl, malâl, majâl).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| âftâb | sun dictionary | |
| âyene | mirror (آیینه) | |
| dâr | holder; âyene-dâr = one who holds up a mirror dictionary | |
| jamâl | beauty dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| siyâh | black dictionary | |
| گردان | gardân | turning; kâse-gardân = one who passes the cup around dictionary |
| khâl | mole, beauty spot dictionary | |
| sahn | courtyard, open lawn dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| beshostam | I washed dictionary | |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| sud | profit, gain dictionary | |
| کـ‌این | k-in | for this (= ke in) (که این) |
| گوشه | gushe | corner dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| darkhor | fit for, worthy of (شایسته) | |
| khiyâl | image, phantom (of the beloved) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| owj | summit, height dictionary | |
| ناز | nâz | coquetry, airs dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ne'mati | (you are in) plenty, blessing dictionary | |
| پادشاه | pâdeshâh | king dictionary |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| مباد | mabâd | may it not be (نباشد) dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| zavâl | decline, ending dictionary | |
| مطبوعتر | matbu'-tar | more pleasing, more graceful dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| surat | outward appearance, form dictionary | |
| نبست | nabast | did not draw (surat bastan = to form an image) dictionary |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| abru-ye | eyebrow of dictionary | |
| مثال | mesâl | royal decree; also likeness (pun) dictionary |
| چین | chin | China; also a curl, fold (pun) dictionary |
| zolfash | her curls dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| مسکین | meskin | poor, wretched dictionary |
| chegune-i | how are you? dictionary | |
| کآشفته | k-âshofte | that ... disheveled, undone (= ke âshofte) (که آشفته) dictionary |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| sharh-e | account of dictionary | |
| hâl | state, condition dictionary | |
| barkhâst | rose, got up dictionary | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| âshti | peace, reconciliation dictionary | |
| dar ây | come in! (بیا تو) | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| فرخنده | farkhonde | blessed, fortunate dictionary |
| فال | fâl | omen, fortune reading dictionary |
| halghe | circle, ring dictionary | |
| گوشان | gushân | ears; halghe be gushân = those with rings in their ears, devoted servants dictionary |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| کو | ku | where is? (کجاست) dictionary |
| eshve'i | a flirtatious gesture dictionary | |
| همچون | hamchon | like (مثل) |
| پیش | pish | in the eyes of, for dictionary |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| ravam | I go dictionary | |
| tahniyat | congratulation dictionary | |
| کنان | konân | doing; raghs-konân = dancing dictionary |
| eyd | feast dictionary | |
| وصال | vesâl | union with the beloved dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| نقطه | noghte | point; noghte-ye binesh = pupil of the eye dictionary |
| âmad | came dictionary | |
| مدار | madâr | center, pivot dictionary |
| نور | nur | light dictionary |
| aksi-st | is a reflection (= aksi ast) dictionary | |
| hadighe | garden (باغ) | |
| shâh | king dictionary | |
| arz | showing, presenting dictionary | |
| کدامین | kodâmin | which (کدام) |
| jafâ | cruelty, unkindness dictionary | |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| کمند | kamand | lasso dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| sarkeshân | the rebellious, the proud dictionary | |
| basi-st | is much (= basi ast) dictionary | |
| sodâ-ye | passion, longing for dictionary | |
| کج | kaj | tilted, crooked dictionary |
| مپز | mapaz | do not cook! (sowdâ pokhtan = to nurse a fancy) (نپز) dictionary |
| نباشد | nabâshad | is not, will not be dictionary |
| مجال | majâl | room, chance dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 408. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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