Ghazal 415 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 پیک راستان خبر یار ما بگواحوال گل به بلبل دستان‌سرا بگو
ey peyk-e râstân khabar-e yâr-e mâ begu / ahvâl-e gol be bolbol-e dastân-sarâ begu
O messenger of the truthful, tell us news of our beloved; tell the singing nightingale how the rose is doing.
COUPLET 2
ما محرمان خلوت انسیم غم مخوربا یار آشنا سخن آشنا بگو
mâ mahramân-e khalvat-e onsim gham makhor / bâ yâr-e âshnâ sokhan-e âshnâ begu
We are confidants of the private room of intimacy, so do not worry: to a familiar friend, speak familiar words.
COUPLET 3
بر هم چو می‌زد آن سر زلفین مشک‌باربا ما سر چه داشت؟ ز بهر خدا بگو
bar ham cho mizad ân sar-e zolfeyn-e moshkbâr / bâ mâ sar-e che dâsht ze bahr-e khodâ begu
When she tossed those musk-scented curls into disarray, what did she have in mind for us? For God's sake, tell me.
COUPLET 4
هر کس که گفت «خاک در دوست توتیاست»گو «این سخن معاینه در چشم ما بگو»
har kas ke goft khâk-e dar-e dust tutiyâ-st / gu in sokhan mo'âyene dar cheshm-e mâ begu
Whoever said the dust of the Friend's door is healing salve for the eyes, tell him to say it face to face, into our eyes.
COUPLET 5
آن کس که منع ما ز خرابات می‌کندگو «در حضور پیر من این ماجرا بگو»
ân kas ke man'-e mâ ze kharâbât mikonad / gu dar hozur-e pir-e man in mâjarâ begu
Whoever forbids us the tavern, tell him to tell that story in front of my elder.
COUPLET 6
گر دیگرت بر آن در دولت گذر بودبعد از ادای خدمت و عرض دعا بگو
gar digarat bar ân dar-e dowlat gozar bovad / ba'd az adâ-ye khedmat o arz-e do'â begu
If you pass by that door of fortune again, then after paying your respects and offering a prayer, tell my story.
COUPLET 7
هر چند ما بَدیم تو ما را بِدان مگیرشاهانه ماجرای گناه گدا بگو
har chand mâ badim to mâ râ bedân magir / shâhâne mâjarâ-ye gonâh-e gedâ begu
Though we are bad, do not hold it against us; tell the story of the beggar's sin in a kingly way.
COUPLET 8
بر این فقیر، نامهٔ آن محتشم بخوانبا این گدا حکایت آن پادشا بگو
bar in faghir nâme-ye ân mohtasham bekhân / bâ in gedâ hekâyat-e ân pâdeshâ begu
Read that great one's letter to this poor man; tell this beggar the story of that king.
COUPLET 9
جان‌ها ز دام زلف چو بر خاک می‌فشاندبر آن غریب ما چه گذشت؟ ای صبا بگو
jân-hâ ze dâm-e zolf cho bar khâk mifeshând / bar ân gharib-e mâ che gozasht ey sabâ begu
When she was scattering souls on the ground from the snare of her curl, what happened to that stranger of ours? Tell me, morning breeze.
COUPLET 10
جان‌پرور است قصّهٔ ارباب معرفترمزی برو بپرس، حدیثی بیا بگو
jân-parvar ast ghesse-ye arbâb-e ma'refat / ramzi borow bepors hadisi biyâ begu
The story of the masters of mystic knowledge nourishes the soul: go and ask for a hint of it, then come and tell a tale.
COUPLET 11
حافظ گرت به مجلس او راه می‌دهندمی نوش و ترک زرق ز بهر خدا بگو
Hâfez garat be majles-e u râh midahand / mey nush o tark-e zargh ze bahr-e khodâ begu
Hafez, if they let you into his gathering, drink wine, and for God's sake bid farewell to pretense.
What this fâl tells you
News is on its way, and a trusted messenger can carry your words to the right place. Tradition reads this fal as encouragement to speak openly and warmly with the people close to you, and to ask kindly for forgiveness where it is needed. Drop pretense; a sincere word will open the door.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: begu ("tell!"). qâfiye: -â (mâ, sarâ, âshnâ, khodâ, mâjarâ, do'â, gedâ, pâdeshâ, sabâ, biyâ).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| پیک | peyk-e | messenger of dictionary |
| râstân | the truthful, the upright dictionary | |
| khabar | news dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| begu | tell! say! dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| bolbol | nightingale dictionary | |
| khalvat | private room, solitude dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| مخور | makhor | do not eat; gham makhor = do not grieve (نخور) dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| âshenâ | friend, familiar one dictionary | |
| sokhan | speech, words dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| هم | ham | each other; bar ham = together, into disarray dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| می‌زد | mizad | was tossing (bar ham zadan = to ruffle, throw into disarray) dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| zolfeyn | two curls (Arabic dual of zolf) dictionary | |
| sar | intention; sar-e chizi dâshtan = to have something in mind dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| dâsht | had dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| bahr | sake; ze bahr-e = for the sake of (برای) | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| گو | gu | say! tell! (= begu) (بگو) dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| معاینه | mo'âyene | plainly, before one's eyes dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| منع | man' | prohibition, forbidding dictionary |
| می‌کند | mikonad | does, is doing dictionary |
| hozur | presence dictionary | |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ماجرا | mâjarâ | story, dispute, complaint dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| dowlat | good fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary | |
| گذر | gozar | passage dictionary |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| ba'd | after; ba'd az in = from now on dictionary | |
| adâ-ye | performing, paying (a duty) dictionary | |
| khedmat | service dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| arz | showing, presenting dictionary | |
| do'â | prayer, blessing dictionary | |
| چند | chand | har chand = although, however much dictionary |
| badim | we are bad dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| مگیر | magir | do not take; do not find (fault) (نگیر) dictionary |
| shâhâne | royal dictionary | |
| mâjarâ | story, affair dictionary | |
| گناه | gonâh | sin dictionary |
| گدا | gedâ | beggar dictionary |
| فقیر | faghir | poor dictionary |
| نامهٔ | nâme | letter dictionary |
| bekhân | read! sing! recite! dictionary | |
| hekâyat | tale dictionary | |
| پادشا | pâdeshâ | king (پادشاه) |
| jân-hâ | lives, souls dictionary | |
| dâm | trap, net dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| می‌فشاند | mifeshând | was scattering dictionary |
| gharib | stranger, someone far from home dictionary | |
| گذشت | gozasht | passed dictionary |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| قصهٔ | ghesse | story dictionary |
| arbâb | lords, masters dictionary | |
| معرفت | ma'refat | knowledge, mystical insight dictionary |
| ramzi | a hint, a secret sign dictionary | |
| borow | go! dictionary | |
| bepors | ask! dictionary | |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| گرت | garat | if ... you (= agar to-râ) (اگر به تو) |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| می‌دهند | midahand | they give dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| نوش | nush | drink! (= benush) (بنوش) dictionary |
| tark | giving up; tark-e zargh goftan = to bid farewell to pretense dictionary | |
| zargh | pretense, sanctimonious show (ریا) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 415. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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