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Hafez Ghazal 42: ⁧حال دل با تو گفتنم، هوس است⁩

Hafez poetry book, pomegranate and candle in a Persian garden at night.

Ghazal 42 of Hafez (7 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
حالِ دل با تو گفتنم، هوس استخبرِ دل شِنُفتَنَم، هوس است
hâl-e del bâ to goftanam havas ast / khabar-e del shenoftanam havas ast
I long to tell you the state of my heart; I long to hear news of your heart.
COUPLET 2
طَمَعِ خام بین که قِصهٔ فاشاز رقیبان نَهُفتَنَم، هوس است
tama'-e khâm bin ke ghesse-ye fâsh / az raghibân nahoftanam havas ast
See how naive my hope is: I long to hide from the rivals a story everyone already knows.
COUPLET 3
شبِ قدری چنین عزیزِ شریفبا تو تا روز خُفتنم، هوس است
shab-e ghadri chenin aziz-e sharif / bâ to tâ ruz khoftanam havas ast
On a night as precious and noble as the Night of Power, I long to sleep beside you until daybreak.
COUPLET 4
وه که دُردانه‌ای چنین نازکدر شبِ تار سُفتنم، هوس است
vah ke dordâne'i chenin nâzok / dar shab-e târ softanam havas ast
Ah, how I long to pierce so delicate and rare a pearl in the dark of night.
COUPLET 5
ای صبا امشبَم مَدَد فرمایکه سحرگه شکفتنم، هوس است
ey sabâ emshabam madad farmây / ke sahargah shekoftanam havas ast
O morning breeze, help me tonight, for at dawn I long to bloom.
COUPLET 6
از برای شَرَف به نوُکِ مژهخاکِ راهِ تو رفتنم، هوس است
az barâ-ye sharaf be nok-e mozhe / khâk-e râh-e to roftanam havas ast
For the honor of it, I long to sweep the dust of your path with the tips of my eyelashes.
COUPLET 7
همچو حافظ به رَغمِ مُدَعیانشعرِ رندانه گفتنم، هوس است
hamcho Hâfez be raghm-e modda'iyân / she'r-e rendâne goftanam havas ast
Like Hafez, in spite of the pretenders, I long to recite free-spirited poems.

What this fâl tells you

You carry a wish to speak openly and to be close to someone dear. Tradition reads this fal as a sign that a heartfelt longing wants to be expressed; ask for help, as the poet asks the morning breeze, and your dawn may bloom. Speak in your own voice, even if some disapprove.

A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.

How this ghazal is built

radif: havas ast ("is my longing"). qâfiye: -oftanam (goftanam, shenoftanam, nahoftanam, khoftanam, softanam, shekoftanam, roftanam). In beyt 6 رفتن is roftan "to sweep", not raftan "to go".

Key words

WordSay itMeaning (modern Persian)
hâlstate, condition dictionary
delheart dictionary
bâwith dictionary
toyou dictionary
گفتنمgoftanammy telling, that I tell dictionary
هوسhavaslonging, desire dictionary
astis dictionary
khabarnews dictionary
shenoftanammy hearing (shenoftan = shenidan) (شنیدنم)
tama'expectation; greed dictionary
khâmraw, naive dictionary
binsee! (= bebin) (ببین) dictionary
قصهٔghessestory dictionary
فاشfâshopen, revealed, public dictionary
raghibânrivals in love dictionary
نهفتنمnahoftanammy hiding (پنهان کردنم) dictionary
shabnight dictionary
ghadriof Power; shab-e ghadr = the Night of Power in Ramadan dictionary
چنینcheninsuch, so dictionary
azizprecious, dear dictionary
sharifnoble dictionary
tâto, until; so that dictionary
ruzday dictionary
khoftanammy sleeping (خوابیدنم) dictionary
نازکnâzokdelicate dictionary
darin; door dictionary
softanammy piercing (a pearl); in poetry also composing fine verse (سوراخ کردنم)
eyO (vocative) dictionary
sabâthe morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح)
emshabamtonight (for me) dictionary
مددmadadhelp dictionary
farmâygrant, be so kind as to (polite imperative) (بفرما) dictionary
sahargahat dawn (سحرگاه)
shekoftanammy blooming dictionary
barâ-yefor dictionary
sharafhonor dictionary
beto; for; with; in, by dictionary
نوکnoktip dictionary
مژهmozheeyelash dictionary
khâkdust, earth dictionary
râhway, road dictionary
roftanammy sweeping (roftan = to sweep) (جارو کردنم) dictionary
همچوhamcholike (مثل)
HâfezHafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary
مدعیانmodda'iyânpretenders, false claimants dictionary
she'rpoem, poetry dictionary
rendânein the manner of a rend, free-spirited dictionary

Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 42. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.

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