Ghazal 421 of Hafez (12 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
درِ سرایِ مغان رُفته بود و آب‌زدهنشسته پیر و صلایی به شیخ و شاب زده
dar-e sarâ-ye moghân rofte bud o âb-zade / neshaste pir o salâyi be sheykh o shâb zade
The door of the Magi's house had been swept and sprinkled with water; the elder sat there and had called out an invitation to old and young.
COUPLET 2
سبوکشان همه در بندگیش بسته کمرولی ز تَرک کُله چتر بر سحاب زده
sabukeshân hame dar bandegiyash baste kamar / vali ze tark-e kolah chatr bar sahâb zade
The jug-carriers had all girded their belts to serve him, yet from the crown of his cap he had raised a canopy above the clouds.
COUPLET 3
شعاع جام و قدح نور ماه پوشیدهعذار مغ‌بچگان راه آفتاب زده
sho'â'-e jâm o ghadah nur-e mâh pushide / ezâr-e moghbachegân râh-e âftâb zade
The gleam of cup and goblet had veiled the moonlight; the cheeks of the young Magi had waylaid the sun.
COUPLET 4
عروس بخت در آن حجله با هزاران نازشکسته کسمه و بر برگ گل، گلاب زده
arus-e bakht dar ân hejle bâ hezârân nâz / shekaste kasme o bar barg-e gol golâb zade
In that bridal chamber the bride of fortune, with a thousand airs, had tousled her forelock and sprinkled rose water on rose petals.
COUPLET 5
گرفته ساغر عشرت فرشتهٔ رحمتز جرعه بر رخ حور و پری گلاب زده
gerefte sâghar-e eshrat fereshte-ye rahmat / ze jor'e bar rokh-e hur o pari golâb zade
The angel of mercy had taken up the cup of joy and sprinkled its drops like rose water on the faces of houris and fairies.
COUPLET 6
ز شور و عربدهٔ شاهدان شیرین‌کارشکر شکسته، سمن ریخته، رباب زده
ze shur o arbade-ye shâhedân-e shirinkâr / shekar shekaste, saman rikhte, rabâb zade
With the uproar and revelry of the charming beauties, sugar was broken, jasmine scattered, the rebab played.
COUPLET 7
سلام کردم و با من به روی خندان گفتکه ای خمارکشِ مفلسِ شراب‌زده
salâm kardam o bâ man be ru-ye khandân goft / ke ey khomâr-kesh-e mofles-e sharâb-zade
I greeted him, and with a smiling face he said to me: "O penniless, hungover, wine-struck one,
COUPLET 8
که این کند که تو کردی به ضعف همت و رای؟ز گنج‌خانه شده خیمه بر خراب زده
ke in konad ke to kardi be za'f-e hemmat o ra'y / ze ganj-khâne shode kheyme bar kharâb zade
who would do what you have done, from weakness of will and judgment: leave the treasure-house and pitch your tent on a ruin?
COUPLET 9
وصال دولت بیدار ترسمت ندهندکه خفته‌ای تو در آغوش بختِ خواب‌زده
vesâl-e dowlat-e bidâr tarsamat nadahand / ke khofte'i to dar âghush-e bakht-e khâb-zade
I fear they will not grant you union with wakeful fortune, for you are asleep in the arms of drowsy luck.
COUPLET 10
بیا به میکده حافظ که بر تو عرضه کنمهزار صف ز دعاهای مستجاب زده
biyâ be meykade Hâfez ke bar to arze konam / hezâr saf ze do'âhâ-ye mostajâb zade
Come to the tavern, Hafez, so that I can show you a thousand ranks of answered prayers drawn up in rows."
COUPLET 11
فلک جنیبه‌کش شاه نصرت‌الدین استبیا ببین ملکش دست در رکاب زده
falak janibe-kesh-e shâh nosratoddin ast / biyâ bebin malakash dast dar rekâb zade
The sky leads the spare horse of King Nusrat al-Din; come and see the angel with his hand on his stirrup.
COUPLET 12
خرد که ملهم غیب است بهر کسب شرفز بام عرش صدش بوسه بر جناب زده
kherad ke molham-e gheyb ast bahr-e kasb-e sharaf / ze bâm-e arsh sadash buse bar jenâb zade
Reason, inspired by the unseen, to win honor, has kissed his threshold a hundred times from the roof of heaven.
What this fâl tells you
A door has been swept clean for you and an invitation called out: do not sleep through it. Tradition reads this fal as a warning against weakness of will, and a call to leave the "ruin" and return to the house of treasure. Wake up to the good fortune that is offered; your prayers may be closer to an answer than you think.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: zade. qâfiye: -âb (âb, shâb, sahâb, âftâb, golâb, rabâb, sharâb, kharâb, khâb, mostajâb, rekâb, jenâb). The last two beyts praise a ruler (Nusrat al-Din, usually taken as Shah Yahya).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| rofte | swept dictionary | |
| bud | had been, was dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| نشسته | neshaste | sitting, seated dictionary |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| sheykh | sheikh, religious elder dictionary | |
| shâb | young man (جوان) | |
| zade | struck, done (the radif): âb zade = sprinkled; salâ zade = called out; chatr zade = raised a canopy; râh zade = waylaid dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| baste | tied, girded (kamar baste = ready to serve) dictionary | |
| کمر | kamar | waist; belt; kamar bastan = to get ready to set out dictionary |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| tark | crown, top (of a cap) dictionary | |
| کله | kolah | cap (کلاه) |
| چتر | chatr | canopy, parasol dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| sahâb | cloud (Arabic) (ابر) | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| قدح | ghadah | cup, goblet dictionary |
| نور | nur | light dictionary |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| پوشیده | pushide | covered, veiled dictionary |
| râh | way; râh zadan = to waylay, rob dictionary | |
| âftâb | sun dictionary | |
| arus | bride dictionary | |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| hejle | bridal chamber dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| هزاران | hezârân | thousands dictionary |
| ناز | nâz | coquetry, airs dictionary |
| shekaste | broken; bent dictionary | |
| barg | leaf, petal dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| گلاب | golâb | rose water dictionary |
| گرفته | gerefte | taken; khun-gerefte = soaked in blood dictionary |
| sâghar | cup dictionary | |
| فرشتهٔ | fereshte | angel dictionary |
| rahmat | mercy dictionary | |
| jor'e | sip, mouthful dictionary | |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| shâhedân | the beauties dictionary | |
| shekar | sugar dictionary | |
| rikhte | scattered, poured dictionary | |
| salâm | greeting dictionary | |
| کردم | kardam | I did, I made dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| khandân | smiling, laughing dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| kardi | you made dictionary | |
| za'f | weakness dictionary | |
| shode | having gone (out of) dictionary | |
| kheyme | tent dictionary | |
| kharâb | ruined; (in Hafez) drunk, wrecked by love dictionary | |
| وصال | vesâl | union with the beloved dictionary |
| dowlat | good fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary | |
| bidâr | awake dictionary | |
| tarsamat | I fear that ... you (tarsam + -at) dictionary | |
| ندهند | nadahand | they do not give dictionary |
| khofte'i | you are asleep dictionary | |
| âghush | embrace, arms dictionary | |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| میکده | meykade | tavern dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| arze | showing; arze dâshtan = to show, present dictionary | |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| saf | row, rank dictionary | |
| do'âhâ-ye | prayers of dictionary | |
| فلک | falak | the sky, the heavens; fate dictionary |
| shâh | king dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| bebin | see! look! dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| rekâb | stirrup dictionary | |
| kherad | reason, wisdom dictionary | |
| bahr | sake; ze bahr-e = for the sake of (برای) | |
| کسب | kasb-e | acquiring of dictionary |
| sharaf | honor dictionary | |
| arsh | the throne of God, highest heaven dictionary | |
| sadash | a hundred ... him (= sad u râ) dictionary | |
| buse | kiss dictionary | |
| jenâb | threshold, court; presence of a great person (آستانه) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 421. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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