Ghazal 427 of Hafez (9 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
چراغ روی تو را شمع گشت پروانهمرا ز حال تو با حال خویش پروا، نه
cherâgh-e ru-ye to râ sham' gasht parvâne / marâ ze hâl-e to bâ hâl-e khish parvâ na
The candle has become a moth to the lamp of your face; caring for your state, I have no care for my own.
COUPLET 2
خِرد که قید مجانین عشق می‌فرمودبه بوی سنبل زلف تو گشت دیوانه
kherad ke gheyd-e majânin-e eshgh mifarmud / be bu-ye sonbol-e zolf-e to gasht divâne
Reason, which used to order the madmen of love to be chained, went mad at the scent of the hyacinth of your curls.
COUPLET 3
به بوی زلف تو گر جان به باد رفت، چه شد؟هزار جان گرامی فدای جانانه
be bu-ye zolf-e to gar jân be bâd raft, che shod / hezâr jân-e gerâmi fadâ-ye jânâne
If my soul went to the wind for the scent of your curls, so what? A thousand precious lives are a sacrifice for the beloved.
COUPLET 4
من‌ِ رمیده ز غیرت ز پا فتادم دوشنگار خویش چو دیدم به دست بیگانه
man-e ramide ze gheyrat ze pâ fetâdam dush / negâr-e khish cho didam be dast-e bigâne
Startled by jealousy, I fell off my feet last night when I saw my beloved in a stranger's hands.
COUPLET 5
چه نقش‌ها که برانگیختیم و سود نداشتفسون ما بر او گشته است افسانه
che naghsh-hâ ke barangikhtim o sud nadâsht / fosun-e mâ bar-e u gashte ast afsâne
What schemes we devised, and none of them helped; to the beloved our spells have become a mere tale.
COUPLET 6
بر آتش رخ زیبای او به جای سپندبه غیر خال سیاهش که دید به دانه؟
bar âtash-e rokh-e zibâ-ye u be jâ-ye sepand / be gheyr-e khâl-e siyâhash ke did be dâne
On the fire of that beautiful face, instead of rue seed, who has seen any seed but that black mole?
COUPLET 7
به مژده، جان به صبا داد شمع در نفسیز شمع روی تواَش چون رسید پروانه
be mozhde jân be sabâ dâd sham' dar nafasi / ze sham'-e ru-ye to-ash chon resid parvâne
For the good news, the candle gave its life to the breeze in one breath, when permission reached it from the candle of your face.
COUPLET 8
مرا به دور لب دوست هست پیمانیکه بر زبان نبرم جز حدیث پیمانه
marâ be dowr-e lab-e dust hast peymâni / ke bar zabân nabaram joz hadis-e peymâne
In the age of the beloved's lips I have made a vow: never to speak of anything but the wine cup.
COUPLET 9
حدیث مدرسه و خانقه مگوی که بازفتاد در سر حافظ هوای میخانه
hadis-e madrese o khâneghah maguy ke bâz / fetâd dar sar-e Hâfez havâ-ye meykhâne
Don't talk of the school and the Sufi lodge: once again the longing for the tavern has fallen into Hafez's head.
What this fâl tells you
Your heart is wholly turned toward one person or one goal, like a moth to a flame. Tradition reads this fal as a sign that devotion matters more than clever schemes, which may not work. Keep your vow, protect what is dear from envy, and do not let jealousy knock you off your feet.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -âne (parvâne, parvâ na, divâne, jânâne, bigâne, afsâne, dâne, parvâne, peymâne, meykhâne). Beyt 1 rhymes parvâne with parvâ na ("no care"); in beyt 7 parvâne also means "permission".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| چراغ | cherâgh | lamp dictionary |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| گشت | gasht | became dictionary |
| پروانه | parvâne | moth (drawn to the candle) dictionary |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| hâl | state, condition dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| khish | one's own (خود) dictionary | |
| پروا | parvâ | care, concern dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| kherad | reason, wisdom dictionary | |
| قید | gheyd | chaining, binding dictionary |
| مجانین | majânin | madmen (Arabic plural) (دیوانگان) dictionary |
| می‌فرمود | mifarmud | bestowed, ordered dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| divâne | madman dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| raft | went dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| gerâmi | dear, precious dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| gheyrat | jealousy (of love); zeal dictionary | |
| پا | pâ | foot dictionary |
| فتادم | fetâdam | I fell (افتادم) dictionary |
| dush | last night (دیشب) dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| didam | I saw dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| bigâne | stranger dictionary | |
| نقش‌ها | naghsh-hâ | patterns, designs dictionary |
| barangikhtim | we raised, devised dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| sud | profit, gain dictionary | |
| نداشت | nadâsht | did not have; mohtaram nadâsht = did not hold in honor dictionary |
| فسون | fosun | spell, charm (افسون) |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| گشته | gashte | having become dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| afsâne | tale, legend dictionary | |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| zibâ-ye | beautiful dictionary | |
| jâ-ye | place of; be jâ-ye = instead of (به جای) dictionary | |
| sepand | wild rue seed, burned against the evil eye (اسفند) | |
| gheyr | other; gheyr az = apart from dictionary | |
| khâl | mole, beauty spot dictionary | |
| siyâhash | her black dictionary | |
| did | saw dictionary | |
| dâne | seed, grain; bead dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| nafasi | for one breath, a moment dictionary | |
| to-ash | of you ... to it (-ash = to it) dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| resid | arrived, came dictionary | |
| پروانه | parvâne | permission, license (pun on "moth") (اجازه) dictionary |
| dowr | era, time; also the round of the cup dictionary | |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| peymâni | a vow, a pledge dictionary | |
| zabân | tongue; language dictionary | |
| نبرم | nabaram | I will not bring (bar zabân bordan = to speak of) dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| پیمانه | peymâne | cup, measure dictionary |
| مدرسه | madrese | religious school dictionary |
| khâneghah | Sufi lodge (خانقاه) | |
| maguy | do not say (نگو) dictionary | |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| فتاد | fetâd | fell, landed (افتاد) dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| havâ-ye | longing for, desire for dictionary | |
| میخانه | meykhâne | tavern dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 427. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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