Ghazal 428 of Hafez (10 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
سحرگاهان، که مخمورِ شبانهگرفتم باده با چنگ و چَغانه
sahargâhân ke makhmur-e shabâne / gereftam bâde bâ chang o choghâne
At dawn, still hungover from the night, I took up wine with harp and chaghane.
COUPLET 2
نهادم عقل را ره توشه از مِی،زِ شهرِ هستی‌اش کردم روانه
nahâdam aghl râ rah-tushe az mey / ze shahr-e hastiyash kardam ravâne
I packed wine as provisions for reason's journey and sent it off from the city of my being.
COUPLET 3
نگارِ مِی‌فروشم عشوه‌ای داد،که ایمن گشتمَ از مکرِ زمانه
negâr-e mey-forusham eshve'i dâd / ke ayman gashtam az makr-e zamâne
My wine-selling beauty gave me a charming promise, and I felt safe from the tricks of time.
COUPLET 4
زِ ساقیِ کمان ابرو شنیدم؛که ای تیرِ ملامت را نشانه!
ze sâghi-ye kamân-abru shenidam / ke ey tir-e malâmat râ neshâne
I heard from the bow-browed cupbearer: "O target for the arrows of blame,
COUPLET 5
نبندی زان میان طرفی، کمروار،اگر خود را ببینی در میانه
nabandi z-ân miyân tarfi kamarvâr / agar khod râ bebini dar miyâne
you will gain nothing from that waist, as a belt does, if you see yourself in the middle.
COUPLET 6
برو، این دام بر مرغی دگر نِهکه عَنقا را بلند است آشیانه!
borow in dâm bar morghi degar neh / ke anghâ râ boland ast âshiyâne
Go, set this trap for some other bird, for the Anqa's nest is high.
COUPLET 7
کِه بَندد طرفِ وصل ازْ حُسنِ شاهی؟کِه با خود عشق بازد جاودانه؟
ke bandad tarf-e vasl az hosn-e shâhi / ke bâ khod eshgh bâzad jâvedâne
Who can win union with a royal beauty that plays at love with itself forever?
COUPLET 8
ندیم و مطرب و ساقی، همه اوست؛خیالِ آب و گل در رَه، بهانه
nadim o motreb o sâghi hame ust / khiyâl-e âb o gel dar rah bahâne
Companion, musician and cupbearer: all are the beloved; the notion of water and clay on the way is only a pretext.
COUPLET 9
بِده کشتیِ مِی تا خوش برانیم،از این دریایِ ناپیداکرانه
bedeh keshti-ye mey tâ khosh berânim / az in daryâ-ye nâpeydâ-karâne
Pour the ship of wine, so we can sail happily across this shoreless sea.
COUPLET 10
وجودِ ما معمایی‌ست، حافظ؛که تحقیقش، فُسون است و فِسانه
vojud-e mâ mo'ammâyi-st Hâfez / ke tahghighash fosun ast o fasâne
Our existence is a riddle, Hafez, and trying to solve it is only spells and tales."
What this fâl tells you
This fal asks you to step out of your own way: as long as you see only yourself, the goal stays out of reach. Tradition reads it as advice to stop chasing what cannot be trapped and to trust that the one you seek is present in everything around you. Set sail lightly; not every riddle needs to be solved.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -âne (choghâne, ravâne, zamâne, neshâne, miyâne, âshiyâne, jâvedâne, bahâne, karâne, fasâne).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| shabâne | of the night, nightly dictionary | |
| گرفتم | gereftam | I took up; tark-e chizi gereftan = to give something up dictionary |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| چنگ | chang | harp dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| نهادم | nahâdam | I laid, I placed (گذاشتم) dictionary |
| aghl | reason, intellect dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| توشه | tushe | provisions; rah-tushe = provisions for the road dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| هستی‌اش | hastiyash | its being, existence (hasti + -ash) dictionary |
| کردم | kardam | I did, I made dictionary |
| eshve'i | a flirtatious gesture dictionary | |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| گشتم | gashtam | I became dictionary |
| مکر | makr | deceit, trickery dictionary |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| ابرو | abru | eyebrow dictionary |
| shenidam | hearing; goft o shenidam = my talk with dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| tir | arrow dictionary | |
| ملامت | malâmat | blame, reproach dictionary |
| نشانه | neshâne | target dictionary |
| nabandi | you will not tie; tarf bastan = to gain dictionary | |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| میان | miyân | waist dictionary |
| tarfi | any gain; tarf bastan = to profit dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| bebini | you see dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| میانه | miyâne | the middle; dar miyâne = in the midst, at that moment dictionary |
| borow | go! dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| dâm | trap, net dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| morghi | a bird dictionary | |
| degar | again; other (= digar) (دیگر) | |
| نه | neh | put! set! (بگذار) dictionary |
| boland | high; famous dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| âshiyâne | nest dictionary | |
| که | ke | who? (چه کسی) |
| bandad | ties; tarf bastan = to gain dictionary | |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| ندیم | nadim | boon companion, courtier dictionary |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| u-st | is his (= u ast) dictionary | |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| گل | gel | clay; âb o gel = water and clay, the human body dictionary |
| bahâne | excuse, pretext dictionary | |
| bedeh | give! pour! dictionary | |
| کشتی | keshti | ship, ark dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| berânim | we sail, steer dictionary | |
| daryâ-ye | sea of dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| معمایی‌ست | mo'ammâyi-st | is a riddle (= mo'ammâ'i ast) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| tahghighash | investigating it dictionary | |
| فسون | fosun | spell, charm (افسون) |
| فسانه | fasâne | tale, story (افسانه) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 428. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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