Ghazal 435 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.
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COUPLET 1
با مدّعی مگویید، اسرارِ عشق و مستیتا بی‌خبر بمیرد، در دردِ خودپرستی
bâ modda'i maguyid asrâr-e eshgh o masti / tâ bikhabar bemirad dar dard-e khodparasti
Do not tell the pretender the secrets of love and drunkenness; let him die unaware, in the pain of self-worship.
COUPLET 2
عاشق شو اَر نَهْ روزی، کارِ جهان سرآیدناخوانده نقشِ مقصود، از کارگاهِ هستی
âshegh sho ar na ruzi kâr-e jahân sar âyad / nâkhânde naghsh-e maghsud az kârgâh-e hasti
Become a lover, or else one day the world's work will come to an end before you have read the design of its purpose in the workshop of existence.
COUPLET 3
دوش آن صنم چه خوش گفت، در مجلسِ مُغانَم«با کافران چه کارت؟ گر بت نمی‌پرستی»
dush ân sanam che khosh goft dar majles-e moghânam / bâ kâferân che kârat gar bot nemiparasti
Last night, in the gathering of the Magi, how sweetly that idol said to me: "What business have you with unbelievers, if you don't worship idols?"
COUPLET 4
سلطانِ من خدا را، زُلفَت شکست ما راتا کِی کُنَد سیاهی، چندین درازدستی؟
soltân-e man khodâ râ zolfat shekast mâ râ / tâ key konad siyâhi chandin derâzdasti
My sultan, for God's sake: your curls have broken us. How long will a dark one overreach so much?
COUPLET 5
در گوشهٔ سلامت، مستور چون توان بودتا نرگسِ تو با ما، گوید رموزِ مستی
dar gushe-ye salâmat mastur chon tavân bud / tâ narges-e to bâ mâ guyad romuz-e masti
How can one stay chaste in the corner of safety, while your narcissus eye tells us the secrets of drunkenness?
COUPLET 6
آن روز دیده بودم، این فتنه‌ها که برخاستکز سرکشی، زمانی، با ما نمی‌نشستی
ân ruz dide budam in fetne-hâ ke barkhâst / k-az sarkeshi zamâni bâ mâ nemineshasti
I had foreseen these troubles that have risen on the day when, out of haughtiness, you would not sit with us even for a moment.
COUPLET 7
عشقت، به دستِ طوفان، خواهد سپرد حافظچون برق، از این کشاکش، پنداشتی که جستی
eshghat be dast-e tufân khâhad sepord Hâfez / chon bargh az in keshâkesh pendâshti ke jasti
Your love will hand you over to the storm, Hafez; you thought you had escaped this struggle like lightning.
What this fâl tells you
Keep your deepest feelings for those who can understand them, says this fal. Tradition reads it as a call to love fully now, before the chance passes, and not to waste words on doubters. Something that began with coldness may have stirred up trouble; a moment of sitting together can calm it.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -asti (masti, khodparasti, hasti, nemiparasti, derâzdasti, masti, nemineshasti, jasti).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| modda'i | pretender, critic dictionary | |
| مگویید | magu'id | do not say! (نگویید) dictionary |
| asrâr | secrets dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| masti | intoxication dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| bikhabar | unaware dictionary | |
| bemirad | dies, may die dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| dard | pain dictionary | |
| âshegh | lover dictionary | |
| sho | become! be! (بشو) dictionary | |
| ar | if (= agar) (اگر) | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| sar âyad | comes to an end (تمام می‌شود) | |
| ناخوانده | nâkhânde | unread dictionary |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| مقصود | maghsud | goal, what one longs for dictionary |
| کارگاه | kârgâh | workshop dictionary |
| hasti | existence, being dictionary | |
| dush | last night (دیشب) dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| sanam | idol; the beloved (بت) | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| کافران | kâferân | unbelievers dictionary |
| کارت | kârat | your affairs dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| bot | idol; the beautiful beloved dictionary | |
| nemiparasti | you do not worship dictionary | |
| soltân | sultan, king dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| zolfat | your curls dictionary | |
| shekast | broke dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| siyâhi | a dark thing; a black slave (pun on dark curls and mole) dictionary | |
| چندین | chandin | so many dictionary |
| گوشهٔ | gushe | corner dictionary |
| salâmat | health, safety dictionary | |
| مستور | mastur | veiled, chaste; the outwardly pious dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| tavân | one can dictionary | |
| bud | be (short infinitive after tavân) dictionary | |
| نرگس | narges | narcissus (image of the beloved's languid eye) dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| گوید | guyad | says, tells dictionary |
| romuz | mysteries, secret signs dictionary | |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| dide | seen; dide budam = I had seen dictionary | |
| budam | I was dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| فتنه‌ها | fetne-hâ | turmoils, tumults dictionary |
| barkhâst | rose, got up dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| zamâni | a moment dictionary | |
| nemineshasti | you would not sit dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| tufân | flood, storm dictionary | |
| khâhad | will (future auxiliary) dictionary | |
| sepord | to give up, hand over dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| bargh | lightning dictionary | |
| کشاکش | keshâkesh | tug-of-war, struggle dictionary |
| pendâshti | you thought dictionary | |
| jasti | you escaped, leapt away dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 435. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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