Ghazal 44 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
کُنون که بر کفِ گُل، جامِ بادهٔ صاف استبه صد هزار زبان، بلبلش در اوصاف است
konun ke bar kaf-e gol jâm-e bâde-ye sâf ast / be sad hezâr zabân bolbolash dar owsâf ast
Now that the rose holds a cup of clear wine in its palm, its nightingale praises it with a hundred thousand tongues.
COUPLET 2
بخواه دَفْتَرِ اَشعار و راهِ صَحرا گیرچه وَقْتِ مدرسه و بَحْثِ کَشْفِ کَشّاف است؟
bekhâh daftar-e ash'âr o râh-e sahrâ gir / che vaght-e madrese o bahs-e kashf-e kashshâf ast
Call for a book of poems and take the road to the open fields: this is no time for school and debates over the Kashshaf commentary.
COUPLET 3
فقیهِ مدرسه، دی، مَسْت بود و فَتوی دادکه مِی، حَرام ولی بِهْ ز مالِ اوقاف است
faghih-e madrese di mast bud o fatvâ dâd / ke mey harâm vali beh ze mâl-e owghâf ast
Yesterday the school's jurist was drunk and issued a ruling: wine is forbidden, but it is better than living off endowment money.
COUPLET 4
به دُرد و صاف، تو را حُکْم نیست خوش دَرکَشکه هرچه ساقیِ ما کَرْد عِیْنِ اَلطاف است
be dord o sâf to râ hokm nist khosh darkesh / ke har che sâghi-ye mâ kard eyn-e altâf ast
Dregs or clear wine, the choice is not yours: drink it gladly, for whatever our cupbearer has done is pure kindness.
COUPLET 5
بِبُر ز خَلق و چو عَنقا، قیاسِ کار بگیرکه صیتِ گوشه‌نشینان، زِ قاف تا قاف است
bebor ze khalgh o cho anghâ ghiyâs-e kâr begir / ke seyt-e gushe-neshinân ze ghâf tâ ghâf ast
Cut yourself off from people and take the Anqa as your model: the fame of those who live apart reaches from Mount Qaf to Mount Qaf.
COUPLET 6
حَدیثِ مُدّعیان و خیالِ همکارانهمان حکایتِ زَردوز و بوریاباف است
hadis-e modda'iyân o khiyâl-e hamkârân / hamân hekâyat-e zarduz o buryâbâf ast
The talk of pretenders and the fancies of my rivals in the craft are the old story of the gold-embroiderer and the mat-weaver.
COUPLET 7
خموش «حافظ» و این نکته‌هایِ چونِ زَرِ سُرخنگاه دار که قَلّابِ شهر، صَرّاف است
khamush Hâfez o in nokte-hâ-ye chon zar-e sorkh / negâh dâr ke ghallâb-e shahr sarrâf ast
Hush, Hafez, and keep these subtle sayings safe like red gold, for the city's counterfeiter has become its money-changer.
What this fâl tells you
Leave dry arguments behind for a while and turn to beauty, poetry and the open air. Tradition reads this fal as advice to accept gladly what life pours for you, and to keep your best thoughts for those who can value them. Quiet work done apart from the crowd can still become widely known.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: ast. qâfiye: -âf (sâf, owsâf, kashshâf, owghâf, altâf, ghâf, buryâbâf, sarrâf).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| کنون | konun | now (اکنون) |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| کف | kaf | palm (of the hand) dictionary |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| sâf | clear, pure dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| zabân | tongue; language dictionary | |
| bolbolash | its nightingale dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| owsâf | descriptions, praises dictionary | |
| bekhâh | ask for, call for! dictionary | |
| daftar | book, notebook dictionary | |
| ash'âr | poems dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| sahrâ | open country, fields dictionary | |
| گیر | gir | take! yâd gir = learn! (بگیر) dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| مدرسه | madrese | religious school dictionary |
| bahs | debate dictionary | |
| کشف | kashf | unveiling; part of the book title dictionary |
| فقیه | faghih | jurist, expert in religious law dictionary |
| di | yesterday (دیروز) | |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| bud | was dictionary | |
| fatvâ | religious ruling (فتوا) | |
| dâd | gave dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| harâm | forbidden dictionary | |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| مال | mâl | property, money dictionary |
| owghâf | religious endowments dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| hokm | command, control dictionary | |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| darkesh | drink up! (= bekesh) (بنوش) | |
| هرچه | har che | whatever dictionary |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| eyn | the very essence of, pure dictionary | |
| altâf | kindnesses, favors dictionary | |
| bebor | cut (yourself) off! dictionary | |
| khalgh | people dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| قیاس | ghiyâs | comparison; ghiyâs-e kâr gereftan = to take as a model dictionary |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| begir | take! dictionary | |
| seyt | fame, renown (آوازه) | |
| گوشه‌نشینان | gushe-neshinân | recluses, those who live apart dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| مدعیان | modda'iyân | pretenders, false claimants dictionary |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| همکاران | hamkârân | colleagues, fellow craftsmen dictionary |
| همان | hamân | the same dictionary |
| hekâyat | tale dictionary | |
| khamush | silent; hush! (خاموش) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| نکته‌های | nokte-hâ | subtle points, fine sayings dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| zar | gold dictionary | |
| sorkh | red; zar-e sorkh = pure gold dictionary | |
| نگاه | negâh | look; negâh dâshtan = to keep dictionary |
| dâr | keep! hold! (imperative of dâshtan) dictionary | |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| sarrâf | money-changer, assayer of coins dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 44. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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