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Hafez Ghazal 441: ⁧چه بودی ار دل آن ماه مهربان بودی؟⁩

Hafez poetry book, pomegranate and candle in a Persian garden at night.

Ghazal 441 of Hafez (6 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
چه بودی ار دل آن ماه مهربان بودی؟که حال ما نه چنین بودی ار چنان بودی
che budi ar del-e ân mâh mehrabân budi / ke hâl-e mâ na chenin budi ar chenân budi
What harm would it be if that moon's heart were kind? If it were so, our state would not be like this.
COUPLET 2
بگفتمی که «چه ارزد نسیم طرهٔ دوست؟»گرم به هر سر مویی هزار جان بودی
begoftami ke che arzad nasim-e torre-ye dust / garam be har sar-e muyi hezâr jân budi
I would ask what the breeze from the beloved's curl is worth, if I had a thousand lives for every single hair.
COUPLET 3
برات خوش‌دلی ما چه کم شدی یا ربگرش نشان امان از بد زمان بودی
barât-e khoshdeli-ye mâ che kam shodi yâ rab / garash neshân-e amân az bad-e zamân budi
O Lord, what would the voucher of our happiness have lost if it had carried a seal of safety from the evils of time?
COUPLET 4
گرَم زمانه سرافراز داشتی و عزیزسریر عزتم آن خاک آستان بودی
garam zamâne sarafrâz dâshti o aziz / sarir-e ezzatam ân khâk-e âstân budi
If time had kept me proud and honored, my throne of glory would be the dust of that threshold.
COUPLET 5
ز پرده کاش برون آمدی چو قطرهٔ اشککه بر دو دیدهٔ ما حکم او روان بودی
ze parde kâsh borun âmadi cho ghatre-ye ashk / ke bar do dide-ye mâ hokm-e u ravân budi
I wish the beloved would come out from behind the veil like a teardrop, so that the beloved's command would rule over both our eyes.
COUPLET 6
اگر نه دایرهٔ عشق راه بربستیچو نقطه حافظ سرگشته در میان بودی
agar na dâyere-ye eshgh râh barbasti / cho noghte Hâfez-e sargashte dar miyân budi
Had the circle of love not closed off the road, would bewildered Hafez be trapped in its middle like a point?

What this fâl tells you

This fal speaks of a wish for kindness from someone dear, and tradition reads it as hope that a cold heart will soften. Treat the threshold you love with humility, for honor can be found there. Love may hold you in its circle for now; that is not a cage but a sign of how much it matters.

A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.

How this ghazal is built

radif: budi ("would be"). qâfiye: -ân (mehrabân, chenân, jân, zamân, âstân, ravân, miyân).

Key words

WordSay itMeaning (modern Persian)
چهchewhat; how much! dictionary
budiwould be (wish form) dictionary
arif (= agar) (اگر)
delheart dictionary
ânthat dictionary
ماهmâhmoon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary
مهربانmehrabânkind dictionary
hâlstate, condition dictionary
ماmâwe, us; our dictionary
نهnanot, no dictionary
چنینcheninsuch, so dictionary
چنانchenânso, in such a way dictionary
begoftamiI would say dictionary
نسیمnasimbreeze dictionary
torrelock of hair, curl dictionary
dustfriend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary
گرمgaramif... me (= agar ... marâ) (اگر مرا)
beto; for; with; in, by dictionary
هرharevery dictionary
sartip; sar-e muyi = a single hair dictionary
muyifine hair, a hair dictionary
هزارhezârthousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary
jânlife, soul dictionary
کمkamless; kam shodan = to be diminished dictionary
shodiwould become dictionary
یاyâO (vocative); or dictionary
گرشgarashif ... him (= agar u râ) dictionary
نشانneshânsign dictionary
amânmercy, safety dictionary
badbad dictionary
zamântime dictionary
dâshtiwould keep dictionary
وva / oand dictionary
azizprecious, dear dictionary
sarirthrone dictionary
ezzatammy glory, honor dictionary
khâkdust, earth dictionary
zefrom, of (= az) (از)
پردهpardecurtain, veil dictionary
کاشkâshI wish, if only dictionary
borunout (= birun) (بیرون) dictionary
âmadiyou came dictionary
چوchosince, when; like (= chon) (چون)
ashktear dictionary
baron, upon dictionary
dotwo dictionary
dideeye (چشم)
hokmcommand, control dictionary
uhim / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary
agarif dictionary
dâyere-yecircle of dictionary
râhway, road dictionary
نقطهnoghtepoint; noghte-ye binesh = pupil of the eye dictionary
HâfezHafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary
darin; door dictionary
میانmiyânmiddle dictionary

Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 441. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.

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