Ghazal 452 of Hafez (14 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
طُفیلِ هستیِ عشقند آدمیّ و پَریارادتی بنما تا سعادتی بِبَری
tofeyl-e hasti-ye eshghand âdami o pari / erâdati benamâ tâ sa'âdati bebari
Humans and fairies alike exist only as guests at love's table; show some devotion, so that you may carry off some happiness.
COUPLET 2
بکوش خواجه و از عشق بی‌نصیب مباشکه بنده را نخرد کس به عیب بی‌هنری
bekush khâje o az eshgh binasib mabâsh / ke bande râ nakharad kas be eyb-e bihonari
Strive, master, and do not go without a share of love, for no one buys a servant whose flaw is that he has no merit.
COUPLET 3
می صبوح و شکرخواب صبحدم تا چند؟به عذر نیم‌شبی کوش و گریهٔ سحری
mey-e sabuh o shekar-khâb-e sobhdam tâ chand? / be ozr-e nimshabi kush o gerye-ye sahari
How long will it be morning wine and sweet sleep at dawn? Strive instead for midnight repentance and tears before daybreak.
COUPLET 4
تو خود چه لعبتی ای شهسوار شیرین‌کارکه در برابر چشمیّ و غایب از نظری؟
to khod che lo'bati ey shahsavâr-e shirinkâr / ke dar barâbar-e cheshmi o ghâyeb az nazari?
What a marvel you are, charming master rider: you stand right before my eyes, and yet you are hidden from sight.
COUPLET 5
هزار جان مقدّس بسوخت زین غیرتکه هر صباح و مسا شمع مجلس دگری
hezâr jân-e moghaddas besukht z-in gheyrat / ke har sabâh o masâ sham'-e majles-e degari
A thousand holy souls have burned with jealousy because, every morning and evening, you are the candle of someone else's gathering.
COUPLET 6
ز من به حضرت آصف که می‌برد پیغامکه یاد گیر دو مصرع ز من به نظم دری؟
ze man be hazrat-e âsef ke mibarad peyghâm / ke yâd gir do mesra' ze man be nazm-e dari?
Who will carry a message from me to the court of Asaf: "Learn two half-lines from me in Persian verse"?
COUPLET 7
بیا که وضع جهان را چنان که من دیدمگر امتحان بکنی مِی خوریّ و غم نخوری
biyâ ke vaz'-e jahân râ chenân ke man didam / gar emtehân bekoni mey khori o gham nakhori
Come, for if you put the ways of the world to the test as I have seen them, you will drink wine and not grieve.
COUPLET 8
کلاه سروریَت کج مباد بر سر حُسنکه زیبِ بخت و سزاوارِ مُلک و تاجِ سری
kolâh-e sarvariyat kaj mabâd bar sar-e hosn / ke zib-e bakht o sezâvâr-e molk o tâj-e sari
May your cap of lordship never sit askew on the head of beauty, for you are fortune's ornament, a head worthy of kingdom and crown.
COUPLET 9
به بوی زُلف و رُخت می‌روند و می‌آیندصبا به غالیه ساییّ و گل به جلوه‌گری
be bu-ye zolf o rokhat miravand o miâyand / sabâ be ghâliye-sâyi o gol be jelvegari
In longing for your curls and face they come and go: the breeze grinding perfume, the rose showing off its beauty.
COUPLET 10
چو مستعّد نظر نیستی وصال مجویکه جام جم نکند سود وقت بی‌بصری
cho mosta'edd-e nazar nisti vesâl maju / ke jâm-e jam nakonad sud vaght-e bibasari
Since you are not ready for true sight, do not seek union: Jamshid's cup is of no use to one who is blind.
COUPLET 11
دعای گوشه‌نشینان بلا بگرداندچرا به گوشهٔ چشمی به ما نمی‌نگری؟
do'â-ye gushe-neshinân balâ begardânad / cherâ be gushe-ye cheshmi be mâ nemi-negari?
The prayer of those who sit in quiet corners turns calamity away; why will you not look at us, even from the corner of your eye?
COUPLET 12
بیا و سلطنت از ما بخر به مایهٔ حسنوَزین معامله غافل مشو که حیف خوری
biyâ o saltanat az mâ bekhar be mâye-ye hosn / v-az in mo'âmele ghâfel masho ke heyf khori
Come, buy kingship from us with the capital of your beauty, and do not neglect this deal, or you will regret it.
COUPLET 13
طریق عشق طریقی عجب خطرناک استنعوذبالله اگر ره به مقصدی نبری
tarigh-e eshgh tarighi ajab khatarnâk ast / na'uzo-bellâh agar rah be maghsadi nabari
The path of love is a strangely dangerous path; God forbid that you should fail to find your way to the goal.
COUPLET 14
به یُمنِ همّتِ حافظ امید هست که بازاَریٰ اُسامِرُ لیلایَ لَیلةَ القَمَری
be yomn-e hemmat-e Hâfez omid hast ke bâz / arâ osâmero leylâya leylatal-ghamari
By the blessing of Hafez's high spirit there is hope that once again I will see myself talking through a moonlit night with my Leyla.
What this fâl tells you
Love is the reason all things exist: tradition reads this fal as a call to show sincere devotion, and some happiness will come your way. Trade a little sleep for quiet reflection and prayer, which are said to turn misfortune away. The road is not easy, but there is hope of a bright, moonlit night of reunion.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -ari (pari, bebari, bihonari, sahari, nazari, degari, dari, nakhori, sari, jelvegari, bibasari, negari, khori, nabari, ghamari). The last half-line is Arabic.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| هستی | hasti | existence, being dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| benamâ | show! (نشان بده) dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| sa'âdati | some happiness dictionary | |
| bebari | you may carry away; jân bordan = to save one's life dictionary | |
| bekush | strive! dictionary | |
| khâje | master, lord dictionary | |
| مباش | mabâsh | do not be! (نباش) dictionary |
| bande | servant; humble "I" dictionary | |
| نخرد | nakharad | would not buy (would not care for) dictionary |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| eyb | fault, flaw dictionary | |
| bihonari | having no skill or merit dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| چند | chand | how many, how much; tâ chand = how long dictionary |
| nimshabi | of midnight dictionary | |
| کوش | kush | strive! try! (بکوش) dictionary |
| گریهٔ | gerye | weeping dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| barâbar | front; dar barâbar-e = in front of dictionary | |
| چشمی | cheshmi | the eye ... you are (dar barâbar-e cheshmi = you are before my eyes) dictionary |
| ghâyeb | absent dictionary | |
| nazari | sight ... you are (ghâyeb az nazari = you are hidden from sight) dictionary | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| besukht | burned (سوخت) dictionary | |
| z-in | from this (= az in); z-in pish = before this (از این) | |
| gheyrat | jealousy (of love); zeal dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| مجلس | majles | gathering, feast dictionary |
| digari | another person (= digari) (دیگری) | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| hazrat | presence, court dictionary | |
| می‌برد | mibarad | takes away dictionary |
| پیغام | peyghâm | message dictionary |
| یاد | yâd | memory dictionary |
| گیر | gir | take! yâd gir = learn! (بگیر) dictionary |
| do | two dictionary | |
| نظم | nazm | verse, poetry dictionary |
| biyâ | come! dictionary | |
| وضع | vaz' | manner, way dictionary |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| چنان | chenân | so, in such a way dictionary |
| didam | I saw dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| emtehân | test, trial dictionary | |
| bekoni | you do dictionary | |
| khori | you eat, you drink; heyf khordan = to regret dictionary | |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| nakhori | you do not eat; gham nakhori = you will not grieve dictionary | |
| کلاه | kolâh | cap, hat dictionary |
| کج | kaj | tilted, crooked dictionary |
| مباد | mabâd | may it not be (نباشد) dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| sezâvâr | worthy of dictionary | |
| tâj | crown dictionary | |
| sari | a head ... you are (sar + -i "you are") dictionary | |
| bu-ye | scent of; be bu-ye = in longing for dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| rokhat | your face dictionary | |
| می‌روند | miravand | they go dictionary |
| می‌آیند | miâyand | they come dictionary |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| sâyi | grinding (ghâliye-sâyi = grinding perfume) dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| مستعد | mosta'edd | ready, prepared dictionary |
| نظر | nazar | sight; ahl-e nazar = people of insight, connoisseurs of beauty dictionary |
| nisti | you are not dictionary | |
| وصال | vesâl | union with the beloved dictionary |
| maju | do not seek! (نجو) dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| نکند | nakonad | does not do dictionary |
| sud | profit, gain dictionary | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| do'â-ye | prayer of dictionary | |
| گوشه‌نشینان | gushe-neshinân | recluses, those who live apart dictionary |
| balâ | trouble, misfortune dictionary | |
| begardânad | turns away dictionary | |
| چرا | cherâ | why dictionary |
| گوشهٔ | gushe | corner dictionary |
| cheshmi | an eye dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| nemi-negari | you do not look dictionary | |
| saltanat | kingship, sovereignty dictionary | |
| bekhar | buy! dictionary | |
| مایهٔ | mâye | source, capital dictionary |
| وزین | v-az in | and from this (= va az in) (و از این) dictionary |
| معامله | mo'âmele | dealing, exchange dictionary |
| مشو | masho | do not be, do not become (نشو) dictionary |
| heyf | pity, shame dictionary | |
| tarigh | way, path dictionary | |
| tarighi | a path, a way dictionary | |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| khatarnâk | dangerous dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| maghsadi | a destination, a goal dictionary | |
| nabari | you do not take (rah nabari = you do not find the way) dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| bâz | again dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 452. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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