Ghazal 455 of Hafez (9 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
عمر بگذشت به بی‌حاصلی و بوالهوسیای پسر جام مِی‌ام ده که به پیری برسی
omr bogzasht be bihâseli o bolhavasi / ey pesar jâm-e mey-am deh ke be piri beresi
My life has gone by in fruitlessness and idle cravings; boy, give me a cup of wine, and may you live to old age.
COUPLET 2
چه شکرهاست در این شهر که قانع شده‌اندشاه‌بازانِ طریقت به مقامِ مگسی
che shekar-hâst dar in shahr ke ghâne' shode-and / shâhbâzân-e tarighat be maghâm-e magasi
What sugar there must be in this city, that the royal falcons of the Sufi path have settled for the rank of flies!
COUPLET 3
دوش در خیل غلامان درش می‌رفتمگفت: «ای عاشق بیچاره تو باری چه کسی؟»
dush dar kheyl-e gholâmân-e darash miraftam / goft ey âshegh-e bichâre to bâri che kasi?
Last night I was walking among the crowd of servants at the beloved's door; the beloved said: "Poor lover, and who are you, anyway?"
COUPLET 4
با دل خون‌شده چون نافه خوشش باید بودهر که مشهور جهان گشت به مشکین‌نفسی
bâ del-e khun-shode chon nâfe khoshash bâyad bud / har ke mashhur-e jahân gasht be moshkin-nafasi
Whoever becomes famous in the world for musk-scented breath must, like the musk pod, stay content with a heart turned to blood.
COUPLET 5
لمع البرق مِن الطّور و آنَستُ بهِفلَعَلّی لک آتٍ بشهابٍ قبسِ
lama'al-bargho menat-tur o ânasto behi / fa-la'alli laka âtin be-shehâbin ghabasi
(Arabic) Lightning flashed from Mount Sinai, and I perceived it; perhaps I will bring you a burning brand from it.
COUPLET 6
کاروان رفت و تو در خواب و بیابان در پیشوه که بس بی‌خبر از غلغل چندین جرسی
kârevân raft o to dar khâb o biyâbân dar pish / vah ke bas bikhabar az ghalghal-e chandin jarasi
The caravan has left, and you are asleep with the desert ahead of you; ah, how unaware you are of the clamor of so many bells!
COUPLET 7
بال بگشا و صفیر از شجر طوبی زنحیف باشد چو تو مرغی که اسیر قفسی
bâl begoshâ o safir az shajar-e tubâ zan / heyf bâshad cho to morghi ke asir-e ghafasi
Spread your wings and sing out from the Tuba tree of paradise; what a pity that a bird like you should be a prisoner in a cage.
COUPLET 8
تا چو مجمر نفسی دامن جانان گیرمجان نهادیم بر آتش ز پی خوش‌نفسی
tâ cho mejmar nafasi dâman-e jânân giram / jân nahâdim bar âtash ze pey-e khosh-nafasi
So that, like an incense burner, I might for one breath hold on to the beloved's robe, I have laid my soul on the fire for the sake of a sweet scent.
COUPLET 9
چند پوید به هوای تو ز هر سو حافظیَسَر الله طریقاً بکَ یا ملتمِسی
chand puyad be havâ-ye to ze har su Hâfez / yassarallâho tarighan beka yâ moltamesi
How long must Hafez run in every direction longing for you? (Arabic) May God make easy a path to you, O you whom I seek.
What this fâl tells you
Time is precious and the caravan is already moving: tradition reads this fal as a gentle wake-up call. You are a falcon, not a fly, so do not settle for less than your true worth. Open your wings; a spark of guidance, like Moses' fire on Sinai, may soon show you the way.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -asi (havasi, beresi, magasi, kasi, nafasi, ghabasi, jarasi, ghafasi, khosh-nafasi, moltamesi). Beyt 5 and the second half of beyt 9 are Arabic (beyt 5 echoes the Quran's story of Moses and the fire).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| omr | life, lifetime dictionary | |
| bogzasht | passed (گذشت) dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| bolhavasi | fickleness, idle cravings dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| پسر | pesar | boy, young man (here the young cupbearer) dictionary |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| می‌ام | mey-am | wine for me (= mey + -am) dictionary |
| deh | give! (= bedeh) (بده) dictionary | |
| piri | old age dictionary | |
| beresi | you reach (be piri beresi = may you live to old age) dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| shekar-hâst | sugars there are (= shekar-hâ ast) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| shode-and | have become dictionary | |
| tarighat | the Sufi path dictionary | |
| مقام | maghâm | place, station dictionary |
| dush | last night (دیشب) dictionary | |
| gholâmân | servants dictionary | |
| darash | its door dictionary | |
| می‌رفتم | miraftam | I was going dictionary |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| âshegh | lover dictionary | |
| bichâre | poor, helpless one dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| kasi | person ... you are (che kasi = who are you?) dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| khoshash | sweet (+ its) dictionary | |
| bud | be (bâyad bud = one must be) dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| مشهور | mashhur | famous dictionary |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| گشت | gasht | became dictionary |
| al-bargh | the lightning (Arabic) dictionary | |
| من | men | from (Arabic) (از) |
| at-tur | Mount Sinai (Arabic) dictionary | |
| be-shehâbin | with a flame, a brand (Arabic) dictionary | |
| raft | went dictionary | |
| khâb | sleep dictionary | |
| پیش | pish | ahead, in front dictionary |
| bas | much, many dictionary | |
| bikhabar | unaware dictionary | |
| چندین | chandin | so many dictionary |
| bâl | wing dictionary | |
| begoshâ | open! lift! dictionary | |
| safir | whistle, birdsong dictionary | |
| zan | strike! set (fire)! (بزن) dictionary | |
| heyf | pity, shame dictionary | |
| bâshad | may it be; bâshad ke = perhaps, so that maybe dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| morghi | a bird dictionary | |
| ghafasi | cage ... you are (asir-e ghafasi = you are a prisoner of the cage) dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| nafasi | for one breath, a moment dictionary | |
| jânân | the beloved (معشوق) | |
| گیرم | giram | I catch, I take dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| نهادیم | nahâdim | we laid dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| pey | after; pey-e kâri gereftan = to go off about some business dictionary | |
| چند | chand | how many; how long dictionary |
| پوید | puyad | runs, roams dictionary |
| havâ-ye | longing for, desire for dictionary | |
| su | direction, side dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| allâh | God dictionary | |
| tarighan | a path (Arabic) dictionary | |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| moltamesi | the one I seek, my desire (Arabic) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 455. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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