Ghazal 462 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
یا مُبْسِماً یُحاکي دُرْجاً مِنَ اللِّآليیا رب چه درخور آمد گِردَش خط هلالی
yâ mobseman yohâki dorjan menal-la'âli / yâ rab che darkhor âmad gerdash khatt-e helâli
(Arabic) O smiling mouth that looks like a casket of pearls! O Lord, how well the crescent line of down suits it, all around!
COUPLET 2
حالی خیال وصلت خوش می‌دهد فریبمتا خود چه نقش بازد این صورت خیالی
hâli khiyâl-e vaslat khosh midahad faribam / tâ khod che naghsh bâzad in surat-e khiyâli
For now the dream of union with you sweetly deceives me; let us see what game this imagined picture will play.
COUPLET 3
می ده که گرچه گشتم نامه‌سیاه عالمنومید کی توان بود از لطف لایزالی
mey deh ke garche gashtam nâme-siyâh-e âlam / nomid key tavân bud az lotf-e lâyazâli
Give me wine: though I have become the world's most black-recorded sinner, how could anyone despair of eternal grace?
COUPLET 4
ساقی بیار جامی و از خلوتم برون کشتا در به در بگردم قَلّاش و لااُبالی
sâghi biyâr jâmi o az khalvatam borun kesh / tâ dar be dar begardam ghallâsh o lâobâli
Cupbearer, bring a cup and drag me out of my seclusion, so that I may wander from door to door, a carefree vagabond.
COUPLET 5
از چار چیز مگذر گر عاقلی و زیرکامن و شرابِ بی‌غش، معشوق و جای خالی
az châr chiz magzar gar âgheli o zirak / amn o sharâb-e bighash ma'shugh o jâ-ye khâli
If you are wise and clever, do not pass up four things: safety, pure wine, a beloved, and a quiet place.
COUPLET 6
چون نیست نقش دوران در هیچ حالْ ثابتحافظ مکن شکایت تا می خوریم حالی
chon nist naghsh-e dowrân dar hich hâl sâbet / Hâfez makon shekâyat tâ mey khorim hâli
Since the picture of the times never stays fixed in any state, Hafez, do not complain; let us drink wine for now.
COUPLET 7
صافیست جام خاطر در دور آصف عهدقُمْ فَاسْقِني رَحیقاً أَصْفیٰ مِنَ الزُّلالِ
sâfi-st jâm-e khâter dar dowr-e âsef-e ahd / ghom fasgheni rahighan asfâ menaz-zolâli
The cup of the mind is clear in the reign of the Asaf of our age; (Arabic) rise and pour me a wine purer than clear water.
COUPLET 8
اَلْمُلْکُ قَد تَباهیٰ مِن جِدِّهِ و جَدِّهیا رب که جاودان باد این قدر و این معالی
al-molko ghad tabâhâ men jeddehi va jaddehi / yâ rab ke jâvedân bâd in ghadr o in ma'âli
(Arabic) The kingdom takes pride in his effort and his good fortune; O Lord, may this dignity and these high honors last forever.
COUPLET 9
مسندفروز دولت، کانِ شکوه و شوکتبرهان ملک و ملت بونصر بوالمعالی
masnadforuz-e dowlat kân-e shokuh o showkat / borhân-e molk o mellat bunasr bul-ma'âli
He who lights up the seat of power, the mine of glory and majesty, Burhan of the kingdom and the faith, Abu Nasr Abu'l-Ma'ali.
What this fâl tells you
Hope is never lost, however long the record of mistakes: tradition reads this fal as a promise that grace is always open. Do not complain about changing times; the world keeps turning. Value four simple gifts: safety, honest pleasure, someone you love, and a quiet place of your own.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -âli (la'âli, helâli, khiyâli, lâyazâli, lâobâli, khâli, hâli, zolâli, ma'âli). The first half of beyt 1, the second half of beyt 7 and the first half of beyt 8 are Arabic; the last beyts praise the vizier Burhan al-Din Abu Nasr Abu'l-Ma'ali.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| dorjan | a casket, a jewel box (Arabic) dictionary | |
| من | men | from; than (Arabic) (از) |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| darkhor | fit for, worthy of (شایسته) | |
| âmad | came dictionary | |
| گردش | gerdash | around it dictionary |
| khatt | line; here a painted line / the first down on the cheek dictionary | |
| hâli | now, for the moment (حالا) | |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| می‌دهد | midahad | gives; neshân midahad = describes dictionary |
| فریبم | faribam | deception ... me (farib midahad-am = deceives me) dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| surat | outward appearance, form dictionary | |
| khiyâli | a fancy, a dream dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| deh | give! (= bedeh) (بده) dictionary | |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| گشتم | gashtam | I became dictionary |
| âlam | world dictionary | |
| نومید | nomid | hopeless (ناامید) |
| tavân | one can dictionary | |
| bud | be (natavân bud = one cannot be) dictionary | |
| لطف | lotf | kindness, grace; be lotf = kindly, gently dictionary |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| biyâr | bring! dictionary | |
| jâmi | a cup dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| khalvatam | my private room, my solitude dictionary | |
| borun | out (= birun) (بیرون) dictionary | |
| کش | kesh | pull! drag! (بکش) dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| begardam | I wander dictionary | |
| چار | châr | four (چهار) |
| چیز | chiz | thing dictionary |
| مگذر | magzar | do not pass on! stay! (نگذر) dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| âgheli | wise ... you are (âghel + -i "you are") dictionary | |
| zirak | clever dictionary | |
| amn | safety, security dictionary | |
| sharâb | wine dictionary | |
| معشوق | ma'shugh | beloved dictionary |
| jâ-ye | place dictionary | |
| khâli | empty, free dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| hâl | state, condition dictionary | |
| sâbet | fixed, constant dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| shekâyat | complaint dictionary | |
| khorim | we drink dictionary | |
| sâfi-st | is clear (= sâfi ast) dictionary | |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| khâter | mind, heart dictionary | |
| dowr | turn; the passing round of the cup; the age dictionary | |
| ahd | time, era dictionary | |
| az-zolâl | clear water (Arabic) dictionary | |
| قد | ghad | indeed (Arabic) dictionary |
| jâvedân | forever (همیشه) | |
| bâd | may it be dictionary | |
| قدر | ghadr | dignity, worth dictionary |
| dowlat | good fortune (classical sense) (اقبال) dictionary | |
| کان | kân | mine (of gems) (معدن) |
| shokuh | glory, splendor dictionary | |
| borhân | Burhan (al-Din), a title meaning "proof (of the faith)" dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 462. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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