Ghazal 464 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
بگرفت کار حسنت چون عشق من کمالیخوش باش زان که نبود این هر دو را زوالی
begreft kâr-e hosnat chon eshgh-e man kamâli / khosh bâsh z-ân ke nabvad in har do râ zavâli
Your beauty, like my love, has reached perfection; be glad, for neither of these two will ever fade.
COUPLET 2
در وهم می‌نگنجد کاندر تصور عقلآید به هیچ معنی زین خوب‌تر مثالی
dar vahm mi-nagonjad k-andar tasavvor-e aghl / âyad be hich ma'ni z-in khubtar mesâli
It is beyond all fancy that reason could ever, in any sense, picture an image fairer than this.
COUPLET 3
شد حظ عمر حاصل گر زان که با تو ما راهرگز به عمر روزی روزی شود وصالی
shod hazz-e omr hâsel gar z-ân ke bâ to mâ râ / hargez be omr ruzi ruzi shavad vesâli
Life's whole pleasure would be won if, one day in all our lives, union with you became our lot.
COUPLET 4
آن دم که با تو باشم یک سال هست روزیوان دم که بی تو باشم یک لحظه هست سالی
ân dam ke bâ to bâsham yek sâl hast ruzi / v-ân dam ke bi to bâsham yek lahze hast sâli
When I am with you, a year is a single day; when I am without you, a single moment is a year.
COUPLET 5
چون من خیال رویت جانا به خواب بینم؟کز خواب می‌نبیند، چشمم به جز خیالی
chon man khiyâl-e ruyat jânâ be khâb binam? / k-az khâb mi-nabinad cheshmam be joz khiyâli
How could I see the image of your face in my sleep, my dear, when my eyes see nothing of sleep but a dream of it?
COUPLET 6
رحم آر بر دل من کز مهر روی خوبتشد شخص ناتوانم باریک چون هلالی
rahm âr bar del-e man k-az mehr-e ru-ye khubat / shod shakhs-e nâtavânam bârik chon helâli
Have mercy on my heart, for out of love for your lovely face my feeble body has grown as thin as a new moon.
COUPLET 7
حافظ مکن شکایت گر وصل دوست خواهیزین بیشتر بباید بر هجرت احتمالی
Hâfez makon shekâyat gar vasl-e dust khâhi / z-in bishtar bebâyad bar hejrat ehtemâli
Hafez, do not complain: if you want union with the Friend, you must bear separation with more patience than this.
What this fâl tells you
A love that has reached its full strength does not fade: tradition reads this fal as reassurance that what you feel is real and lasting. Time apart may feel long, but patience is part of the path to union. Bear the waiting gracefully, and the day of meeting may well come.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -âli (kamâli, zavâli, mesâli, vesâli, sâli, khiyâli, helâli, ehtemâli).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| begreft | took on, attained (گرفت) dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| hosnat | your beauty dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| kamâli | perfection dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| bâsh | be! dictionary | |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| نبود | nabvad | is not (old form) (نیست / نباشد) dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| do | two dictionary | |
| zavâli | decline, fading dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| وهم | vahm | fancy, imagination dictionary |
| کاندر | k-andar | for in (= ke andar) (که در) |
| aghl | reason, intellect dictionary | |
| âyad | comes, will come (می‌آید) dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| ma'ni | meaning, inner reality dictionary | |
| z-in | from this (= az in); z-in pish = before this (از این) | |
| khubtar | fairer, more beautiful dictionary | |
| mesâli | an image, a likeness dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| hazz | pleasure, enjoyment dictionary | |
| omr | life, lifetime dictionary | |
| hâsel | achieved, obtained dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| هرگز | hargez | never dictionary |
| ruzi | one day; also one's lot (the word is used twice: "one day it becomes our lot") dictionary | |
| shavad | becomes dictionary | |
| vesâli | union dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| bâsham | I am, I would be; man ke bâsham = who am I? dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| sâl | year dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| وان | v-ân | and the one (= va ân) (و آن) dictionary |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| لحظه | lahze | moment dictionary |
| sâli | a year dictionary | |
| khiyâl | fancy, notion dictionary | |
| ruyat | your face dictionary | |
| jânâ | O dear one (jân + vocative -â) (عزیزم) dictionary | |
| khâb | sleep dictionary | |
| binam | I see (ببینم) dictionary | |
| کز | k-az | that from (= ke az) (که از) |
| می‌نبیند | mi-nabinad | does not see (نمی‌بیند) dictionary |
| چشمم | cheshmam | my eye dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| khiyâli | a fancy, a dream dictionary | |
| rahm | mercy dictionary | |
| âr | bring! dar amal âr = put into practice (بیاور) dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| مهر | mehr | love, kindness dictionary |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| khubat | your fair (face) dictionary | |
| shakhs | person, self dictionary | |
| ناتوانم | nâtavânam | me weak (= nâtavân + -am) dictionary |
| bârik | thin, slender 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 | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| khâhi | you want dictionary | |
| bishtar | more dictionary | |
| ehtemâli | endurance, bearing (with patience) dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 464. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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