Ghazal 492 of Hafez (11 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
سَلامی چو بویِ خوشِ آشناییبِدان مَرْدُمِ دیدِهٔ روشَنایی
salâmi cho bu-ye khosh-e âshenâyi / bedân mardom-e dide-ye rowshanâyi
A greeting like the sweet scent of friendship, to that pupil of the eye of light.
COUPLET 2
درودی چو نورِ دِلِ پارسایانبِدان شَمْعِ خَلْوَتْگَهِ پارسایی
durudi cho nur-e del-e pârsâyân / bedân sham'-e khalvatgah-e pârsâyi
A salutation like the light in the hearts of the devout, to that candle of the chamber of piety.
COUPLET 3
نِمی‌بینَم از هَمْدَمان، هیچ بَر جایدِلَم، خون شد از غُصِّه؛ ساقی! کُجایی؟
nemibinam az hamdamân hich bar jây / delam khun shod az ghosse sâghi kojâyi
I see none of my companions still in their place; my heart has turned to blood with grief. Cupbearer, where are you?
COUPLET 4
زِ کویِ مُغان، رُخ مَگَرْدان! کِه آنجافُروشَنْد مِفْتاحِ مُشْکِل‌گُشایی
ze ku-ye moghân rokh magardân ke ânjâ / forushand meftâh-e moshkel-goshâyi
Do not turn your face from the street of the Magi, for there they sell the key that opens every difficulty.
COUPLET 5
عَروسِ جَهان گَرچِه دَر حَدِّ حُسْن استزِ حَد می‌بَرَد شیوِهٔ بی‌وَفایی
arus-e jahân garche dar hadd-e hosn ast / ze hadd mibarad shive-ye bivafâyi
Though the bride of the world is at the height of beauty, she carries her faithless ways beyond all limits.
COUPLET 6
دِلِ خَسْتِهٔ مَن گَرَش هِمَّتی هَسْتنَخواهَد زِ سَنْگین‌دِلان، مومیایی
del-e khaste-ye man garash hemmati hast / nakhâhad ze sangin-delân mumiyâyi
If my wounded heart has any self-respect, it will not ask the hard-hearted for healing balm.
COUPLET 7
مِیِ صوفی‌اَفْکَن، کُجا می‌فُروشَنْد؟کِه دَر تابم اَز دَسْتِ زُهْدِ ریایی
mey-e sufi-afkan kojâ miforushand / ke dar tâbam az dast-e zohd-e riyâyi
Where do they sell the wine that knocks Sufis down? For I am in torment from hypocritical piety.
COUPLET 8
رَفیقان، چُنان، عَهْدِ صُحْبَت شِکَسْتَنْدکِه گویی نَبوده‌ست خود، آشْنایی
rafighân chenân ahd-e sohbat shekastand / ke gu'i nabude-st khod âshenâyi
My friends have broken the bond of companionship so completely, you would say there had never been any friendship at all.
COUPLET 9
مَرا گَر تو بُگْذاری، اِی نَفْس طامِع!بَسی پادْشایی کُنَم دَر گِدایی
marâ gar to bogzâri ey nafs-e tâme' / basi pâdshâyi konam dar gedâyi
O greedy self, if you would only leave me alone, I would be a king many times over in my beggary.
COUPLET 10
بیاموزَمت کیمیایِ سَعادَتزِ هَم‌صُحْبَتِ بَد، جُدایی! جُدایی!
biyâmuzamat kimiyâ-ye sa'âdat / ze ham-sohbat-e bad jodâyi jodâyi
Let me teach you the alchemy of happiness: from bad company, separation, separation!
COUPLET 11
مَکُن «حافِظ» اَز جورِ دوران، شِکایَت!چِه دانی تو، اِی بَنْدِه! کارِ خُدایی؟
makon Hâfez az jowr-e dowrân shekâyat / che dâni to ey bande kâr-e khodâyi
Hafez, do not complain of the cruelty of the times; what do you, a mere servant, know of God's work?
What this fâl tells you
This fal begins with a warm greeting and ends with the "alchemy of happiness": keep away from bad company. Tradition reads it as a sign that even if some friends have let you down, the key to your difficulty can still be found. Do not beg kindness from the hard-hearted; free yourself from greed, and you can feel like a king with little.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -âyi (âshenâyi, rowshanâyi, pârsâyi, kojâyi, goshâyi, bivafâyi, mumiyâyi, riyâyi, pâdshâyi, gedâyi, jodâyi, khodâyi).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| salâmi | a greeting dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| âshenâyi | friendship, familiarity dictionary | |
| bedân | to that (point) (= be ân) (به آن) | |
| مردم | mardom | pupil (mardom-e cheshm); also "people" dictionary |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| rowshanâyi | light, brightness dictionary | |
| durudi | a salutation, a blessing dictionary | |
| نور | nur | light dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| پارسایان | pârsâyân | pious ones, devout people dictionary |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| khalvatgah | private chamber, place of retreat (خلوتگاه) | |
| pârsâyi | virtue, piety dictionary | |
| نمی‌بینم | nemibinam | I do not see dictionary |
| همدمان | hamdamân | companions dictionary |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| jây | place; bar jây = in place, still there dictionary | |
| delam | my heart dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| ghosse | sorrow, worry dictionary | |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| kojâyi | where are you dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| کوی | ku-ye | street, quarter (of) (کوچه) |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| مگردان | magardân | do not make, do not turn (نکن) dictionary |
| ânjâ | there dictionary | |
| فروشند | forushand | they sell dictionary |
| مفتاح | meftâh | key (Arabic) (کلید) dictionary |
| arus | bride dictionary | |
| jahân | world dictionary | |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| hadd | limit, capacity; hadd-e ... nist = not within the power of dictionary | |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| می‌برد | mibarad | takes away dictionary |
| shive | manner, way dictionary | |
| bivafâyi | faithlessness dictionary | |
| khaste | tired, wounded dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| گرش | garash | if ... him (= agar u râ) dictionary |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| نخواهد | nakhâhad | will not dictionary |
| می | mey | wine (شراب) dictionary |
| کجا | kojâ | where; how? (rhetorical) dictionary |
| می‌فروشند | miforushand | they sell dictionary |
| tâbam | I am (in torment); dar tâb budan = to be in agony, restless dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| riyâyi | any pretense; ru-y o riyâ = show and hypocrisy dictionary | |
| rafighân | friends, companions dictionary | |
| چنان | chenân | so, in such a way dictionary |
| ahd | pact, bond dictionary | |
| sohbat | company, companionship (classical sense) dictionary | |
| shekastand | they broke dictionary | |
| gu'i | you would say dictionary | |
| نبوده‌ست | nabude-st | has not been (= nabude ast) dictionary |
| khod | self; here "and indeed, after all" dictionary | |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| bogzâri | you leave (me alone) dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| pâdshâyi | kingship (= pâdshâhi) (پادشاهی) | |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| biyâmuzamat | let me teach you dictionary | |
| کیمیای | kimiyâ-ye | alchemy of (کیمیا) |
| sa'âdat | happiness, good fortune dictionary | |
| jodâyi | separation, keeping apart dictionary | |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| shekâyat | complaint dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| dâni | you know (می‌دانی) dictionary | |
| bande | servant; humble "I" dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| khodâyi | of God, divine dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 492. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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