Ghazal 56 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
دل سراپردهٔ محبتِ اوستدیده آیینه‌دارِ طلعت اوست
del sarâparde-ye mohabbat-e ust / dide âyene-dâr-e tal'at-e ust
The heart is the royal tent of love for the beloved; the eye holds up a mirror to that face.
COUPLET 2
من که سر در نیاورم به دو کونگردنم زیرِ بارِ منتِ اوست
man ke sar dar nayâvaram be do kown / gardanam zir-e bâr-e mennat-e ust
I, who bow my head to neither world, carry on my neck the weight of gratitude to that one.
COUPLET 3
تو و طوبی و ما و قامتِ یارفکرِ هر کس به قدرِ همتِ اوست
to o tubâ o mâ o ghâmat-e yâr / fekr-e har kas be ghadr-e hemmat-e ust
You have the Tuba tree of paradise, we have the beloved's stature: each person's thought matches the height of their aspiration.
COUPLET 4
گر من آلوده‌دامنم چه عجبهمه عالم گواهِ عصمتِ اوست
gar man âlude-dâmanam che ajab / hame âlam govâh-e esmat-e ust
If the hem of my robe is stained, what wonder? The whole world bears witness to the beloved's purity.
COUPLET 5
من که باشم در آن حرم که صباپرده‌دارِ حریمِ حُرمتِ اوست
man ke bâsham dar ân haram ke sabâ / parde-dâr-e harim-e hormat-e ust
Who am I in that sanctuary, where the morning breeze keeps the curtain of its sacred precinct?
COUPLET 6
بی خیالش مباد منظرِ چشمزآن که این گوشه جایِ خلوتِ اوست
bi khiyâlash mabâd manzar-e cheshm / z-ân ke in gushe jâ-ye khalvat-e ust
May the window of my eye never be without the beloved's image, for this corner is that one's private retreat.
COUPLET 7
هر گلِ نو که شد چمن‌آرایزَ اثر رنگ و بویِ صحبتِ اوست
har gol-e now ke shod chaman-ârây / z-asar-e rang o bu-ye sohbat-e ust
Every new rose that comes to adorn the meadow owes its color and scent to that one's company.
COUPLET 8
دورِ مجنون گذشت و نوبتِ ماستهر کسی پنج روز، نوبتِ اوست
dowr-e majnun gozasht o nowbat-e mâst / har kasi panj ruz nowbat-e ust
Majnun's time has passed and now it is our turn; everyone gets a turn of five days.
COUPLET 9
مُلکَتِ عاشقیّ و گنجِ طربهر چه دارم ز یُمنِ همتِ اوست
molkat-e âsheghi o ganj-e tarab / har che dâram ze yomn-e hemmat-e ust
The kingdom of love and the treasure of joy, all that I have comes from the blessing of that one's grace.
COUPLET 10
من و دل گر فدا شدیم چه باک؟غرض اندر میان سلامتِ اوست
man o del gar fadâ shodim che bâk / gharaz andar miyân salâmat-e ust
If my heart and I are sacrificed, what does it matter? What counts is the beloved's well-being.
COUPLET 11
فقرِ ظاهر مبین که حافظ راسینه گنجینهٔ محبتِ اوست
faghr-e zâher mabin ke Hâfez râ / sine ganjine-ye mohabbat-e ust
Do not look at Hafez's outward poverty, for his chest is a treasury of love for that one.
What this fâl tells you
Your heart holds a treasure that others may not see. Tradition reads this fal as reassurance that everyone gets a turn, and that your own time has come. Aim high, care for the well-being of those you love, and gratitude will bring you more than pride.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: ust ("is his/hers"). qâfiye: -at (mohabbat, tal'at, mennat, hemmat, esmat, hormat, khalvat, sohbat, nowbat, salâmat).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| del | heart dictionary | |
| محبت | mohabbat | love, affection dictionary |
| ust | is his/hers (= u ast) (او است) | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| نیاورم | nayâvaram | I do not bring; sar dar nayâvaram = I do not bow dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| do | two dictionary | |
| گردنم | gardanam | my neck dictionary |
| zir | under dictionary | |
| bâr | burden, weight dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| قامت | ghâmat | stature, figure dictionary |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| فکر | fekr | thought dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| قدر | ghadr | measure; be ghadr-e = in proportion to dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| âlam | world dictionary | |
| گواه | govâh | witness dictionary |
| bâsham | I am, I would be; man ke bâsham = who am I? dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| harim | private precinct dictionary | |
| hormat | honor, sanctity dictionary | |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| khiyâlash | her image, her phantom in the mind dictionary | |
| مباد | mabâd | may it not be (نباشد) dictionary |
| منظر | manzar | face, sight dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| گوشه | gushe | corner dictionary |
| jâ-ye | place of; be jâ-ye = toward, for (someone) (در حق) dictionary | |
| khalvat | private room, solitude dictionary | |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| نو | now | new dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| asar | effect, mark dictionary | |
| rang | color dictionary | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| sohbat | company, companionship (classical sense) dictionary | |
| dowr | turn; the passing round of the cup; the age dictionary | |
| مجنون | majnun | Majnun, the lover driven mad by love for Leyli dictionary |
| گذشت | gozasht | passed dictionary |
| نوبت | nowbat | turn dictionary |
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary | |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| âsheghi | being a lover, love dictionary | |
| گنج | ganj | treasure dictionary |
| tarab | joy, merriment dictionary | |
| dâram | I have dictionary | |
| shodim | we became, were dictionary | |
| gharaz | aim, wish; dast dâdan = to come about dictionary | |
| andar | in (= dar) (در) | |
| میان | miyân | waist dictionary |
| salâmat | health, safety dictionary | |
| فقر | faghr | poverty dictionary |
| zâher | outward dictionary | |
| مبین | mabin | do not look (old imperative) (نگاه نکن) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| sine | chest dictionary | |
| گنجینهٔ | ganjine | treasury dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 56. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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