Ghazal 59 of Hafez (8 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
دارم امید عاطفتی از جناب دوستکردم جنایتی و امیدم به عفو اوست
dâram omid-e âtefati az jenâb-e dust / kardam jenâyati o omidam be afv-e ust
I hope for some kindness from the beloved's presence: I have done wrong, and my hope is in that one's forgiveness.
COUPLET 2
دانم که بُگذرد ز سرِ جرمِ من که اوگر چه پریوش است ولیکن فرشته‌خوست
dânam ke bogzarad ze sar-e jorm-e man ke u / garche parivash ast valikan fereshte-khu-st
I know the beloved will overlook my fault, for though fairy-faced, that one has the nature of an angel.
COUPLET 3
چندان گریستیم که هر کس که برگذشتدر اشکِ ما چو دید روان گفت «کاین چه جوست؟»
chandân geristim ke har kas ke bargozasht / dar ashk-e mâ cho did ravân goft k-in che ju-st
We wept so much that whoever passed by and saw our tears flowing asked, "What stream is this?"
COUPLET 4
هیچ است آن دهان و نبینم از او نشانموی است آن میان و ندانم که آن چه موست
hich ast ân dahân o nabinam az u neshân / mu-ye ast ân miyân o nadânam ke ân che mu-st
That mouth is a nothing, I see no trace of it; that waist is a hair, and I do not know what kind of hair it is.
COUPLET 5
دارم عجب ز نقشِ خیالش که چون نرفتاز دیده‌ام که دَم به دَمش کار شُست و شوست
dâram ajab ze naghsh-e khiyâlash ke chon naraft / az dide'am ke dam be damash kâr shost-o-shu-st
I wonder at the image of that face in my mind: how has it not left my eyes, which are washing and rinsing every moment?
COUPLET 6
بی گفت و گوی زلفِ تو دل را همی کُشدبا زلف دلکَش تو که را روی گفت و گوست؟
bi goft-o-gu-ye zolf-e to del râ hami koshad / bâ zolf-e delkash-e to ke râ ru-ye goft-o-gu-st
Your curl kills hearts without a word; who would dare to argue with your charming curl?
COUPLET 7
عمری‌ست تا ز زلفِ تو بویی شنیده‌امزان بوی در مشامِ دلِ من هنوز بوست
omri-st tâ ze zolf-e to bu'i shenide'am / z-ân bu dar mashâm-e del-e man hanuz bu-st
It has been a lifetime since I caught a scent of your curls, and that scent still lingers in my heart.
COUPLET 8
حافظ بد است حالِ پریشانِ تو، ولیبر بویِ زلفِ یار پریشانیَت نکوست
Hâfez bad ast hâl-e parishân-e to vali / bar bu-ye zolf-e yâr parishâniyat neku-st
Hafez, your troubled state is bad, but for the scent of the beloved's tousled curls, your disorder is good.
What this fâl tells you
If you have made a mistake, there is hope of forgiveness, for the person you care about has a gentle nature. Tradition reads this fal as encouragement to apologize sincerely and then wait with patience. Even your restlessness can turn into something good when it comes from love.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: -st (ast, contracted). qâfiye: -u (ust, khu, ju, mu, shu, gu, bu, neku). Beyt 8 plays on parishân: the lover's distress and the beloved's tousled hair.
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| dâram | I have dictionary | |
| omid | hope dictionary | |
| jenâb | threshold, court; presence of a great person (آستانه) dictionary | |
| dust | friend; (in Hafez) the beloved, or God dictionary | |
| کردم | kardam | I did, I made dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| omidam | I am in hope dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| afv | forgiveness dictionary | |
| u-st | is his (= u ast) dictionary | |
| dânam | I know dictionary | |
| bogzarad | passes beyond dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| jorm | crime, fault dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| ولیکن | valikan | but (ولی) |
| چندان | chandân | so long, only so much dictionary |
| گریستیم | geristim | we wept dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| ashk | tear dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| did | saw dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| کاین | k-in | that these (= ke in) (که این) |
| ju-st | is the stream dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| dahân | mouth dictionary | |
| نبینم | nabinam | I do not see dictionary |
| نشان | neshân | sign dictionary |
| mu-ye | hair of dictionary | |
| میان | miyân | waist dictionary |
| ندانم | nadânam | I do not know (نمی‌دانم) dictionary |
| موست | mu-st | is a hair dictionary |
| ajab | wonder, strange dictionary | |
| نقش | naghsh | image, shape dictionary |
| khiyâlash | her image, her phantom in the mind dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| نرفت | naraft | did not go dictionary |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| damash | each moment of his/hers dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| shost | washing; shost-o-shu = washing and rinsing (شستشو) dictionary | |
| shu-st | is washing (shost-o-shu = washing and rinsing) dictionary | |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| hami | old prefix of continuing action (= mi-) (می) | |
| کشد | koshad | kills dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| omri-st | it has been a lifetime (= omri ast) dictionary | |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| buyi | a scent dictionary | |
| shenide-am | I have heard dictionary | |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| bu-ye | scent of (ezafe) dictionary | |
| هنوز | hanuz | still, yet dictionary |
| bu-st | is a scent dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| bad | bad dictionary | |
| hâl | state, condition dictionary | |
| پریشان | parishân | scattered, disheveled; distressed dictionary |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| پریشانیت | parishâniyat | your disorder, your distress dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 59. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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