Ghazal 64 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
اگر چه عرض هنر پیشِ یار بی‌ادبی‌ستزبان خموش، ولیکن دهان پُر از عربی‌ست
agarche arz-e honar pish-e yâr bi-adabi-st / zabân khamush valikan dahân por az arabi-st
Though showing off one's talent before the beloved is bad manners, my tongue is silent, yet my mouth is full of Arabic eloquence.
COUPLET 2
پری نهفته رخ و دیو در کرشمهٔ حُسنبسوخت دیده ز حیرت که این چه بوالعجبی‌ست
pari nahofte rokh o div dar kereshme-ye hosn / besukht dide ze heyrat ke in che bol'ajabi-st
The fairy hides her face while the demon flaunts its charms; my eyes burned with amazement: what a strange marvel is this!
COUPLET 3
در این چمن گلِ بی خار کس نچید، آریچراغِ مصطفوی با شرارِ بولَهَبی‌ست
dar in chaman gol-e bi khâr kas nachid âri / cherâgh-e mostafavi bâ sharâr-e bulahabi-st
In this garden no one has ever picked a rose without thorns; yes, the lamp of Mostafa always comes with the sparks of Abu Lahab.
COUPLET 4
سبب مپرس که چرخ از چه سِفله‌پرور شدکه کام‌بخشی او را بهانه بی‌سببی‌ست
sabab mapors ke charkh az che sefle-parvar shod / ke kâmbakhshi-ye u râ bahâne bi-sababi-st
Do not ask why the heavens came to favor the base: their only reason for granting wishes is that there is no reason.
COUPLET 5
به نیم جو نخرم طاقِ خانقاه و رِباطمرا که مَصطَبه ایوان و پای خُم طَنَبی‌ست
be nim jow nakharam tâgh-e khâneghâh o robât / marâ ke mastabe eyvân o pâ-ye khom tanabi-st
I would not pay half a barleycorn for the arches of the Sufi lodge and hostel, for the tavern bench is my palace hall and the foot of the wine jar my pavilion.
COUPLET 6
جمالِ دختر رَز، نورِ چشمِ ماست مگرکه در نقابِ زُجاجی و پردهٔ عِنَبی‌ست
jamâl-e dokhtar-e raz nur-e cheshm-e mâst magar / ke dar neghâb-e zojâji o parde-ye enabi-st
Perhaps the beauty of the daughter of the vine is the light of our eyes, for she too sits behind a glassy veil and a grape-colored curtain.
COUPLET 7
هزار عقل و ادب داشتم من ای خواجهکنون که مستِ خرابم، صلاح بی‌ادبی‌ست
hezâr aghl o adab dâshtam man ey khâje / konun ke mast-e kharâbam salâh bi-adabi-st
I had a thousand kinds of good sense and manners, master; now that I am ruined with drink, bad manners are the proper course.
COUPLET 8
بیار می که چو حافظ هزارم استظهاربه گریهٔ سحری و نیازِ نیم‌شبی‌ست
biyâr mey ke cho Hâfez hezâram estezhâr / be gerye-ye sahari o niyâz-e nimshabi-st
Bring wine, for like Hafez I have a thousand supports in my tears at dawn and my pleading at midnight.
What this fâl tells you
Not every rose comes without thorns; good and difficult things often arrive together. Tradition reads this fal as advice not to waste energy asking why the undeserving seem to prosper, but to trust your own quiet efforts, your early-morning hopes and sincere prayers. Speak modestly, and your talent will still be heard.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: -st (ast, contracted). qâfiye: -abi (adabi, arabi, bol'ajabi, bulahabi, sababi, tanabi, enabi, nimshabi). Beyt 6 puns on two layers of the eye named zojâji (glassy) and enabi (grape-like).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| agar | if dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| arz | showing, presenting dictionary | |
| هنر | honar | skill, art dictionary |
| پیش | pish | in the eyes of, for dictionary |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| bi-adabi-st | is bad manners dictionary | |
| zabân | tongue; language dictionary | |
| khamush | silent; hush! (خاموش) dictionary | |
| ولیکن | valikan | but (ولی) |
| dahân | mouth dictionary | |
| پر | por | full dictionary |
| arabi-st | is Arabic (eloquent speech) dictionary | |
| نهفته | nahofte | hidden dictionary |
| rokh | face, cheek dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| div | demon dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| کرشمهٔ | kereshme | flirtatious glance, coquetry (عشوه) |
| hosn | beauty dictionary | |
| besukht | burned (سوخت) dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| heyrat | wonder, bewilderment (a Sufi stage) dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| چمن | chaman | meadow, lawn dictionary |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| khâr | thorn dictionary | |
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| نچید | nachid | did not pick dictionary |
| چراغ | cherâgh | lamp dictionary |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| sabab | reason dictionary | |
| مپرس | mapors | do not ask! (نپرس) dictionary |
| چرخ | charkh | wheel; the sky as a turning wheel dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| bahâne | excuse, pretext dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| نیم | nim | half; nim-shab = midnight dictionary |
| نخرم | nakharam | I would not buy dictionary |
| tâgh | arch, vault dictionary | |
| robât | caravanserai, inn; robât-e do dar = the two-door inn of the world (birth and death) dictionary | |
| مرا | marâ | me; for me (= man râ) (من را / برای من) |
| pâ | foot; az pâ oftâdan = to collapse dictionary | |
| jamâl | beauty dictionary | |
| dokhtar | daughter; dokhtar-e raz = daughter of the vine, wine dictionary | |
| نور | nur | light dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| مگر | magar | perhaps? could it be that? (in questions) dictionary |
| نقاب | neghâb | veil dictionary |
| پردهٔ | parde | curtain, veil dictionary |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| aghl | reason, intellect dictionary | |
| adab | courtesy, good manners dictionary | |
| dâshtam | I had dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| khâje | master, lord dictionary | |
| کنون | konun | now (اکنون) |
| مست | mast | drunk dictionary |
| kharâbam | I am ruined dictionary | |
| biyâr | bring! dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| هزارم | hezâram | I have a thousand dictionary |
| گریهٔ | gerye | weeping dictionary |
| نیاز | niyâz | need, humble pleading dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 64. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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