Ghazal 69 of Hafez (12 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
کس نیست که افتادهٔ آن زلفِ دوتا نیستدر رهگذرِ کیست که دامی ز بلا نیست
kas nist ke oftâde-ye ân zolf-e dotâ nist / dar rahgozar-e kist ke dâmi ze balâ nist
There is no one who has not fallen for that doubled curl; whose path is free of a trap of trouble?
COUPLET 2
چون چشمِ تو دل می‌برد از گوشه نشینانهمراهِ تو بودن گُنَه از جانب ما نیست
chon cheshm-e to del mibarad az gushe-neshinân / hamrâh-e to budan gonah az jâneb-e mâ nist
Since your eye steals hearts even from recluses, following you is no sin on our part.
COUPLET 3
روی تو مگر آینهٔ لطفِ الهیستحقا که چنین است و در این روی و ریا نیست
ru-ye to magar âyene-ye lotf-e elâhi-st / haghghâ ke chenin ast o dar in ruy o riyâ nist
Your face must be a mirror of God's grace; truly it is so, and there is no pretense or show in saying it.
COUPLET 4
نرگس طلبد شیوهٔ چشمِ تو، زهی چشممسکین خبرش از سر و، در دیده حیا نیست
narges talabad shive-ye cheshm-e to zahi cheshm / meskin khabarash az sar o dar dide hayâ nist
The narcissus wants the manner of your eye, what an eye! The poor thing has no sense in its head and no shame in its eye.
COUPLET 5
از بهرِ خدا زلف مَپیرای که ما راشب نیست که صد عربده با بادِ صبا نیست
az bahr-e khodâ zolf mapirây ke mâ râ / shab nist ke sad arbade bâ bâd-e sabâ nist
For God's sake, do not dress your curls, for there is not a night when we do not quarrel a hundred times with the morning breeze.
COUPLET 6
بازآی که بی روی تو ای شمعِ دل افروزدر بزمِ حریفان، اثرِ نور و صفا نیست
bâz ây ke bi ru-ye to ey sham'-e del-afruz / dar bazm-e harifân asar-e nur o safâ nist
Come back, for without your face, heart-brightening candle, there is no trace of light and joy at our friends' gathering.
COUPLET 7
تیمارِ غریبان اثرِ ذکرِ جمیل استجانا مگر این قاعده در شهرِ شما نیست؟
timâr-e gharibân asar-e zekr-e jamil ast / jânâ magar in ghâ'ede dar shahr-e shomâ nist
Caring for strangers earns a good name; dear one, is this not the custom in your city?
COUPLET 8
دی می‌شد و گفتم صنما عهد به جای آرگفتا غلطی خواجه در این عهد وفا نیست
di mishod o goftam sanamâ ahd be jây âr / goftâ ghalati khâje dar in ahd vafâ nist
Yesterday she was passing by, and I said, "My idol, keep your promise." She said, "You are mistaken, master: in this age there is no faithfulness."
COUPLET 9
گر پیر مغان مرشدِ من شد چه تفاوتدر هیچ سری نیست که سِرّی ز خدا نیست
gar pir-e moghân morshed-e man shod che tafâvot / dar hich sari nist ke serri ze khodâ nist
If the Magian elder has become my guide, what difference does it make? There is no head that does not hold some secret from God.
COUPLET 10
عاشق چه کُنَد گر نَکِشَد بارِ ملامتبا هیچ دلاور سپرِ تیرِ قضا نیست
âshegh che konad gar nakeshad bâr-e malâmat / bâ hich delâvar separ-e tir-e ghazâ nist
What can a lover do but bear the burden of blame? No hero has a shield against the arrow of fate.
COUPLET 11
در صومعهٔ زاهد و در خلوتِ صوفیجز گوشهٔ ابروی تو محرابِ دعا نیست
dar sowme'e-ye zâhed o dar khalvat-e sufi / joz gushe-ye abru-ye to mehrâb-e do'â nist
In the ascetic's cloister and the Sufi's retreat, there is no prayer niche but the arch of your eyebrow.
COUPLET 12
ای چنگ فروبرده به خونِ دلِ حافظفکرت مگر از غیرتِ قرآن و خدا نیست
ey chang foru borde be khun-e del-e Hâfez / fekrat magar az gheyrat-e ghor'ân o khodâ nist
You who have sunk your claws into the blood of Hafez's heart, have you no thought for the honor of the Quran and of God?
What this fâl tells you
Many people are drawn to the same source of beauty and grace, and there is no shame in that. Tradition reads this fal as advice to meet what fate sends with courage, to be kind to newcomers and strangers, and to trust a sincere guide whatever their outward label. Light will return to your gatherings.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nist ("is not"). qâfiye: -â (dotâ, balâ, mâ, riyâ, hayâ, sabâ, safâ, shomâ, vafâ, khodâ, ghazâ, do'â). Beyt 9 puns on sar "head" and serr "secret"; beyt 8 on ahd "promise" and "age".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| کس | kas | anyone; with negative: no one dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| oftâde | has fallen; looks dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| dâmi | a net, a trap dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| balâ | trouble, misfortune dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| می‌برد | mibarad | takes away dictionary |
| گوشه | gushe | corner dictionary |
| همراه | hamrâh | together with dictionary |
| budan | being dictionary | |
| گنه | gonah | sin (گناه) |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| مگر | magar | perhaps? could it be that? (in questions) dictionary |
| âyene | mirror (آیینه) | |
| لطف | lotf | kindness, grace; be lotf = kindly, gently dictionary |
| elâhi-st | is divine dictionary | |
| haghghâ | truly, by God (Arabic) (واقعاً) | |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| riyâ | hypocrisy, showing off piety dictionary | |
| نرگس | narges | narcissus (image of the beloved's languid eye) dictionary |
| talabad | asks for dictionary | |
| shive | manner, way dictionary | |
| مسکین | meskin | poor, wretched dictionary |
| khabarash | its awareness dictionary | |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| bahr | sake; ze bahr-e = for the sake of (برای) | |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| mapirây | do not adorn! (نیارای) dictionary | |
| shab | night dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| bâd | wind dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| bi | without dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| sham' | candle dictionary | |
| afruz | brightening; del-afruz = heart-brightening dictionary | |
| bazm | feast, party dictionary | |
| harifân | companions, drinking friends dictionary | |
| asar | effect, mark dictionary | |
| نور | nur | light dictionary |
| safâ | purity, brightness, joy dictionary | |
| timâr | care, tending dictionary | |
| gharibân | strangers, the homeless; shâm-e gharibân = the evening of strangers dictionary | |
| zekr | mention; zekr-e jamil = a good name dictionary | |
| jânâ | O dear one (jân + vocative -â) (عزیزم) dictionary | |
| قاعده | ghâ'ede | custom, rule dictionary |
| shahr | city dictionary | |
| shomâ | you (polite) dictionary | |
| di | yesterday (دیروز) | |
| می‌شد | mishod | was going by dictionary |
| گفتم | goftam | I said dictionary |
| ahd | promise; in beyt 8 also "age" (pun) dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| jây | place; be jây âvardan = to fulfill dictionary | |
| âr | bring! dar amal âr = put into practice (بیاور) dictionary | |
| گفتا | goftâ | (he/she) said (poetic form of goft) (گفت) dictionary |
| ghalati | you are mistaken (ghalat + -i "you are") dictionary | |
| khâje | master, lord dictionary | |
| وفا | vafâ | loyalty, faithfulness dictionary |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| پیر | pir | elder; spiritual master dictionary |
| مرشد | morshed | spiritual guide dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| tafâvot | difference dictionary | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| âshegh | lover dictionary | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| نکشد | nakeshad | does not bear dictionary |
| bâr | burden, weight dictionary | |
| ملامت | malâmat | blame, reproach dictionary |
| delâvar | brave, bold dictionary | |
| separ | shield dictionary | |
| tir | arrow dictionary | |
| قضا | ghazâ | fate, divine decree dictionary |
| sowme'e | cloister, hermitage (place of formal piety) dictionary | |
| zâhed | ascetic, outwardly pious man dictionary | |
| khalvat | private room, solitude dictionary | |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| abru-ye | eyebrow of dictionary | |
| محراب | mehrâb-e | prayer niche of dictionary |
| do'â | prayer, blessing dictionary | |
| چنگ | chang | claw; chang foru bordan = to sink one's claws dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| فکرت | fekrat | your thought dictionary |
| gheyrat | jealousy (of love); zeal dictionary | |
| قرآن | ghor'ân | the Quran dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 69. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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