Ghazal 70 of Hafez (9 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
مردم دیدهٔ ما جز به رُخَت ناظر نیستدل سرگشتهٔ ما غیرِ تو را ذاکر نیست
mardom-e dide-ye mâ joz be rokhat nâzer nist / del-e sargashte-ye mâ gheyr-e to râ zâker nist
The pupil of my eye looks at nothing but your face; my wandering heart remembers no one but you.
COUPLET 2
اشکم احرامِ طوافِ حَرَمَت می‌بنددگرچه از خونِ دلِ ریش دمی طاهر نیست
ashkam ehrâm-e tavâf-e haramat mibandad / garche az khun-e del-e rish dami tâher nist
My tears put on the pilgrim's robe to circle your sanctuary, though, stained by the blood of my wounded heart, they are never pure for a moment.
COUPLET 3
بستهٔ دام و قفس باد چو مرغ وحشیطایر سِدره اگر در طلبت طایر نیست
baste-ye dâm o ghafas bâd cho morgh-e vahshi / tâyer-e sedre agar dar talabat tâyer nist
May even the bird of the Lote Tree be trapped and caged like a wild bird if it does not fly in search of you.
COUPLET 4
عاشقِ مفلس اگر قلبِ دلش کرد نثارمَکُنَش عیب که بر نقدِ روان قادر نیست
âshegh-e mofles agar ghalb-e delash kard nesâr / makonash eyb ke bar naghd-e ravân ghâder nist
If a penniless lover scatters the counterfeit coin of his heart before you, do not blame him: he has no ready cash.
COUPLET 5
عاقبت دست بدان سروِ بلندش برسدهر که را در طلبت همتِ او قاصر نیست
âghebat dast bed-ân sarv-e bolandash beresad / har ke râ dar talabat hemmat-e u ghâser nist
In the end, whoever does not fall short in aspiration while seeking you will reach that tall cypress.
COUPLET 6
از روان بخشی عیسی نزنم دَم هرگززان که در روح فَزایی چو لبت ماهر نیست
az ravân-bakhshi-ye isâ nazanam dam hargez / z-ân ke dar ruh-fazâyi cho labat mâher nist
I will never speak of Jesus's power to give life, for he is not as skilled as your lips at refreshing the soul.
COUPLET 7
من که در آتشِ سودای تو آهی نزنمکِی توان گفت که بر داغ، دلم صابر نیست
man ke dar âtash-e sowdâ-ye to âhi nazanam / key tavân goft ke bar dâgh delam sâber nist
I do not even sigh in the fire of my passion for you; how can anyone say my heart is not patient under the brand?
COUPLET 8
روز اول که سرِ زلفِ تو دیدم گفتمکه پریشانیِ این سلسله را آخر نیست
ruz-e avval ke sar-e zolf-e to didam goftam / ke parishâni-ye in selsele râ âkher nist
The first day I saw the tip of your curl, I said that the tangle of this chain would never end.
COUPLET 9
سر پیوند تو تنها نه دلِ حافظ راستکیست آن کِش سَرِ پیوند تو در خاطر نیست
sar-e peyvand-e to tanhâ na del-e Hâfez râ-st / kist ân k-ash sar-e peyvand-e to dar khâter nist
Not only Hafez's heart longs to be joined with you; who is there who does not have that wish in mind?
What this fâl tells you
Your devotion is clear and steady, and tradition reads this fal as a sign that those who do not give up reach what they seek. Offer what you honestly have, even if it seems little; sincerity counts for more than wealth. You are not alone in your longing.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nist ("is not"). qâfiye: -er (nâzer, zâker, tâher, tâyer, ghâder, ghâser, mâher, sâber, âkher, khâter).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| مردم | mardom | pupil (mardom-e cheshm); also "people" dictionary |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| rokhat | your face dictionary | |
| ناظر | nâzer | one who looks, beholder dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| gheyr | other; gheyr az = apart from dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| ashkam | my tears dictionary | |
| می‌بندد | mibandad | ties on; ehrâm bastan = to put on the pilgrim's robe dictionary |
| گرچه | garche | although dictionary |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| rish | wounded (زخمی) dictionary | |
| dami | a moment dictionary | |
| tâher | pure, ritually clean dictionary | |
| baste-ye | bound by, captive of dictionary | |
| dâm | trap, net dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| قفس | ghafas | cage dictionary |
| bâd | may it be dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| مرغ | morgh | bird dictionary |
| vahshi | wild dictionary | |
| agar | if dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| talabat | seeking you (= talab + -at) dictionary | |
| âshegh | lover dictionary | |
| قلب | ghalb | counterfeit (coin); also "heart" (pun) dictionary |
| delash | his/her heart dictionary | |
| کرد | kard | do (with tavân: can do) dictionary |
| نثار | nesâr-e | scattered as an offering on (فدای) |
| مکنش | makonash | do not (find fault with) him dictionary |
| eyb | fault, flaw dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| âghebat | end, outcome dictionary | |
| dast | hand dictionary | |
| bedân | to that (point) (= be ân) (به آن) | |
| sarv | cypress (image of a tall beloved) dictionary | |
| bolandash | its lofty dictionary | |
| beresad | arrives dictionary | |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| قاصر | ghâser | falling short dictionary |
| bakhshi | giving; ravân-bakhshi = life-giving dictionary | |
| isâ | Jesus (whose breath revived the dead) dictionary | |
| نزنم | nazanam | I do not strike; dam nazanam = I do not speak; âh nazanam = I do not sigh dictionary |
| dam | moment; breath dictionary | |
| هرگز | hargez | never dictionary |
| z-ân | from that (= az ân) (از آن) | |
| ruh | soul, spirit dictionary | |
| fazâyi | increasing; ruh-fazâyi = refreshing the soul dictionary | |
| لبت | labat | your lips dictionary |
| ماهر | mâher | skilled dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| sodâ-ye | passion, longing for dictionary | |
| tavân | one can dictionary | |
| گفت | goft | say (with natavân: cannot say); said dictionary |
| dâgh | brand, burning mark (like the dark spot in a tulip) dictionary | |
| delam | my heart dictionary | |
| ruz | day dictionary | |
| avval | at first dictionary | |
| sar | tip, end dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| didam | I saw dictionary | |
| گفتم | goftam | I said dictionary |
| پریشانی | parishâni-ye | turmoil, distress of dictionary |
| in | this dictionary | |
| selsele | chain dictionary | |
| sar | wish, intention; sar-e peyvand = longing for union dictionary | |
| پیوند | peyvand | bond, link dictionary |
| tanhâ | alone; na be tanhâ = not only dictionary | |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| râ-st | is for, belongs to (= râ ast) dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| کش | k-ash | who ... him (= ke ash) (که او را) |
| khâter | mind, heart dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 70. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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