Ghazal 72 of Hafez (7 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.
Read it word by wordTake your own fâl
COUPLET 1
راهی‌ست راهِ عِشْق که هیچَش کِنارِه نیستآن‌جا جُز آن‌که جان بِسِپارَنْد، چارِه نیست
râhi-st râh-e eshgh ke hichash kenâre nist / ânjâ joz ân ke jân besepârand châre nist
The road of love is a road that has no end; there, there is no way out except to give up your life.
COUPLET 2
هر گَه که دِل به عِشْق دِهی، خوش دَمی بُوَددر کارِ خِیْر، حاجَتِ هیچ اِسْتِخاره نیست
har gah ke del be eshgh dehi khosh dami bovad / dar kâr-e kheyr hâjat-e hich estekhâre nist
Whenever you give your heart to love, it is a happy moment: a good deed needs no consulting of omens.
COUPLET 3
ما را زِ مَنْعِ عَقْل مَتَرْسان و مِی بیار!کآن شِحْنِه در وِلایَتِ ما، هیچ کارِه نیست
mâ râ ze man'-e aghl matarsân o mey biyâr / k-ân shahne dar velâyat-e mâ hich kâre nist
Do not frighten me with reason's prohibitions; bring wine. That policeman has no authority at all in our province.
COUPLET 4
اَز چَشْمِ خود بِپُرس که ما را که می‌کُشَد؟جانا، گُناهِ طالِع و جُرْمِ سِتارِه نیست
az cheshm-e khod bepors ke mâ râ ke mikoshad / jânâ gonâh-e tâle' o jorm-e setâre nist
Ask your own eyes who is killing me, my dear: it is not the fault of fate or the crime of the stars.
COUPLET 5
او را به چَشْمِ پاک، تَوان دید چون هِلالهَر دیده، جایِ جِلْوِهٔ آن ماه‌پارِه نیست
u râ be cheshm-e pâk tavân did chon helâl / har dide jâ-ye jelve-ye ân mâhpâre nist
Like the new crescent moon, the beloved can only be seen with a pure eye; not every eye is a place where that moon-faced one will show itself.
COUPLET 6
فُرْصَت شِمُر طَریقِهٔ رِنْدی که این نِشانچون راهِ گَنْج، بَر هَمِه‌کَس، آشْکارِه نیست
forsat shomor tarighe-ye rendi ke in neshân / chon râh-e ganj bar hamekas âshkâre nist
Count the way of the free spirits as a rare chance: like the road to a treasure, this sign is not clear to everyone.
COUPLET 7
نَگْرِفْت در تو، گِرْیِهٔ «حافِظ»، به هیچ روحِیْرانِ آن دِلَم که کَم از سَنْگِ خارِه نیست
nagreft dar to gerye-ye Hâfez be hich ru / heyrân-e ân delam ke kam az sang-e khâre nist
Hafez's weeping has not moved you in any way. I am amazed at that heart of yours, which is no softer than granite.
What this fâl tells you
The road you are on asks for your whole heart, and tradition reads this fal as a sign that a sincere intention needs no long hesitation: if the deed is good, begin it. Do not blame luck or the stars for what is in your own hands. Look with a clear eye, and the thing you seek will show itself like the new moon.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nist. qâfiye: -âre (kenâre, châre, estekhâre, kâre, setâre, mâhpâre, âshkâre, khâre).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| râhi-st | is a road (= râhi ast) dictionary | |
| râh | way, road dictionary | |
| هیچش | hichash | it has no ... at all (hich + -ash "its") dictionary |
| کناره | kenâre | edge, end, shore (کنار) dictionary |
| نیست | nist | is not; there is not dictionary |
| ânjâ | there dictionary | |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| besepârand | they hand over, give up dictionary | |
| چاره | châre | remedy, way out dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| گه | gah | time; har gah = whenever (= gâh) (گاه) |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| dehi | you give dictionary | |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| dami | a moment dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| kheyr | good, good deed dictionary | |
| hâjat | need (نیاز) | |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| منع | man' | prohibition, forbidding dictionary |
| aghl | reason, intellect dictionary | |
| مترسان | matarsân | do not frighten! (نترسان) dictionary |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| biyâr | bring! dictionary | |
| کآن | k-ân | for that (= ke ân) (که آن) |
| ولایت | velâyat | province, realm dictionary |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| khod | your own dictionary | |
| bepors | ask! dictionary | |
| می‌کشد | mikoshad | kills dictionary |
| jânâ | O dear one (jân + vocative -â) (عزیزم) dictionary | |
| گناه | gonâh | sin dictionary |
| tâle' | horoscope, fate, fortune (بخت) dictionary | |
| jorm | crime, fault dictionary | |
| setâre | star dictionary | |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| پاک | pâk | pure, clean dictionary |
| tavân | one can dictionary | |
| did | saw dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| dide | eye (چشم) | |
| jâ-ye | place of; be jâ-ye = toward, for (someone) (در حق) dictionary | |
| jelve | display, showing oneself dictionary | |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| فرصت | forsat | chance, opportunity dictionary |
| shomor | count! consider! (بشمار) dictionary | |
| tarighe | way, path dictionary | |
| rendi | free-spirited life of the "rend" (a rogue who scorns hypocrisy) dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| نشان | neshân | sign dictionary |
| گنج | ganj | treasure dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| همه‌کس | hamekas | everyone (همه) |
| âshkâre | clear, visible (آشکار) | |
| نگرفت | nagreft | did not take hold, had no effect dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| گریهٔ | gerye | weeping dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| ru | way, manner; be hich ru = in no way dictionary | |
| delam | my heart dictionary | |
| کم | kam | seldom dictionary |
| sang | stone dictionary | |
| khâre | granite, hard stone; sang-e khâre = hardest rock (سنگ خارا) |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 72. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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