Ghazal 78 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.
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COUPLET 1
دیدی که یار، جُز سَرِ جور و سِتَم نَداشتبِشْکَسْت عَهْد، وَز غَمِ ما، هیچ غَم نَداشت
didi ke yâr joz sar-e jowr o setam nadâsht / beshkast ahd v-az gham-e mâ hich gham nadâsht
You saw it: the beloved had no intention but cruelty and injustice, broke the promise, and did not care at all about my grief.
COUPLET 2
یا رَب مَگیرَش اَرْچِه دِلِ چون کَبوتَرَماَفْکَنْد و کُشْت و عِزَّتِ صِیْدِ حَرَم نَداشت
yâ rab magirash ar che del-e chon kabutaram / afkand o kosht o ezzat-e seyd-e haram nadâsht
O Lord, do not punish the beloved, even though my dove-like heart was struck down and killed without the respect owed to a creature of the sanctuary.
COUPLET 3
بَر مَن، جَفا زِ بَخْتِ مَن آمَد وَگَرنَه یارحاشا که رَسْمِ لُطْف و طَریقِ کَرَم نَداشت
bar man jafâ ze bakht-e man âmad vagarna yâr / hâshâ ke rasm-e lotf o tarigh-e karam nadâsht
The cruelty I suffered came from my own luck; otherwise, heaven forbid that the beloved should lack the habit of kindness and the way of generosity.
COUPLET 4
با این هَمِه، هَر آن‌که نَه خواری کَشید اَز اوهَر جا که رَفْت، هیچ کَسَش مُحْتَرَم نَداشت
bâ in hame har ân ke na khâri keshid az u / har jâ ke raft hich kasash mohtaram nadâsht
And yet, whoever did not endure humiliation from the beloved was honored by no one, wherever he went.
COUPLET 5
ساقی بیار بادِه و با مُحْتَسِب بِگواِنْکارِ ما مَکُن که چُنین جام، جَم نَداشت
sâghi biyâr bâde o bâ mohtaseb begu / enkâr-e mâ makon ke chenin jâm jam nadâsht
Cupbearer, bring wine and tell the morals officer, "Do not condemn us: even Jamshid never had a cup like this."
COUPLET 6
هَر راهرو که رَه به حَریمِ دَرَش نَبُرْدمِسْکین بُرید وادی و رَه دَر حَرَم نَداشت
har rahrow ke rah be harim-e darash nabord / meskin borid vâdi o rah dar haram nadâsht
Every traveler who did not find the way to the precinct of the beloved's door crossed the desert in vain, poor soul, and never reached the sanctuary.
COUPLET 7
«حافظ»! بِبَر تو گویِ فِصاحَت که مُدَّعیهیچش هُنَر نَبود و خَبَر نیز هَم نَداشت
Hâfez bebar to gu-ye fesâhat ke modda'i / hichash honar nabud o khabar niz ham nadâsht
Hafez, you carry off the prize of eloquence, for your rival had no skill at all and knew nothing either.
What this fâl tells you
Do not blame the one you love for every hardship; sometimes it is only the turn of luck. Tradition reads this fal as encouragement to stay patient and humble on your path, because the reward comes to those who keep going to the right door. Your words and your skill will win in the end over those who merely claim them.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: nadâsht. qâfiye: -am (setam/gham, haram, karam, mohtaram, jam, haram, ham).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| didi | you saw dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| joz | except, besides dictionary | |
| sar | head; intention; joz sar-e X nadâsht = had nothing in mind but X dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| setam | injustice dictionary | |
| نداشت | nadâsht | did not have; mohtaram nadâsht = did not hold in honor dictionary |
| beshkast | broke (شکست) dictionary | |
| ahd | promise, pledge dictionary | |
| وز | v-az | and from (= va az) (و از) |
| gham | sorrow, grief dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| هیچ | hich | any; no dictionary |
| یا | yâ | O (vocative); or dictionary |
| مگیرش | magirash | do not seize, do not punish him/her dictionary |
| ar che | although (= agar che) (اگرچه) | |
| del | heart dictionary | |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| کبوترم | kabutaram | my dove dictionary |
| afkand | threw down, struck down dictionary | |
| کشت | kosht | killed dictionary |
| ezzat | respect, honor dictionary | |
| seyd | prey; hunting dictionary | |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| jafâ | cruelty, unkindness dictionary | |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| bakht | fortune, luck dictionary | |
| âmad | came dictionary | |
| وگرنه | vagarna | otherwise dictionary |
| hâshâ | God forbid! not at all! dictionary | |
| rasm | custom, way dictionary | |
| لطف | lotf | kindness, grace; be lotf = kindly, gently dictionary |
| tarigh | way, path dictionary | |
| bâ | with dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| نه | na | not, no dictionary |
| khâri | humiliation, being despised dictionary | |
| کشید | keshid | endured; khâri keshidan = to suffer humiliation dictionary |
| u | him / her (Persian does not mark gender) dictionary | |
| jâ | place dictionary | |
| raft | went dictionary | |
| کسش | kasash | anyone (kas) + him (-ash) dictionary |
| محترم | mohtaram | honored dictionary |
| sâghi | cupbearer dictionary | |
| biyâr | bring! dictionary | |
| bâde | wine dictionary | |
| begu | tell! say! dictionary | |
| enkâr | denial dictionary | |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| jâm | cup dictionary | |
| rah | road, way (short for râh) (راه) | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| harim | private precinct dictionary | |
| darash | its door dictionary | |
| نبرد | nabord | did not take; rah bordan = to find the way dictionary |
| مسکین | meskin | poor, wretched dictionary |
| borid | crossed (a desert) dictionary | |
| vâdi | valley, desert dictionary | |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| bebar | carry off! win! dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| گوی | gu-ye | ball of dictionary |
| modda'i | pretender, critic dictionary | |
| هیچش | hichash | it has no ... at all (hich + -ash "its") dictionary |
| هنر | honar | skill, art dictionary |
| نبود | nabud | was not; hichash honar nabud = he had no skill dictionary |
| khabar | news dictionary | |
| نیز | niz | also dictionary |
| هم | ham | also, too dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 78. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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