Ghazal 9 of Hafez (10 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
رونق عهد شباب است دگر بُستان رامی‌رسد مژدهٔ گل بلبل خوش‌الحان را
rownagh-e ahd-e shabâb ast degar bostân râ / miresad mozhde-ye gol bolbol-e khosh-alhân râ
The garden has the glow of youth again; the good news of the rose is reaching the sweet-voiced nightingale.
COUPLET 2
ای صبا گر به جوانان چمن باز رَسیخدمت ما برسان سرو و گل و ریحان را
ey sabâ gar be javânân-e chaman bâz rasi / khedmat-e mâ beresân sarv o gol o reyhân râ
Morning breeze, if you come back to the young ones of the meadow, take our greetings to the cypress, the rose and the basil.
COUPLET 3
گر چنین جلوه کند مغبچهٔ باده‌فروشخاک‌روبِ درِ میخانه کنم مژگان را
gar chenin jelve konad moghbache-ye bâde-forush / khâkrub-e dar-e meykhâne konam mozhgân râ
If the young wine seller shows himself like this, I will make my eyelashes into a broom to sweep the dust at the tavern door.
COUPLET 4
ای که بر مه کشی از عَنبرِ سارا چوگانمضطرب‌حال مگردان، من سرگردان را
ey ke bar mah keshi az anbar-e sârâ chowgân / moztareb-hâl magardân man-e sargardân râ
You who draw a polo stick of pure ambergris across the moon (a dark curl across your face), do not make me, already lost, any more restless.
COUPLET 5
ترسم این قوم که بر دُردکشان می‌خندنددر سر کار خرابات کنند ایمان را
tarsam in ghowm ke bar dordkeshân mikhandand / dar sar-e kâr-e kharâbât konand imân râ
I fear that these people who laugh at the drinkers of dregs will end up losing their own faith to the tavern.
COUPLET 6
یار مردان خدا باش که در کشتی نوحهست خاکی که به آبی نخرد طوفان را
yâr-e mardân-e khodâ bâsh ke dar keshti-ye nuh / hast khâki ke be âbi nakharad tufân râ
Be a friend to the people of God: in Noah's ark there is a handful of earth that would not give a drop of water for the flood.
COUPLET 7
برو از خانهٔ گردون به در و نان مطلبکآن سیه‌کاسه در آخر بِکُشد مهمان را
borow az khâne-ye gardun be dar o nân matalab / k-ân siyah-kâse dar âkher bekoshad mehmân râ
Walk out of the house of the turning sky and do not ask it for bread: that stingy host kills its guest in the end.
COUPLET 8
هر که را خوابگه آخر مشتی خاک استگو چه حاجت که به افلاک کشی ایوان را
har ke râ khâbgah âkher moshti khâk ast / gu che hâjat ke be aflâk keshi eyvân râ
Tell anyone whose last bed is a handful of earth: what need is there to raise your hall up to the heavens?
COUPLET 9
ماه کنعانی من! مسند مصر آنِ تو شدوقت آن است که بدرود کنی زندان را
mâh-e kan'âni-ye man, masnad-e mesr ân-e to shod / vaght-e ân ast ke bedrud koni zendân râ
My moon of Canaan, the throne of Egypt is yours now: it is time to say goodbye to the prison.
COUPLET 10
حافظا می خور و رندی کن و خوش باش ولیدام تزویر مکن چون دگران قرآن را
Hâfezâ mey khor o rendi kon o khosh bâsh vali / dâm-e tazvir makon chon degarân ghor'ân râ
Hafez, drink your wine, live freely and be happy, but do not do as others do and make the Quran a trap for deceit.
What this fâl tells you
A new season is coming, like spring returning to a garden. Tradition reads this fal as good news: a time of waiting or confinement may be ending, just as Joseph left prison for the throne of Egypt. Stay sincere and humble, and never try to win by trickery.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: râ. qâfiye: -ân (bostân, alhân, reyhân, mozhgân, sargardân, imân, tufân, mehmân, eyvân, zendân, ghor'ân).
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| ahd | time, era dictionary | |
| shabâb | youth (جوانی) | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| degar | again; other (= digar) (دیگر) | |
| bostân | garden (باغ) | |
| می‌رسد | miresad | arrives, reaches dictionary |
| گل | gol | rose; flower dictionary |
| bolbol | nightingale dictionary | |
| ey | O (vocative) dictionary | |
| sabâ | the morning breeze, which carries messages between lovers in poetry (نسیم صبح) | |
| گر | gar | if (= agar) (اگر) dictionary |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| javânân | young ones dictionary | |
| چمن | chaman | meadow, lawn dictionary |
| bâz | again dictionary | |
| rasi | you reach, arrive (برسی) dictionary | |
| khedmat | service; here "respects, greetings" dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| beresân | deliver! take! dictionary | |
| sarv | cypress (image of a tall beloved) dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| reyhân | basil dictionary | |
| چنین | chenin | such, so dictionary |
| jelve | display, showing oneself dictionary | |
| کند | konad | does; makes dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| میخانه | meykhâne | tavern dictionary |
| کنم | konam | I make, I do dictionary |
| مژگان | mozhgân | eyelashes dictionary |
| bar | on, upon dictionary | |
| مه | mah | moon (= mâh) (ماه) |
| keshi | you draw dictionary | |
| sârâ | pure (خالص) | |
| چوگان | chowgân | polo stick: image for a curved lock of hair dictionary |
| مگردان | magardân | do not make, do not turn (نکن) dictionary |
| من | man | I, me dictionary |
| sargardân | lost, wandering dictionary | |
| tarsam | I fear (می‌ترسم) dictionary | |
| in | this dictionary | |
| قوم | ghowm | people, group dictionary |
| می‌خندند | mikhandand | (they) laugh dictionary |
| sar | head; sar be kuh dâdan = to send someone off wandering dictionary | |
| کار | kâr | work; affair, matter dictionary |
| کنند | konand | (they) do, make dictionary |
| imân | faith dictionary | |
| یار | yâr | beloved; friend dictionary |
| مردان | mardân | men, people dictionary |
| khodâ | God; khodâ râ = for God's sake dictionary | |
| bâsh | be! dictionary | |
| keshti | ship, ark dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| khâki | a handful of earth; a humble person dictionary | |
| âbi | a drop of water dictionary | |
| نخرد | nakharad | would not buy (would not care for) dictionary |
| tufân | flood, storm dictionary | |
| borow | go! dictionary | |
| khâne | house dictionary | |
| گردون | gardun | the turning sky; fortune dictionary |
| نان | nân | bread dictionary |
| مطلب | matalab | do not ask for, do not seek (نخواه) dictionary |
| کآن | k-ân | for that (= ke ân) (که آن) |
| bekoshad | kills dictionary | |
| مهمان | mehmân | guest dictionary |
| هر | har | every dictionary |
| khâbgah | sleeping place, bed (خوابگاه) | |
| moshti | a handful dictionary | |
| khâk | dust, earth dictionary | |
| گو | gu | say! tell! (= begu) (بگو) dictionary |
| چه | che | what; how much! dictionary |
| hâjat | need (نیاز) | |
| aflâk | the heavens, the spheres dictionary | |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| مسند | masnad | seat of power, throne dictionary |
| مصر | mesr | Egypt dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| to | you dictionary | |
| shod | become (with khâhad: will become); became dictionary | |
| وقت | vaght | time dictionary |
| koni | you do, you make dictionary | |
| zendân | prison dictionary | |
| mey | wine (شراب) dictionary | |
| khor | drink! eat! (imperative) (بخور / بنوش) dictionary | |
| rendi | free-spirited life of the "rend" (a rogue who scorns hypocrisy) dictionary | |
| کن | kon | do! make! (imperative of kardan) dictionary |
| khosh | well, sweetly; pleasant dictionary | |
| vali | but dictionary | |
| dâm | trap, net dictionary | |
| tazvir | deceit, hypocrisy dictionary | |
| مکن | makon | do not do! (نکن) dictionary |
| چون | chon | since, when; like dictionary |
| degarân | others (دیگران) | |
| قرآن | ghor'ân | the Quran dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 9. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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