Ghazal 98 of Hafez (8 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
اگر به مذهبِ تو خونِ عاشق است مُباحصلاحِ ما همه آن است کآن تو راست صلاح
agar be mazhab-e to khun-e âshegh ast mobâh / salâh-e mâ hame ân ast k-ân to râ-st salâh
If in your creed the lover's blood may lawfully be shed, then what is right for me is whatever you think right.
COUPLET 2
سوادِ زلفِ سیاهِ تو جاعِلُ الظُّلُماتبَیاضِ رویِ چو ماهِ تو، فالِقُ الأصباح
savâd-e zolf-e siyâh-e to jâ'elo-zzolomât / bayâz-e ru-ye cho mâh-e to fâleghol-asbâh
The blackness of your dark curls is "the Maker of darkness"; the whiteness of your moonlike face is "the Cleaver of dawns."
COUPLET 3
ز چینِ زلفِ کمندت کسی نیافت خلاصاز آن کمانچهٔ ابرو و تیرِ چشم، نَجاح
ze chin-e zolf-e kamandat kasi nayâft khalâs / az ân kamânche-ye abru o tir-e cheshm najâh
No one has escaped the lasso of your curling hair, nor found safety from that little bow of your eyebrow and the arrow of your eye.
COUPLET 4
ز دیده‌ام شده یک چشمه در کنار روانکه آشنا نکند در میان آن، مَلّاح
ze dide-am shode yek cheshme dar kenâr ravân / ke âshenâ nakonad dar miyân-e ân mallâh
From my eyes a fountain has started flowing into my lap, so deep that even a sailor could not swim in it.
COUPLET 5
لبِ چو آبِ حیاتِ تو هست قُوَّتِ جانوجودِ خاکیِ ما را از اوست ذکرِ رَواح
lab-e cho âb-e hayât-e to hast ghovvat-e jân / vojud-e khâki-ye mâ râ az u-st zekr-e ravâh
Your lip, like the water of life, is the strength of the soul; from it our earthly being receives its talk of ease and refreshment.
COUPLET 6
بداد لعلِ لبت بوسه‌ای به صد زاریگرفت کام دلم زو به صد هزار اِلحاح
bedâd la'l-e labat buse'i be sad zâri / gereft kâm-e delam z-u be sad hezâr elhâh
Your ruby lips gave a single kiss after a hundred laments, and my heart took its wish from them only after a hundred thousand pleas.
COUPLET 7
دعای جانِ تو وردِ زبان مشتاقانهمیشه تا که بُوَد متّصل مَسا و صَباح
do'â-ye jân-e to verd-e zabân-e moshtâghân / hamishe tâ ke bovad mottasel masâ o sabâh
Prayer for your life is the daily litany of all who long for you, for as long as evening and morning follow one another.
COUPLET 8
صَلاح و توبه و تقوی ز ما مجو حافظز رند و عاشق و مجنون کسی نیافت صلاح
salâh o towbe o taghvâ ze mâ maju Hâfez / ze rend o âshegh o majnun kasi nayâft salâh
Do not look to us for propriety, repentance and piety, Hafez: no one has ever found propriety in a free spirit, a lover or a madman.
What this fâl tells you
Your heart has given itself over completely, and tradition reads this fal as a sign that patient, heartfelt asking will be answered, even if after many tries. What you seek is like the water of life: keep asking with sincerity. Do not try to be someone you are not; honesty about your own nature brings peace.
A traditional-style reading for reflection and enjoyment.
How this ghazal is built
radif: none. qâfiye: -âh (mobâh, salâh, asbâh, najâh, mallâh, ravâh, elhâh, sabâh, salâh). Beyt 2 uses two Arabic epithets of God from the Quran and prayers: jâ'el az-zolomât "Maker of darkness" and fâlegh al-asbâh "Cleaver of dawns".
Key words
| Word | Say it | Meaning (modern Persian) |
|---|---|---|
| agar | if dictionary | |
| be | to; for; with; in, by dictionary | |
| مذهب | mazhab | creed, religion dictionary |
| to | you dictionary | |
| khun | blood dictionary | |
| âshegh | lover dictionary | |
| ast | is dictionary | |
| ما | mâ | we, us; our dictionary |
| همه | hame | all, whole dictionary |
| ân | that dictionary | |
| کآن | k-ân | for that (= ke ân) (که آن) |
| râ-st | is (thought right) by you (= to râ ast) dictionary | |
| savâd | blackness dictionary | |
| zolf | curl, lock of hair dictionary | |
| siyâh | black dictionary | |
| ru-ye | face of (ezafe) (چهره) dictionary | |
| چو | cho | since, when; like (= chon) (چون) |
| ماه | mâh | moon (image for a beautiful face) dictionary |
| ze | from, of (= az) (از) | |
| چین | chin | China; also a curl, fold (pun) dictionary |
| کمندت | kamandat | your lasso dictionary |
| kasi | someone; har kasi = everyone dictionary | |
| نیافت | nayâft | did not find dictionary |
| abru | eyebrow dictionary | |
| و | va / o | and dictionary |
| tir | arrow dictionary | |
| چشم | cheshm | eye dictionary |
| shode | gone, past dictionary | |
| یک | yek | one dictionary |
| چشمه | cheshme | spring, fountain dictionary |
| dar | in; door dictionary | |
| کنار | kenâr | lap dictionary |
| âshenâ | swimming; âshenâ kardan = to swim (classical) (شنا) dictionary | |
| نکند | nakonad | does not do dictionary |
| میان | miyân | middle; dar miyân = in the midst dictionary |
| لب | lab | lip dictionary |
| âb | water; stream dictionary | |
| hayât | life; âb-e hayât = the water of life dictionary | |
| هست | hast | there is dictionary |
| قوت | ghovvat | strength (قدرت) dictionary |
| jân | life, soul dictionary | |
| khâki | earthly, made of dust dictionary | |
| u-st | is his (= u ast) dictionary | |
| zekr | mention, talk dictionary | |
| bedâd | gave (داد) dictionary | |
| لعل | la'l | ruby; lab-e la'l = ruby lips dictionary |
| لبت | labat | your lips dictionary |
| buse'i | a kiss dictionary | |
| sad | hundred dictionary | |
| zâri | weeping, lament dictionary | |
| گرفت | gereft | took; gushe gereft = withdrew dictionary |
| کام | kâm | wish, desire; be kâm = as one wishes dictionary |
| delam | my heart dictionary | |
| z-u | from it (= az u) (از او) | |
| هزار | hezâr | thousand; also "nightingale" (hezâr-dastân) dictionary |
| do'â-ye | prayer of dictionary | |
| ورد | verd-e | litany, recited prayer of dictionary |
| zabân | tongue; language dictionary | |
| مشتاقان | moshtâghân | those who long, lovers dictionary |
| همیشه | hamishe | always dictionary |
| tâ | to, until; so that dictionary | |
| bovad | is, will be (old form of bâshad) (باشد) dictionary | |
| مجو | maju | do not seek (نجوی) dictionary |
| Hâfez | Hafez, the poet's pen name (takhallos); literally "one who knows the Quran by heart" dictionary | |
| rend | free spirit, rogue who scorns hypocrisy dictionary | |
| مجنون | majnun | Majnun, the lover driven mad by love for Leyli dictionary |
Persian text: Ganjoor (ganjoor.net), Hafez, ghazal 98. Transliteration, translation, glosses and reading: Learn Persian Online.
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