غَزَلِ حافِظ

2 تا  راهْرَو  نَباشی کَی  راهْبَر شَوی 1 اَی  بی خَبَر  بِکوش کِه  صاحِب خَبَر  شَوی

 tā   rā HO raw| na   bā shi   i |  kay rā  HO bar  |sha vi

 ay bi kha bar|  be ku SHO ke| sā heb kha bar |sha vi

  L   L    S   L   | S   L   S    S   |  L   L  S   L  |  S  L

 L   L    S   L   | S   L   S    S    |   L     L   S    L  |  S  L    

until you are one traveling on the the Way how will you become a road guide

 oh one without clue  strive that you become possessed of clue

 
4 هان اَی  پَسَر  بِکوش کِه روزی  پِدَر شَوی 3 دَر  مَکْتَبِ  حَقايق  پيشِ  اَديبِ  عِشْق

 hān ay pe  sar   | be ku SHO ke | ru zi pe dar| sha vi

 dar  mak ta be| ha  qā  ye QO | pi she a  di|  be `eshq

  L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L    

 L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L  L  S   L  |  S  L  

watch out oh son strive for one day you will become father

 in the school of truths before the scholar of love

 
6 تا کيميای عِشْق  بيابی و  زَر  شَوی 5 دَسْت  اَز  مِس ِ وُجود چُو مَرْدان ِ رَه  بِشوی

 tā ki mi yā   | ye `esh QO bi| yā bi yo zar| sha vi

 das taz me se|  vo ju DO cho | mar dā  ne rah |be shui

  L   L  S  L  | S   L    S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L

 L   L   S   L    | S   L   S    S    |  L    L     S    L  |  S    L

so you may find the alchemy of love and become gold

 wash your hands of copper existence like folks of the Way

 
8 آنْگَه  رَسی  بِه خويش کِه بی خواب و خُور شَوی 7 خواب  و خُورَت زِ  مَرْتَبَة  خويش دور کَرْد

 ān gah ra si   | be khi SHO ke| bi khā bo khor| sha vi

 khā bo kho rat | ze mar ta be  |ye khi SHO du| RO kard

  L   L   S   L   | S   L   S   S     |  L    L   S   L     |  S  L   

 L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L  

at that time will you get to yourself when you become without sleep and food

 sleep and food have distanced you from yourself

 
10 بِالله کَز آفْتابِ  فَلَک خوب تَر  شَوی 9 گَر نورِ  عِشْق حَقّ  بِه  دِل و جانَت اُوفْتَد

 bel  lah  ka  zā   | FO tā be fa  |  lak  kho BO tar | sha vi

 gar nu re `esh | qe haq be de | lo jā  na to | FO tad

  L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S    |  L    L    S    L    |  S  L   

 L     L    S   L   | S   L   S     S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L

by God, you will become better than the sky's sun

 if the light of the love of God falls on your heart and soul

 
12 که اَز آبِ هَفْت بَحْر بِه يَک موی تَر شَوی 11 يَک دَم غَريقِ  بَحْرِ  خُدا  شَو گُومان  مَبَر

 kaz ā be haf  | TO bah RO be | yek mu i tar | sha vi

 yek dam gha ri| qe bah re kho| dā shaw go mān| ma bar

  L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L   

 L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L

that you would  become by one hair (even a bit)  wet from the water of the seven seas

 in one moment (completely) become immersed in God's ocean,  don't suspect (fear)

 
14 دَر راهِ  ذو الْجَلال چُو بی پا و سَر شَوی اَز پای تا سَرَت  هَمَه  نورِ خُدا  شَوَد13

 dar rā he zul   | ja lā  LO cho | bi pā  o  sar  | sha vi

 az   pā   i   tā  | sa rat ha me| nu re kh dā | sha vad

  L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L   

 L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L 

as soon as you are without means [head and foot] you'll be on the way  to the one of Majesty

 from head to foot  all of yourself  would become  light of God

 
16 زين پَس شَکّی نَمانْد کِه صاحِب نَظَر شَوی 15 وَجْهِ خُدا  اَگَر  شَوَدَت  مَنْظَرِ نَظَر

 zin pas sha ki  | na mān DO ke | sā heb na zar | sha vi

 vaj he kho dā | a gar sha va | dat man za re | na zar

  L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L

 L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L

after this there will be no doubt that you become one with the vision

 if the face of God be for you the focal point of your vision

 
18 دَر دِل  مَدار هيچ  کِه ديگَر  زَبَر  شَوی 17 بُنيادِ  هَسْتیِ  تُو   چُو  زير  و  زَبَر شَوَد

 dar  del  ma dā | RO hi  CHO ke | di gar za bar |sha vi

 bun yā de has | ti ye to  cho |  zi ro za bar  | sha vad

  L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L

 L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L  

don't at all hold (the thought) in your heart that again you'll become  up(right)

 when the foundation of your existence becomes topsy-turvy

 
20 بايد کِه خاکِ دَرْگَهِ  اَهلِ هُنَر شَوی 19 گَر دَر سَرَت  هَوای  وِصال  اَسْت  حافِظا

 bā yad ke  khā | ke dar  ga he | ah le ho nar | sha vi

 gar dar sa rat | ha vā ye ve  | sā las TO hā | fe zā

  L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L  

 L     L    S   L   | S   L   S   S   |  L    L  S   L  |  S  L  

you must become the dust of the court of the one of grace

 if you have the desire for union in your head Hafez


Listen to this poem

Listen


 

Pattern of meter :

--> Long     Long    Short   Long   | Short   Long   Short   Short  |  Long    Long  Short   Long  |  Short  Long

L(ong) is a long syllable, S(hort) is a short syllable and E(xtra)L(ong) is a syllable, usually restricted to the last foot, containing a consonant cluster. A long syllable may contain a consonant + short vowel + consonant OR consonant + long vowel. A short syllable contains a consonant + short vowel.  In the older stages of the Persian language, long vowels really were pronounced with a longer duration and short vowels a little shorter, however, this distinction has been lost in the modern language. Today, only a master poetry reader can produce this effect.

Meter (وَزْن ): It is essential to first figure out the meter of a poem before attempting to understand the meaning.  This is how you can tell, among other things,  where the ezāfe's go and how you can distinguish  words whose meaning depends on a tashdid  (for example serr ("secret") and sar ("head").
  Procedure:  
    First, mark off the long vowels: ā, i, u, and  long diphthongs: ay, aw (but careful if they are followed by a suffix)
    Then, mark off the short vowels: a, e, o
     
    When you see the pattern, deal with vowels which can be either long or short:
      final "he" unpronounced "he"
      word-final u/o (including the "vāv"  meaning "and" in poetry always pronounced (v)o)
      ezāfe's
      any other word-final short vowels
      /i/ + vowel (especially /iyā/)
     tashdid's and hamze's are sometimes made use of  and sometimes ignored.
    two Short syllables may be counted as one Long syllable
    The first syllable of a foot may (in certain meters) be short, even if the meter calls for it to be long.
    It takes some juggling  to figure out where one syllable ends and the next begins. Learn to ignore spelling--syllabic units transcend word boundaries.
    If you find you have 2 consonants, one-after-another (except "nun" + consonant), you need to break them up by adding a short vowel.  However,  in the last "foot" or section of the verse, it is ok to have a consonant cluster and that syllable is called "ExtraLong"
Hacking up the words of a poem to bits and pieces like this is called تَقْطيع   /taqti`/ "cutting" in Persian. In English it is called scanning. MORE!

References:

Divan-i Hafiz Khvajah Shams al-Din Muhammad (volume 1, #478, page 972)

When done with this page, just close this window. Your other windows are minimized down on your taskbar.

Or, go Back to Title Page

Or, see  List of the Poems