Poetry /
Hafez's yoosofé gom gashté
Part 2
یوسف گم گشته
In this lesson, we go over the individual words and phrases in the first four lines of the poem yoosofé gom gashté by Hafez.
yoosofé gom gashté bāz āyad bé kan'ān, gham makhor!
the lost Joseph will again return to Canaan; grieve not!
یوسُفِ گُم گَشتِه باز آیَد بِه کَنعان، غَم مَخُور
kolbéyé ahzān shavad roozee golestān, gham makhor!
the House of Sorrows will someday become a rose garden; grieve not!
کُلبِهٔ اَحزان شَوَد روزی گُلِستان، غَم مَخُور
ay delé ghamdeedé, hālet beh shavad, del bad makon!
o afflicted heart, you’ll feel better; despair not!
اِی دِلِ غَمدیدِه، حالِت بِه شَوَد، دِل بَد مَکُن
v'een saré shooreedé bāz āyad bé sāmān, gham makhor!
and this disheveled mind will again find respite; grieve not!
وین سَرِ شوریدِه باز آیَد بِه سامان، غَم مَخُور
gar bahāré omr bāshad bāz bar takhté chaman
should the spring of life repose again upon the throne of green
گَر بَهارِ عُمر باشَد باز بَر تَختِ چَمَن
chatré gol dar sar kashee, ay morghé khoshkhān, gham makhor!
you’ll raise a canopy of roses over your head, o sweet-singing bird; grieve not!
چَترِ گُل دَر سَر کَشی، اِی مُرغِ خوشخوان، غَم مَخُور
doré gardoon gar dō roozee bar morādé mā naraft
should the heavens not turn in our favor for a couple of days
دُورِ گَردون گَر دُو روزی بَر مُرادِ ما نَرَفت
dā'eman yeksān nabāshad hālé dorān, gham makhor!
the ways of the world never remain the same—grieve not!
دائماً یِکسان نَباشَد حالِ دُوران، غَم مَخُور
hān mashō nomeed chon vāghef nay-ee az seré ghayb
verily, do not dismay that you are not privy to the secrets of the invisible
هان مَشُو نُومّید چُون واقِف نِهای اَز سِرِّ غِیب
bāshad andar pardé bāzee-hāyé penhān, gham makhor!
(for) behind the veil lies many a secret game; grieve not!
باشَد اَندَر پَردِه بازیهایِ پِنهان، غَم مَخُور
ay del, ar saylé fanā bonyādé hastee bar kanad
o heart, should the flood of annihilation uproot the very essence of existence
اِی دِل اَر سِیلِ فَنا بُنیادِ هَستی بَر کَنَد
chon tō-rā nooh ast kashteebān, zé toofān gham makhor!
so long as Noah is your captain, from the storm grieve not!
چُون تُو را نوح اَست کَشتیبان، زِ طوفان غَم مَخُور
dar beeyābān gar bé shoghé ka'bé khāhee zad ghadam
if you cross the desert in longing for the House of God
دَر بیابان گَر بِه شُوقِ کَعبِه خواهی زَد قَدَم
sarzanesh-hā gar konad khāré moghaylān, gham makhor!
should the Egyptian thorn reproach you, grieve not!
سَرزَنِشها گَر کُنَد خارِ مُغِیلان، غَم مَخُور
garché manzel bas khatarnāk ast ō maghsad bas ba'eed
though the route is quite dangerous and the destination quite far
گَرچِه مَنزِل بَس خَطَرناک اَست و مَقصَد بَس بَعید
heech rāhee neest, k'ān-rā neest pāyān, gham makhor!
there is no road that has no end; grieve not!
هیچ راهی نیست، کـآن را نیست پایان، غَم مَخُور
hālé mā dar ferghaté jānān ō ebrāmé ragheeb
our condition in separation from the beloved and the torments of our rivals
حالِ ما دَر فِرقَتِ جانان و اِبرامِ رَقیب
jomlé meedānad khodāyé hālgardān, gham makhor!
is all known to the Lord who alters conditions; grieve not!
جُملِه میدانَد خُدایِ حالگَردان، غَم مَخُور
hāfezā, dar konjé faghr ō khelvaté shab-hāyé tār
o Hafez, in the corners of poverty and the loneliness of darksome nights
حافِظا دَر کُنجِ فَقر و خِلوَتِ شَبهایِ تار
tā bovad verdat do'ā vō dars ghor'ān, gham makhor!
so long as your mantra is prayer and your guide the Qur’an, grieve not!
تا بُوَد وِردَت دُعا وُ دَرس قُرآن، غَم مَخُور
GREETINGS:
salām
hello
سَلام
hello
سَلام
chetor-ee
how are you?
چِطوری؟
how are you?
چِطوری؟
Note: In Persian, as in many other languages, there is a formal and an informal way of speaking. We will be covering this in more detail in later lessons. For now, however, chetor-ee is the informal way of asking someone how they are, so it should only be used with people that you are familiar with. hālé shomā chetor-é is the formal expression for ‘how are you.’
Spelling note: In written Persian, words are not capitalized. For this reason, we do not capitalize Persian words written in phonetic English in the guides.
ANSWERS:
khoobam
I’m well
خوبَم
I’m well
خوبَم
Pronunciation tip: kh is one of two unique sounds in the Persian language that is not used in the English language. It should be repeated daily until mastered, as it is essential to successfully speak Persian. Listen to the podcast for more information on how to make the sound.
| Persian | English |
|---|---|
| salām | hello |
| chetor-ee | how are you? |
| khoobam | I’m well |
| merci | thank you |
| khayli | very |
| khayli khoobam | I’m very well |
| khoob neestam | I’m not well |
| man | me/I |
| bad neestam | I’m not bad |
| ālee | great |
| chetor-een? | how are you? (formal) |
| hālé shomā chetor-é? | how are you? (formal) |
| hālet chetor-é? | how are you? (informal) |
| khoob-ee? | are you well? (informal) |
| mamnoonam | thank you |
| chetor peesh meeré? | how’s it going? |
| ché khabar? | what’s the news? (what’s up?) |
| testeeeee |