Skip to content
Best Hafez Poems for Yalda Night — With Farsi, Meaning & Translation
Seven timeless Hafez ghazals for the longest night of the year — original Farsi script, romanisation, English translation, and the meaning behind each verse.
Yalda Night — Shab-e Yalda (شب یلدا) — is the longest night of the year in the Persian calendar, celebrated on the eve of the winter solstice. For over two thousand years, Persian families have gathered to read poetry, share pomegranates and watermelon, and wait together for the return of the light.
At the centre of every Yalda gathering is Hafez. His ghazals speak of patience through darkness, the promise of dawn, and the enduring power of love — making them the natural companion for the longest night. Below you will find seven of his most beloved poems for Yalda, each with the original Farsi text, romanisation, English translation, and the reason it resonates so deeply with this night.
Whether you are hosting a Yalda gathering, performing Fal-e Hafez, or simply want to connect with Persian poetry in its original language, this guide is for you.
Seven Hafez Poems for Yalda Night — At a Glance
What Is Yalda Night and Why Is Hafez Central to It?
Understanding Yalda’s meaning helps you understand why these poems resonate so deeply on this night — and why Hafez in particular has become its voice across centuries.
🌙 Shab-e Yalda (شب یلدا)
The word Yalda (یلدا) means “birth” — specifically the rebirth of the sun. Falling on the eve of the winter solstice (December 21 or 22), it marks the longest night of the year. In ancient Persian cosmology, this was the night when darkness reached its peak and then began to retreat. The tradition of staying awake through the night was symbolic: you witness the darkness at its fullest, and greet the returning light at dawn.
📖 Why Hafez for Yalda?
Hafez’s poetry is built around paradox — darkness and light, loss and hope, separation and reunion. His ghazals do not deny suffering; they sit with it, find beauty inside it, and promise that dawn follows every dark night. This mirrors Yalda’s spiritual meaning perfectly. The tradition of Fal-e Hafez — opening his Divan to receive a symbolic message — transforms his poetry into a form of guidance for the year ahead.
🍎 The Yalda Gathering
Families stay awake through the night together, sharing pomegranates (symbol of fertility and the sunrise), watermelon (kept from summer, symbol of hope across seasons), dried fruits and nuts, and poetry. The eldest member of the family typically leads the Fal-e Hafez — making a silent wish, opening the Divan at random, and reading aloud the poem that appears.
✨ Fal-e Hafez on Yalda
The practice of Fal-e Hafez (فال حافظ) — seeking a symbolic omen or message from Hafez’s poetry — is especially prominent on Yalda Night. Each family member makes a wish, and a poem is opened at random from the Divan. The poem is then interpreted as guidance or reassurance for the year ahead. It is not fortune-telling in a superstitious sense; it is a way of using poetry as a mirror for your inner life.
Seven Best Hafez Poems for Yalda Night
Each poem below includes the original Farsi text, romanisation for pronunciation, English translation, and the specific reason it resonates with Yalda Night. Key vocabulary is included to help Farsi learners connect with the language.
Kolba-ye ahzan shavad ruzi golestan, gham makhor
“The lost Joseph will return to Canaan — do not grieve.
This house of sorrow will one day become a garden — do not grieve.”
Why This Poem for Yalda
This is arguably Hafez’s most comforting ghazal and the most frequently chosen for Yalda Night. The refrain “gham makhor” (do not grieve) repeats throughout, offering direct consolation for whatever darkness you carry. The image of Joseph returning — the biblical/Quranic prophet of patience and exile — mirrors Yalda’s promise: the light that seems lost will return. This poem is traditionally read aloud at the start of Yalda gatherings.
Key Vocabulary
Vandar an zolmat-e shab ab-e hayatam dadand
“Last night, at the hour of dawn, I was rescued from sorrow.
And in that darkness of night, they gave me the water of eternal life.”
Why This Poem for Yalda
Yalda is about enduring the longest night to reach the dawn. This poem describes exactly that experience — salvation arriving at the hour of dawn (sahar), after a night of darkness. The Sufi image of “water of eternal life” (ab-e hayat) found within darkness is profound: the gift you seek is hidden inside the very night you fear. A perfect poem to read as the night deepens.
Key Vocabulary
Ke kasham rakht be meykhaneh va khosh benshinam
“For now, I see wisdom in honoring this moment —
to take my belongings to the tavern and sit in joy.”
Why This Poem for Yalda
Yalda is not only about waiting for light — it is also about finding joy in the gathering itself. The “tavern” (meykhaneh) in Hafez’s poetry is a Sufi symbol for spiritual community, not a literal drinking house. “Sit in joy” (khosh benshinam) is the instruction: be here, with these people, in this moment. This poem invites presence rather than impatience for the dawn — a beautiful philosophy for the long night ahead.
Key Vocabulary
Reading Hafez in translation is beautiful. Reading him in Farsi is transformative.
Our native Persian tutors teach Hafez’s language — the grammar, the imagery, the music of his words.
Vin mobarak-tar az an bad ke mey dar yadat
“O cup-bearer, may the coming feast bring you blessings —
and may this bring you even greater blessing: that wine remains in your memory.”
Why This Poem for Yalda
This poem is celebratory — it greets arrival, light, and renewal. The Saqi (cup-bearer) is another Sufi symbol: the one who pours spiritual nourishment. As Yalda transitions from its deepest night toward dawn, this poem fits the moment of arrival — the sun has turned, the darkness has peaked, and now the light is returning. It is the toast poem of Yalda.
Key Vocabulary
Az yomn-e do’a-ye shab va verd-e sahri bud
“Every treasure of happiness that God gave to Hafez
came from the blessedness of his night prayers and his dawn remembrance.”
Why This Poem for Yalda
This verse reveals Hafez’s spiritual secret: every gift in his life came from his devotion in darkness — his night prayers (do’a-ye shab) and his pre-dawn remembrance (verd-e sahri). Yalda embodies exactly this: you stay in the darkness, you wait, you hold faith, and from that comes the gift of returning light. This poem is a direct teaching about how to endure the longest night with purpose.
Key Vocabulary
Ke eshq asan namud avval vali oftad moshkel-ha
“O cup-bearer, pass the wine around — give it here.
For love seemed easy at first, but then the difficulties came.”
Why This Poem for Yalda
This is the opening poem of the Divan-e Hafez — his most famous first verse. Beginning with Arabic (unusual for a Persian poem), it signals importance and gravity. The line “love seemed easy at first, but then the difficulties came” is the Yalda experience: light seems so close, yet the night is long. But within that difficulty is depth, and within that depth is the love Hafez speaks of throughout his Divan. Often chosen for Fal-e Hafez at the start of gatherings.
Key Vocabulary
Biyar bade ke bonyad-e omr bar bad ast
“Come — for the palace of hope has a very weak foundation.
Bring the wine, for the foundation of life is built on wind.”
Why This Poem for Yalda
This is Hafez at his most direct: life is fragile, impermanent, and passing. The longest night of the year is a natural moment to reflect on this truth. Rather than being dark or pessimistic, this poem is a call to full presence — come, be here, bring what nourishes, share it with those around you, because this moment will not come again. The Yalda gathering itself is the answer to this poem.
Key Vocabulary
Read Hafez in the Original Farsi
Every poem above has layers of meaning that only reveal themselves in the original Persian. Our native tutors teach Farsi through Hafez’s poetry — the language, the imagery, the music of his words — in private 1-to-1 lessons from anywhere in the world.
How to Read Hafez on Yalda Night
Whether you are hosting a Yalda gathering or celebrating alone, these four practices will help you connect with Hafez’s poetry more deeply.
Perform Fal-e Hafez
Each person makes a silent wish or asks a question in their heart. Then open the Divan of Hafez (or use the poems above) at random. The poem you land on is your “fal” — your symbolic message. Read it aloud and discuss its meaning together. There are no wrong interpretations; the poem is a mirror for your own situation.
Read Aloud in Farsi
Even if you do not understand every word, reading Hafez aloud in Farsi carries the original music of the poem. Use the romanisation above as a pronunciation guide. The rhythm and sound of the ghazal is itself part of the experience — Hafez’s poetry was composed to be heard, not just read silently.
Discuss the Meaning Together
Share what each poem means to you personally. Hafez’s verses are deliberately multi-layered — the same line can speak to loss, love, spiritual longing, or everyday joy, depending on where you are in life. These discussions across generations are the real heart of Yalda Night.
Learn the Key Words
Each poem above includes a vocabulary section with the most important Farsi words. Learning these words — gham (grief), sahar (dawn), eshq (love), shab (night) — deepens your understanding of every poem in the Divan, not just these seven. For heritage learners and children, this is also a natural way to build Farsi vocabulary through poetry.
Frequently Asked Questions About Yalda and Hafez
Hafez’s poetry is built around the themes that define Yalda: darkness and light, patience through hardship, love, hope, and the promise of dawn. His ghazals have accompanied Persian families through Yalda gatherings for over six centuries. The practice of Fal-e Hafez — seeking a symbolic message from his Divan — is especially meaningful on Yalda, a night traditionally associated with reflection and hopes for the year ahead.
Fal-e Hafez (فال حافظ) is the tradition of opening the Divan of Hafez at random and receiving the poem that appears as a symbolic message. On Yalda Night, the eldest family member typically leads. Each person makes a silent wish or question in their heart, the Divan is opened randomly (or a random poem chosen), and the poem is read aloud. It is then interpreted together — not as fortune-telling, but as a poetic mirror for each person’s situation.
“یوسف گمگشته بازآید به کنعان غم مخور” (The lost Joseph will return to Canaan — do not grieve) is the most widely recited Hafez poem on Yalda Night. Its central message of hope after hardship and its repeated refrain “gham makhor” (do not grieve) make it the most comforting and resonant poem for the longest night of the year.
The word Yalda comes from Syriac and means “birth” — specifically the rebirth of the sun. Celebrated on the eve of the winter solstice (December 21 or 22), Yalda Night marks the longest night of the year. After this point, the days begin to grow longer, which is why the celebration carries themes of light returning after darkness, and hope after endurance.
No. Yalda Night is celebrated across all Persian-speaking communities worldwide — including Iranian, Afghan, and Tajik diaspora families in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden, and beyond. For diaspora families, it is often one of the most important cultural traditions kept alive outside their home countries, especially as a way to connect children born abroad with their Persian heritage.
Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi (c. 1315–1390) was a Persian poet from Shiraz, Iran. He is considered the master of the ghazal — a lyric form of Persian poetry — and his Divan (collected works) is the most widely read book in Iranian homes after the Quran. Hafez wove Sufi mysticism, human love, political observation, and philosophical insight into poetry of extraordinary beauty. His name means “one who has memorised the Quran” in Arabic.
Reading Hafez in Farsi requires learning the Persian script and building vocabulary in classical Persian. The most effective path is working with a native tutor who specialises in Persian literature. At Danaa School, we offer private 1-to-1 Farsi lessons that can include Persian poetry as the teaching material — so you learn the language through Hafez himself. Start with a free trial lesson at school.danaa.app/learn-farsi/.
Experience Hafez in His Own Language
Every translation captures meaning. Only the original Farsi captures the music, the rhythm, and the full depth of Hafez’s genius. Our Persian tutors teach Farsi through literature — so your first lesson could be Hafez himself.
Book a Free Trial Lesson →Native Persian tutors · From £10/lesson · Free trial · 30+ countries
Find Your Perfect Teacher
At Danaa School, you can find your Persian Poetry Tutor from all qualified and experienced teachers.
Now experience the excellent language and poetry journey.
Want to Learn Persian Poetry at Danaa School?
Here are the best resources for you!
Thank you for this information. Is this from a Hafiz poem? If so, which one? Can you please direct me to the entire poem?
“The night might seem endless, but dawn is surely near, and with it, the promise of light.”