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Hafiz

Historical Figure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Persian lyric poet famed for ghazals of love, wine, beauty, and mystical ambiguity.

Detailed Definition
Hafiz appears in poetry as a master of lyric subtlety, blending earthly pleasure with spiritual insight. His wine, taverns, gardens, and beloveds can be read as sensual images, mystical allegories, or both at once. Later poets invoke him as a symbol of song, wit, freedom, and the power of poetry to hold devotion and delight in a single shimmering phrase.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poet might use Hafiz to suggest wine, divine love, wit, and mystical freedom; Hafiz’s tavern can be a metaphor for spiritual intoxication rather than mere drinking; His name may stand for Persian lyric grace and playful wisdom; A poem could address the beloved in a Hafiz-like tone of earthly and heavenly desire
Additional Notes
Hafiz is useful for poetry students because his ghazals keep sacred and secular meanings deliberately intertwined: wine may be wine, divine ecstasy, poetic inspiration, or all three at once. His name often signals lyric ambiguity, beloved imagery, tavern wisdom, and ecstatic wit. Avoid flattening him into either a simple love poet or a simple mystic; his power lies in doubleness.
Also Known As
Hafez Hafiz of Shiraz Hafez-e Shirazi Khwaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammad Hafez
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