Fortune telling for the wise

Fal-e-Hafez

There's a Persian tradition that I adore, and I only wish I could read Farsi so I could do it with the proper Hafez book we have. But I can't, so for now the internet will have to do...to explain the tradition I will quote direct from the website:

"In the Persian tradition, whenever one faces a difficulty or a fork in the road, Or even if one has a general question in mind, one would hold that question in mind, and then ask the Oracle of Shiraz Hafiz for guidance.
More often than not,Hafiz, in his own enigmatic way would sing to the questioner and through the song, would get the questioner to look in the mirror of his/her soul.

Upon reflection in the mirror of Hafiz's Ghazal one would be inspired with an answer, a guidance or a direction.
Traditionally, the first line upon which the eyes of the reader fall, would give the answer to the direct question, and the rest of the Ghazal would give further clarification."

Try it for yourself if you so desire: http://www.hafizonlove.com/fal.htm

I did hold a question in my mind (to do with success socially and academically at university) and my answer was thus: It was surprisingly apt.

Ghazal 177

'Not every painted face has charm
Not every mirror maker, Alexander can disarm
Not everyone upon a throne who puts on a crown
Knows the ways of ruling over farm and town.
Like beggars serve not for the alms
Master keeps his servants in good form.
I submit to the will of the weal maker,
Alchemist beggar, lead into gold can transform.
Faith and loyalty are good, if you can learn
Else you must weather tyranny’s storm.
I was brokenhearted and still unaware;
For children of men, angel is the norm.
A point much finer than a strand of hair,
The unshaven hair is not a Dervish’s uniform.
All the world revolves around your mole
It takes a gem to know a gem, a worm, a worm.
Whoever charismatically becomes the king
Will rule the world if with fairness keep away harm.
The poetry of Hafiz can only inform
He whose heart and speech is kind and warm.'

What does it say to me? Well it is very much up to your own interpretation. I would be most interested to see how other people interpret this poem, and if other people find answers to their own questions in these poems!

To me though, it says:

Not every painted face has charm - just because a person looks nice, or is dressed well, or indeed, is pretty, does not mean they are a nice/good person. This is so true in uni - often the nicest made up people are the shallowest.

Not everyone upon a throne who puts on a crown/Knows the ways of ruling over farm and town. Material objects mean nothing, and there are posers in this world - but they are only that, posers. They will never be that which they pretend to be.

Faith and loyalty are good, if you can learn. I took this as: it's all very well to believe in God, or whatver but if you are not going to learn anything from it then you are wasting your time. The most important thing out of faith and learning is learning.

It takes a gem to know a gem - don't expect people who are not like you to appreciate you for what you are.

Whoever charismatically becomes the king/Will rule the world if with fairness keep away harm. - you must win people over with your personality, and you must be fair.

The poetry of Hafiz can only inform/He whose heart and speech is kind and warm - people whose 'heart and speech' is not 'kind and warm' will not take advice from these words, as they are unable to take advice/stubborn.