Ghalib

Ug raha hai dar-o-deewar se

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:49:00 +0000

ug raha hai dar-o-deewar se sabzah Ghalib
ham bayabaan mein hein aur ghar mein bahar aai hai.
[sabzah: greenery]
[bayabaan: wilderness]
उग रहा है दर ओ दीवार से सब्ज़ा ग़ालिब
हम बयाबान में हैं और घर में बाहार आयी है.
Greenery is growing out of the doors and walls 'Ghalib'
I am in wilderness and spring has arrived at my house.

What wonderful play of words. Difficult to describe, but I guess you can feel the irony and sarcasm in the verse. Ghalib says while he wanders in wilderness having left his home, weeds in form of grass grow all over his house. This he sarcastically compares to the beauty of spring. There is a resonance of another Ghalib's sher here "Ghar mein tha kya tera gam jise garat karta..".
Looking at this sher another way, "wilderness" is metaphorical in that it is Ghalib's state of mind, not the description of his physical location. There is a delicious irony here for Ghalib is in wilderness while his house is green as in spring!

Har ek baat pe kehte ho

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:02:00 +0000

har ek baat pe kahate ho tum ki tuu kyaa hai
tumhii.n kaho ke ye a.ndaaz-e-guftaguu kyaa hai
[guftaguu: talk]
हर एक बात पे कहते हो तुम की तू क्या है
तुम्हीं कहो के ये अंदाज़ ऐ गुफ्तगू क्या है?
At everything that I say, you say, “Who art thou”?
Tell me what kind of talk is this?
Ghalib protests saying that anything that he says, he is insulted by the constant refrain, “Who art thou?” The ‘kya’ here is not meant to ask a question but to express a taunt. The emphasis should be read on ‘har ek’ and ‘tum’ i.e. he is being taunted on everything that he says. In this verse Ghalib is not insulting to his beloved, but kind of tells her that if she disagrees with him, she could argue, but not shut him up.

na shole me.n ye karishmaa na barq me.n ye adaa
koii bataao ki vo shoKh-e-tu.ndaKhuu kyaa hai
[karishma: miracle, barq: lightning, ada: coquetry]
[shokh-e-tund khu: coquettishly ill tempered]
न शोले में ये करिश्मा न बर्क में ये अदा
कोई बताओ की वो शोख ऐ तुन्दा खू क्या है?
Neither the flame has this miracle, nor the lightning this grace,
Will anyone tell me, what is that ill tempered mischievous/coquettish one.
Ghalib is flummoxed trying to describe his beloved. He wants to compare her to a flame but it does not have her fury. He wants to compare her to lightning, but it too does not have her mischievousness or coquetry. Would anyone tell him, what she is.

ye rashk hai ki vo hotaa hai hamasuKhan hamase
vagarnaa Khauf-e-badaamozii-e-adu kyaa hai
[rashk: jealousy; hamasuKhan: some who converses with you]
[Khauf: fear; baaamozii: mislead]
ये रश्क है की वो होता है हमसुखन हमसे
वगरना खौफ ऐ बदामोजी ऐ अदू क्या है?
My envy is that he converses with you
Otherwise what is the fear that he would mislead you (against me).
Ghalib says that he does not care if his enemy misleads you against him. He is envious that you are (habitually/constantly) conversing with him. The lover’s insecurity comes out openly in the verse.

chipak rahaa hai badan par lahuu se pairaahan
hamaarii jeb ko an haajat-e-rafuu kyaa hai?
[pairaahan: dress/cloth/robe]
[jeb: collar, haajat: need, rafuu: darning]
चिपक रहा है बदन पर लहू से पैराहन
हमारी जेब को अब हाजत-ऐ-रफू कया है?
Sticking to the body is the dress with blood
What is the need now to darn the collar?
This verse is peerless. One of Ghalib’s best. The dried blood causes the clothing to stick to his body and keeps the torn collar in place. Ghalib does not explain the reason for his bleeding in this verse though. However when the whole body is bleeding and hurting, is there a need to be worried about the torn collar? Some scholars have also interpreted this verse to mean that soon all blood would flow out of his body and he would need a shroud, so why worry about the torn collar. This verse is also a pointer to the harsh realities of life, where bigger misfortunes make smaller misfortune appear trivial.

jalaa hia jism jahaa.N dil bhii jal gayaa hogaa
kuredate ho jo ab raakh justajuu kyaa hai?
जला है जिस्म जहाँ दिल भी जल गया होगा
कुरेदते हो जो अब राख जुस्तजू क्या है?
Where the body has burned, the heart too must have been burned,
Raking/poking the ashes, what do you desire for (search for) now?
The fire (of love) has consumed the body and the heart. What are you looking for now by shifting the ashes? Another wonderful verse from Ghalib subject to different interpretations. The word “kuredna” is like at the center of this verse. While some scholars interpret it as trying to search something lying in the ashes, ‘kuredna’ can also mean like poking up a fire, stirring up or rekindling old passions, like we say in Hindi, ‘purane zakm kyon kuredte ho?’ So this verse can be interpreted either to mean that the beloved is looking for the heart in the ashes either to check that it is fully burnt with the body, or to see if it can be retrieved. It can however also be taken to mean that when Ghalib seems to be getting over her, she is trying to rekindle the old passions.

rago.n me.n dau.Date phirane ke ham nahii.n qaayal
jab aa.Nkh hii se na Tapakaa to phir lahuu kyaa hai?
रगों में दौड़ते फिरने के हम नहीं कायल
जब आँख से ही न टपका तोः फिर लहू क्या है?
We do not believe in only running through the viens
When it does not drip through the eye, then is it blood at all?
That blood that merely flows in the veins is not worthy of anything. It becomes ‘blood’ only when in the grief of passion/trials and tribulations of life, it flows out of the eyes i.e when the eyes cry the tears of blood, it is worthy of praise. Only then is the resolve of love complete.

vo chiiz jisake liye hamako ho bahisht aziiz
sivaa_e baadaa-e-gulfaam-e-mushkabuu kyaa hai?
[bahisht: heaven; baadaa: wine; gulfaam: delicate/like a flower]
[mushkabuu: the smell of musk]
वो चीज़ जिसके लिए हमको है बहिश्त अजीज
सिवा ऐ बादा ऐ गुलफाम ऐ मुश्कबू क्या है?
The thing for which paradise is dear to us
Is nothing except the pink, musk scented wine.

piyuu.N sharaab agar Khum bhii dekh luu.N do chaar
ye shiishaa-o-qadaah-o-kuuzaa-o-subuu kyaa hai?
[Khum: wine barrel]
[shisha: glass, qadaah: goblet, subuu: tumbler]
पियू शराब अगर खुम भी देख लूँ दो चार
यह शीशा ओ क़दः ओ कूजा ओ सुबू क्या है?
I would drink wine if I see a few wine barrels
What is this glass and goblet and tumbler.

rahii na taaqat-e-guftaar aur agar ho bhii
to kis ummiid pe kahiye ke aarazuu kyaa hai?
[guftaar: speech]
रही न ताक़त ऐ गुफ्तार और अगर हो भी
टू किस उम्मीद पे कहिये के आरजू क्या है?
The strength to speak has gone; and even if it existed
With what expectation would one say “What is my desire?”
With a lifetime of waiting, my strength to speak is gone. Even if I could muster enough strength to speak, with what expectations can I say what I desire? Having been ignored all along, what point will it serve?

banaa hai shaah kaa musaahib, phire hai itaraataa
vagarnaa shahar me.n "Ghalib" kii aabaruu kyaa hai?
[musaahib: associate aabruu: dignity]
बना है शाह का मुसाहिब फिरे है इतराता
वगरना सहर में 'ग़ालिब' की आबरू क्या है?
Having become the king’s associate he is putting on airs
Otherwise what dignity does Ghalib have in the city.

Ghulam Ali sings Har ek baat pe in concert

K.L Saigal sings Har ek baat pe

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Jagjit Singh sings Har ek baat pe

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Lata Mangeshkar sings Har ek baat pe

Har ek baat pe from Gulzar's tele serial Mirza Ghalib

Dil-e-naadan

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:23:00 +0000

dil-e-naadaa.N tujhe huaa kyaa hai ?
aaKhir is dard kii davaa kyaa hai ?
[dil-e-naada.N- naïve heart]

दिल-ए-नादाँ तुझे हुआ क्या है?
आख़िर इस दर्द की दवा क्या है?

Oh naïve heart, what has happened to you?
What is the eventual relief of your pain?

Ghalib castigates his heart in the first verse. Oh naïve heart, what is the matter with you? Why are you in such a bad shape? What is the cure of this pain? He implies that there is no cure of the pain of love or the pining heart.

hum hai.n mushtaaq aur vo bezaar
yaa ilaahii ye maajaraa kyaa hai ?
[mushtaaq: eager, bezaar: dissatisfied/disinterested]

हम हैं मुश्ताक और वो बेजार
या इलाही यह माजरा क्या है?

I am eager, and she disinterested
Oh God! What is happening here?

Ghalib complains that while he is all eager, the beloved does not seem to care. He asks God as to why this is so? Why can’t the beloved at least listen to him?

mai.n bhii muu.Nh me.n zabaan rakhataa huu.N
kaash puuchho ki muddaa kyaa hai ?
[muddaa: matter/issue]

मैं भी मूंह में ज़बान रखता हूँ
काश पूछो कि मुद्दा क्या है?

Even I have a tongue in my mouth
Wish some one would seek my opinion too on the matter.

Ghalib feels the slight of his beloved. While she keeps asking others, she never asks him (of his condition). He says, even I have matters to express, wish she would ask me too! He believes his tale of love for her will completely overshadow what she has heard from others.

*jab ki tujh bin nahii.n koii maujuud
phir ye ha।ngaamaa, ai Khudaa kyaa hai ?

जब कि तुझ बिन नहीं कोई मौजूद
फिर यह हंगामा ए खुदा क्या है?

When nothing is present here apart from you,
Why this commotion all around, O God?

*ye parii cheharaa log kaise hai.n ?
Gamazaa-o-ishvaa-o-adaa kyaa hai ?
[parii cheharaa: beautiful face]
[gamzaa-o-ishva-o-ada: side-glances, airs and coquetry]

ये परी चेहरा लोग कैसे हैं?
गम जा -ओ-इश्व-ओ-अदा क्या है?

How are these with beautiful visages?
What is all these side glances, airs and coquetry?

*shikan-e-zulf-e-ambarii kyo.n hai ?
nigah-e-chashm-e-surmaa saa kyaa hai ?
[shikan: wrinkle, zulf: hair/tresses, ambarii: fragrance]
[chashm-e-surma: antimony/surma blackened eyes।

शिकन-ए-जुल्फ-ए-अम्बरी क्यों है?
निगाह-ए-चस्म-ए-सुरमा सा क्या है?

Why do the/her curls of the tresses smell of fragrance?
What needs do the surma blackened eyes serve?

*sabazaa-o-gul kahaa.N se aaye hai.n
abr kyaa chiiz hai havaa kyaa hai
[sabz-o-gul: greenery and flowers]
[abr: clouds]

सबज़ा-ओ-गुल कहाँ से आये हैं?
अब्र क्या चीज़ है, हवा क्या है?

From where have the greenery and flowers come?
What makes the clouds and the air?

Another set of philosophical verse from Ghalib. We found these four verses marked with * as an elaboration of the same theme. The last three verses, exemplify the first ‘sher’ marked with *. As in the Sufi tradition which believes that nothing exists apart from ‘God’, Ghalib ask inquiringly, “If nothing exists apart from the Lord himself, why this commotion and hustle bustle?” Why this futile rigmarole of existance? Why the conundrum of life? What are all these beautiful women with their long hairs and coquetry? Where did we get all these flowers, greenery and clouds from? He implies that all these attract us so much that we forget about their Creator. While they are all the manifestation of the same Supreme Being, but he laments that their multiplicity confuses us and prevents us from understanding the Supreme Being.
The theme of his first sher of Diwan-e-Ghalib i.e. "naqsh fariyadi.." resonate in this sher too.

hamako unase vafaa kii hai ummiid
jo nahii.n jaanate vafaa kyaa hai.
[vafaa: faithfulness]

हमको उनसे वफ़ा कि है उम्मीद
जो नहीं जानते वफ़ा क्या है।

I am hoping for faith from her,
Who does not know what faithfulness is all about.

How foolish of me, Ghalib says to expect faithfulness from someone who does not understand faithfulness. In this verse Ghalib distinguishes between faithfulness in love and passion in love. When we are young, love for us is mostly passionate; it is only when love matures does care and faithfulness substitute passion.

haa.N bhalaa kar teraa bhalaa hogaa
aur darvesh kii sadaa kyaa hai ?
[darvesh: mendicant; sadaa: voice]

हाँ भला कर तेरा भला होगा
और दरवेश कि सदा क्या है?

Yes, you do good deeds for others and good things will happen to you,
What else is the call of the mendicant?

Ghalib says, “Do unto others as you want them to do to you.” That is what the faqir always says. Nazm says that in this sher Ghalib acts cheeky. He asks his beloved to bestow favours on him. If she does so, God in turn will bestow favours on her.

jaan tum par nisaar karataa huu.N
mai.n nahii.n jaanataa duaa kyaa hai
[nisar: sacrifice]

जान तुमपर निसार करता हूँ
मैं नहीं जानता दुआ क्या है।

I offer my life to you
I don’t know anything else as a prayer.

Ghalib says that while others may wish his beloved well in their prayers, he offers his life to her. So he is more sincere than others who merely pray for her.

mai.n ne maanaa ki kuchh nahii.n 'Ghalib'
muft haath aaye to buraa kyaa hai ?

मैंने माना कि कुछ नहीं ग़ालिब
मुफ्त हाथ आये तो बुरा क्या है?

I realize that ‘Ghalib’ is not much
But if you get him free, where is the problem?

Ghalib tells his beloved that he realizes that he is nothing to her, is useless, but why not accept him; for he comes free of cost. He is seeking nothing in return. He is ready to be her slave for free.

DIL-E-NAADAN TUJHE HUA KYA HAI (GULZAR'S MIRZA GHALIB)

DIL-E-NAADAN TUJHE HUA KYA HAI
SINGERS: SURAIYYA & TALAT MEHMOOD
FILM: MIRZA GHALIB.

NOORJAHAN SINGS DIL-E-NAADAN

MEHDI HASSAN SINGS DIL-E-NAADAN

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Baayan-e-Ghalib

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:52:00 +0000

A 'jhalak' of Ghalib Ghazals and his letters. A unique fusion with Faaroque Sheikh (as Ghalib) and Salim Arif of National School of Drama. Snippets of Ghazals of Ghalib sung by Talat Aziz.

Na tha kutch toh

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:14:00 +0000

na thaa kuchh to Khudaa thaa, kuchh na hotaa to Khudaa hotaa
Duboyaa mujh ko hone ne, na hotaa mai.n to kyaa hotaa
[Duboya: sank/destroyed]

न था कुछ तो खुदा था, कुछ न होता तो खुदा होता
डुबोया मुझको होने ने, न होता में तो क्या होता?

When there was nothing, there was God; even if nothing existed, God would still be
I was destroyed because I existed; how would it have mattered if I did not exist.

We found this sher very elusive and full of yes’s and no’s. It also seems to be open to diverse interpretations. On the one hand, the verse talks of existential angst. Ghalib asks, “Why did God create us?” Irrespective of whether anything existed or not, HE would still have been there. “Then why create me and put me through this life full of pain?” asks Ghalib. On the other hand is the Sufi view, where everything is a part of the ‘Supreme Reality’ i.e. God. So when we humans weren’t around, we were a part of God, blissfully ignorant of all suffering. But in creating us, HE uprooted us and this separation is the cause of all our worldly troubles.

huaa jab Gam se yuu.N behis to Gam kyaa sar ke kaTane kaa
na hotaa gar judaa tan se to zaa.Nno.n par dharaa hotaa
[behis: shocked/stunned/numb]
[zaa.Nno.n: thigh, dharaa: lying]

हुआ जब गम से यूं बेहिस तो गम क्या सर के कटने का
न होता गर जुदा तन से तो जानो: पर धरा होता।

When gone numb by so much pain, why be concerned about the head being chopped?
If it had not been separated from the body, would be resting on the knees.

When my head is so numb with pain, why should I worry about it being chopped off? If it had not been separated from the body, it would have been lying on my thighs anyway, contemplating in pain and frustration. Ghalib says that he is so much in sorrow/pain that he has lost all sensory perception, and thus feel no pain of his head being chopped off.

huii muddat ke 'Ghalib' mar gayaa par yaad aataa hai
wo har ek baat pe kahanaa ke yuu.N hotaa to kyaa hotaa.
[muddat: time]

हुई मुद्दत के ग़ालिब मर गया पर याद आता है,
वो हर एक बात पे कहना के यूं होता तो क्या होता।

It has been some time since Ghalib died, but I remember
His constant argument, “What would be if it were like this?”

It has been ages since Ghalib is dead and gone, but I remember him (probably a friend talking about him), his curiosity for things around him and his ever questioning attitude, “What if this had not been like this?”. Some scholars have interpreted the ‘kya’ in the verse as a means of expressing contempt/indifference. It implies that Ghalib considered all things trifling (Yun hota to kya hota?- How does it matter), nothing made too much of a difference to him.

JAGJIT SINGH SINGING "NA THA KUTCH TOH KHUDA THA"

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Salam- Nayyara Noor

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:14:00 +0000

This is another post courtsey Mirza Jamal Saheb. Nayyara Noor singing Qaseedah by Ghalib.

Ghalib ke Khatoot- Letters of Ghalib

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 22:55:00 +0000

Apart from being a great Urdu Poet, Ghalib was also a prolific letter writer. So not only Urdu poetry but also Urdu prose is indebted to him. Some scholars believe that his place in Urdu literature would have been assured only on the basis of his letters. Ghalib introduced a new style of letter writing, much different from the letter writings of others during the period. Before Ghalib, letter writing in Urdu was highly ornamental. He brought in this new style where by his letters ‘talked’ to the reader. They have a simple style, are conversational and shorn of all unnecessary ornamentation and elaboration. He writes, “Sau kos say ba-zabaan-e-qalam baatein kiya karo aur hijr meiN visaal kay maazey liya karo” (from hundreds of miles talk with the tongue of the pen and enjoy the joy of meeting even when you are separated)
His letters were highly informal and laced with humour. He said, “Main kosish karta hoon ki kutch aisi baat likhoon, ki jo padhey khush ho jaae”. (I try to write in a way that who so ever reads it, feels happy.)
He was a prolific letter writer, writing as many as five to six letters very day, and some times posting it himself too. Ghalib also knew his worth. When somebody asked him for his postal address, he cut him down to size: "Asadullah Ghalib, Delhi kafi hoga"(Asadullah Ghalib, Delhi, will be enough.)
Most of his correspondents were addressed to his friends and patrons, shagirds and admirers belonging to all sections and classes of society. Incidentally, his Hindu disciple Munshi Hargopal Tufta was the recipient of the largest number of his letters, totaling 123. Aspiring poets sent him their compositions to correct which he did with great care. In his replies, he invariably put in a couplet or two of his own and gave a detailed account of how he the aspiring poet was fairing.
Subject wise his letters not only give an account of the happenings in the life of the poet but are also a testimony to the tumultuous times that Ghalib lived in. He was a witness to the age of the decline and the end of the Mughal Empire; he lived to see the revolt of 1857 and also its bloody aftermath. So apart from their literary relevance, these letters also have a historical relevance as they provide a detailed first hand account of the life and times of Delhi during the period. Ghalib’s letters, especially those after the revolt and re-capture of Delhi by the British reveal the poignant pain and agony of a man who sees his city and also his way of life that he so loved and admired, brutally ravaged and destroyed by the British. Many of his close friends and admirers were either killed or had to relocate to other cities.
Incidentally, Ghalib did not react with great enthusiasm when the idea of publishing his letters was first put before him by his publisher friend, Munshi Shiv Narayan. However, with the passage of time and some cajoling, he agreed and his letters, totaling 873 were first published in 1865, under the title “Ood-e-Hindi’.
I found this veritable treasure trove, the audio of “Ghalib ke Khatoot”, on Youtube, posted by Mirza Jamal, who posts there as Mahakavi. He kindly consented to my request and made a playlist of his postings so that I could post it on my blog. Sukriya Mirza Saheb. So here it is for you to enjoy…
P.S: This “Ghalib ke Khatoot” is a three cassette series of Ghalib’s letters recited by Zia Mohyeddin in his inimitable style brought out by EMI, Pakistan. I am surprised as to why no music company in India has launched it in India so far considering the number of Ghalib fans that abound. Some pain we had in getting our copy.

Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:50:00 +0000

hazaaro.n Khvaahishe.n aisii ki har Khvaaish pe dam nikale
bahut nikale mere armaa.N lekin phir bhii kam nikale
[khwaish: desire]

हज़ारों ख्वाहिशें ऐसी के हर ख्वाहिश पे दम निकले
बहुत निकले मेरे अरमान लेकिन फिर भी कम निकले।

I have a thousand desires, all desires worth dying for
Though many of my desires were fulfilled, majority remained unfulfilled.

This is another philosophical sher of Ghalib. Here he talks about human desires which define human existence. Life is all about desires. While some of these desires do get fulfilled, others don’t. With the passage of time new desires keep getting added in this long list of desires. So even if many of a man’s desires are fulfilled, he is never satisfied, for many still remain unfulfilled.

Dare kyuu.N meraa qaatil kyaa rahegaa usakii gardan par
vo Khuu.N jo chashm-e-tar se umr bhar yuu.N dam-ba-dam nikale
[chashm-e-tar: wet eyes; dam-ba-dam: continuously]

डरे क्यों मेरा कातिल, क्या रहेगा उसकी गर्दन पर
वो खून, जो चस्म-ए-तर से उम्र भर यूं दम-बा-दम निकले।

Why should my murderer/killer be afraid for what will remain on her neck?
This blood that has flowed continuously from my wet eyes throughout life.

Ghalib asks his slayer (his beloved), why she fears slaying him? No blood will remain on her neck (hand), even if she slays him for he has no blood left in him. All his blood has flown continuously through his eyes all his life. So she need not fear any legal or moral compunction in killing him. She will not be punished for slaying him.

nikalanaa Khuld se aadam kaa sunate aaye hai.n lekin
bahut be-aabaruu hokar tere kuuche se ham nikale
[Khuld: paradise; be-aabaruu: disgrace; kuuchaa: street]

निकलना खुल्द से आदम का सुनते आए थे लेकिन
बहुत बे-आबरू होकर तेरे कुचे से हम निकले।

We had heard of Adam’s expulsion from Paradise
With great disgrace I came out of your street.

This ‘sher’ though one of Ghalib’s of-quoted ones has been subject to various interpretations by scholars. While the apparent meaning is pretty clear, some of the different interpretations are like, (a) while the fate of Adam was long in the past, I suffer this disgrace now (b) people have heard about Adam’s case and so sympathize with his suffering, I have suffered no less. Hali (Ghalib’s student) says that the addition of the word ‘bahut’ implied that his disgrace was far greater than Adam’s. Take your pick…

huii is daur me.n ma.nsuub mujhase baadaa-ashaamii
phir aayaa vo zamaana jo jahaa.N se jaam-e-jam nikale
[daur: era, ma.nsuub: association, baada-aashaami: wine drinking]
[jam-e-jam: goblet of King Jamshed]

हुई इस दौर में मनसूब मुझसे बाद:असामी
फिर आया वह ज़माना जो जहाँ में जाम-ए-जम निकले।

In this era wine drinking has become associated with me
The time has come for the Goblet of King Jamshed to re-appear in this world.

Ghalib says that in this era wine drinking has become synonymous with his name. So the time for King Jamshed’s goblet to reappear has come. It is believed that King Jamshed was the discoverer of wine and goblet. Here he compares his prowess of drinking to King Jamshed.

huii jinase tavaqqo Khastagii kii daad paane kii
vo hamase bhii ziyaadaa Khastaa-e-teG-e-sitam nikale
[tavaqqo:expectation; Khastagii:injury, daad: appreciation]
[Khasta: broken/sick/injured, teg-e-sitam: sword of cruelty]

हुई जिनसे तवाक्को खस्तगी की दाद पाने की
वो हमसे भी ज्यादा खास्त:-ए-तेग-ए-सितम निकले

From those whom I expected appreciation of my wounds
They turned out to be even more wounded by the swords of tyranny.

Another of Ghalib’s sher subject to multiple interpretations and also according to us, philosophical. Here he says that how could he expect any appreciation of his sufferings, when others suffer more than him. In this world everyone seeks understanding of their own problems but fail to realize that others have problems too and that their problems may be of a far greater magnitude than ours. Some writers have interpreted it as Ghalib’s lament as to how his beloved could appreciate his wounded feelings when her own feelings had been wounded by someone else i.e. her love for the other person had not been reciprocated.

muhabbat me.n nahii.n hai farq jiine aur marane kaa
usii ko dekh kar jiite hai.n jis kaafir pe dam nikale
[dam nikalna: to die]

मुहब्बत में नहीं है फर्क जीने और मरने का
उसी को देख कर जीते हैं, जिस काफिर पे दम निकले।

In love there is no difference between life and death
I live to see her, the one, over who I die.

In love, the boundary between life and death is erased. One thinks of the lover all the time, lives in the hope of seeing her, and is ready to lay down his life for her. Well, slightly run of the mill stuff from Ghalib, this one.

Kahaa.N maiKhaane ka daravaazaa 'Ghalib' aur kahaa.N vaaiz
par itanaa jaanate hai.n kal vo jaataa thaa ke ham nikale
[maikana: bar, vaaiz: preacher]

कहाँ मैखाने का दरवाज़ा 'ग़ालिब' और कहाँ वाइज़
पर इतना जानते हैं, कल वह जाता था के हम निकले।

Where the door to the bar, where Ghalib and where the preacher (how can you compare them)
But I know this much, yesterday, when he was going, I was coming out.

The preacher calls wine drinking all bad and goads people against it. But I guess he too has his ‘pegs’. So despite all his teachings of abstinence, he too drinks (implying that addiction to wine is universal and that drinking comes naturally to people). Now, what we like about this sher is its tongue in cheek approach. He does not directly accuse the preacher of drinking, but says yesterday he saw him ‘passing by’ the bar and so was surprised. The rest he leaves to the imagination of the reader.

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Jirahat tohfa.H

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:58:00 +0000

jirahat tohfa.H, almas armughan, daag-e-jigar hadiya.H
mubarakbad Asad, ghamkhwar-e-jaan-e-dardmand aaya.

[jirahat: wound, almas: diamond, armughan: souvenior/gift, daag-e-jigar: scars of liver, hadiya.H; offering]
[jaan-e-dardmand: sympathetic beloved]

जराहत तोहफा, अल्मास अर्मुघा, दाग-ए-जिगर हदिया
मुबारकबाद असद, गम ख्वार-ए-जाने दर्द मंद आया

The offerings of wounds, scars of liver and a diamond,
Congratulations Asad, your sympathetic beloved has arrived.

This is another sher having multiple interpretations. “Ghamkhwar-e-jaane dardmand” may refer to a friend who acts as a messenger, taking Ghalib’s message of love to his beloved. In response, Ghalib gets wounds, scars of liver/heart and a diamond from her. This diamond is either meant to be swallowed, thus lacerating his heart and jigar, or be powdered and applied to his wounds causing him great pain. Some others have interpreted “Ghamkhwar-e-jaane-dardmand” as a sarcastic reference to the beloved herself by Ghalib, who brought him these gifts.

Naqsh Fariyadi

noreply@blogger.com (mauli) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:56:00 +0000

naqsh fariyaadii hai kis kii shoKhii-e-tahariir kaa
kaaGazii hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasviir kaa
[naqsh:copy/print, fariyaad: complaint, tahariir: writing]
[kaaGazii: delicate, pairahan: dress, paikar: appearance]

नक्श फरियादी है किसकी शोखी-ए-तहरीर का
कागजी है पैराहन हर पैकर-ए-तस्वीर का।

Against whose playful writings do the words complain?
Every face here wears the attire made of paper.

This is the first sher of Diwan-e-Ghalib, and we believe most controversial, in the sense of its interpretation by various scholars. While some scholars believe that it is a sher worth its weight in gold, others call it meaningless. Our understanding is that this is not a meaningless sher, but a contrived one. Ghalib is subject to varied interpretations and he prided himself on saying difficult shers.
In this sher Ghalib complains about the existence of mankind to the Creator. ‘Naqsh’ represents mankind, which complains to the creator represented here by the ‘Tahrir’ of which it is a part. O God!, why did you create me in your playfulness? The second line elaborates this complaint by saying, “Kagazi hai pairahan har paikar-e-tasveer ka”. In ancient Persia, there was this tradition of wearing paper attire whenever any complainant went to the Sultan for the redressal of his grievance. So Ghalib laments that all existence is nothing but a complaint.

kaave-kaave saKht_jaanii haaye tanhaaii na puuchh
subah karanaa shaam kaa laanaa hai juu-e-shiir kaa
[kaave-kaave: hard work, saKht-jaanii: tough life]
[juu-e-shiir: to create a canal of milk, here means to perform an impossible task]

काव: काव: शक्त जानी हाय तन्हाई न पूछ

सुबह करना शाम का लाना है जुए-ए शीर का।

Don' t ask me the tough life that I bear in this lonliness.
Turning night into day is like digging a stream of milk through the mountains.

In this sher Ghalib compares himself to ‘Farhad’ the legendary lover, who was asked to dig the mountains so that he could draw a channel of milk. Ghalib says that the loneliness felt by him in the absence of his beloved is no less than the pain felt by Farhad. Spending the day without his beloved is as painful as the effort put in by Farhad to get is ‘ju-e-shir'.

jazbaa-e-be-iKhtiyaar-e-shauq dekhaa chaahiye
siinaa-e-shamshiir se baahar hai dam shamshiir kaa
[iKhtiyaar: authority/power]
[shamshiir: sword ]

जज्बा-ए-बेईक्तियार-ए-शौक़ देखा चाहिऐ

सीना-ए-शमशीर से बाहर है दम शमशीर का।

You must see the uncontrollable desire taking over me.
The edge of the sword unfurls from its seath.

My desire to sacrifice myself at the altar of my ‘shauq’ is so great, that even executioner i.e the sword is moved. It has come out of its sheath to grant me my wish.

aagahii daam-e-shuniidan jis qadar chaahe bichhaaye
muddaa anqaa hai apane aalam-e-taqariir kaa
[aagahii: knowledge/intution, daam: net/trap, shuniid=to hear]
[anqaa: Unicorn, aalam: world/universe, taqriir: speech/discourse ]

आगाही दाम-ए-शुनिदन जिस कदर चाहे बिछाए

मुद्दा अनका है अपने आलम-ए-तक़रीर का।

No matter how much intellect spreads its nets of hearing
My expressions shall always be beyond comprehension.

Ghalib was accused during his times of saying shers difficult for people to understand. Those who have seen Gulzar’s serial on Mirza Ghalib would remember the first mushaira at the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar where he was invited for a recitation. He recites this very Ghazal, and gets no ‘daad’ because no one could comprehend his ‘shers’. Ghalib never refuted this charge, instead took pride in saying difficult shers. Remember his quote;

“Na satais.H ki tamanna, na sile ki parwaH,
Gar nahin hein mere ashar mein mane, na sahi”.

In this sher, he goes a step further and adds that his shers are beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals. He says, how so ever hard your intellect seeks to understand my writings; they will always be beyond your comprehension, for it is like a Unicorn (a bird which does not exist). We guess it was a snide comment by Ghalib on the intellectual capabilities of his contemporary ‘shouras’.

bas ke huu.N 'Ghalib' asiirii me.n bhii aatish zar-e-pa
muu-e-aatish_diidaa hai halqaa merii za.njiir kaa
[asiirii: imprisonment/captivity, zar-e-pa=under the feet]
[muu: hair, aatish-diidaa: roasted on fire, halqaa: ring/circle]

बस के हूँ ग़ालिब असीरी में भी आतिश जार-ए-पा

मू-ए-आतिश दीदा है हल्का मेरी ज़ंजीर का।

Even in captivity, there is fire underneath my feet, 'Ghalib'
The chains that bind me are merely rings of roasted hair.

Here Ghalib talks about his being free from all chains/bondages. He says nothing can enchain him. Even in captivity, he remains free, for his impatience and passion burnn like a smoldering fire converting his chains to half burned hairs. Ghalib becomes philosophical here and says even while he exists in this world, his passion for sacrifice makes him free from all bondages.

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