For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
گوش بر آواز ۔ اصغرؔ گونڈوی
۱
نہ کُھلے عقدہ ہائے ناز و نیاز
حسن بھی راز اور عشق بھی راز
۲
راز کی جستجو میں مرتا ہوں
اور میں خود ہوں ایک پردۂ راز
۳
بال و پر میں مگر کہاں پائیں
بوئے گل یعنی ہِمّتِ پرواز
۴
سازِ دل کیا ہوا وہ ٹوٹا سا
ساری ہستی ہے گوش بر آواز
۵
لذّتِ سجدہ ہائے شوق نہ پوچھ
ہائے وہ اِتّصالِ ناز و نیاز
۶
دیکھ رعنائیِ حقیقت کو
عشق نے بھر دیا ہے رنگِ مجاز
۷
سازِ ہستی کا جائزہ کیسا
تار کیا، دیکھ تار کی آواز
गोश-बर-आवाज़ – अस्ग़र गोंडवी
१
न खुले उक़्दा-हा-ए नाज़-ओ-नियाज़
हुस्न भी राज़ और इश्क़ भी राज़
२
राज़ की जुस्तुजू में मरता हूँ
और मैं ख़ुद हूँ एक पर्दा-ए राज़
३
बाल-ओ-पर में मगर कहाँ पाएँ
बू-ए गुल यानी हिम्मत-ए पर्वाज़
४
साज़-ए दिल क्या हुआ वो टूटा सा
सारी हस्ती है गोश-बर-आवाज़
५
लज़्ज़त-ए सज्दा-हा-ए शौक़ न पूछ
हाए वो इत्तसाल-ए नाज़-ओ-नियाज़
६
देख रानाई-ए हकीक़त को
इश्क़ ने भर दिया है रंग-ए मजाज़
७
साज़-ए हस्ती का जाएज़ा कैसा
तार क्या, देख तार की आवाज़
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. asGhar husain asGhar gonDvi (1884-1936) from a family of limited means in gorakhpur, he learnt urdu, arabi, faarsi and English through personal effort. He has a philosophical sufiyaana bent. This is linked to a series of Ghair mudarraf Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib’s “maiN huN apni shikast ki aavaaz”. Considering the poet’s life-span and historical and legacy events in Ghalib’s lifetime, I date this Ghazal to 1919 – marking fifty years after his death.
1
na khule uqda1-haa-e naaz2-o-niyaaz3
husn4 bhi raaz5 aur ishq6 bhi raaz 1.knots, mysteries 2.coquetry, bashfulness 3.devotional offering, love 4.beauty 5.mysteries 6.love
In poetic and sufiyaana tradition naaz and husn can refer to the beloved and also to god. Both are beautiful/grand and both hide behind a veil. niyaaz and ishq are used to refer to the poet/lover or the sufi/devotee. Both make offerings of love or devotion. Humanity has been trying forever but the mysteries of lover-beloved, god-devotee are still not solved – the knots have still not been unraveled, both god and the nature of devotion remain mysterious.
2
raaz1 ki justuju2 meN martaa huN
aur maiN Khud huN ek parda3-e raaz1 1.mystery 2.search, seeking 3.veil, curtain, screen
I die, seeking the solution to (divine) mystery. And yet, I myself am a mystery hidden behind a veil i.e., I do not know my own reality. Alternatively, I die seeking a solution even though I am the screen on which on which the divine mystery is reflected.
3
baal-o-par1 meN magar kahaaN paa’eN2
buu-e gul yaani3 himmat4-e parvaaz5 1.wings and feathers 2.obtain, receive 3.meaning 4.courage, daring 5.flight
The fragrance of the rose spreads far and wide without impedance and without any wings and feathers. The shaa’er calls this the meaning of, i.e., similar to, the courage to fly. Thus, where can I find the courage/strength in wings and feathers that can make me fly/spread freely like the fragrance of rose i.e., let my imagination go to enable me to find a solution to this mystery.
4
saaz1-e dil kya hua vo TuuTa saa
saari hasti2 hai gosh3-bar4-aavaaz 1.musical instrument, harp 2.existence, life 3.ear 4.on
The whole universe is all ears, waiting to hear. Whatever has happened to the broken harp of my heart i.e., if the poet has the right emotions (staunch belief in universal divinity) then the harp of his heart would be able to make music that the whole world will be able to hear, even if the harp is somewhat damaged/imperfect. But it seems like he has lost that emotional spirit and the world is left straining to hear. Perhaps he is talking about his own verse composition.
5
lazzat1-e sajda-haa2-e shauq3 na poochh
haa’e vo ittesaal4-e naaz5-o-niyaaz6 1.pleasure 2.bowing down, prostrations (haa-in faarsi, makes it plural) 3.desire, love 4.union 5.coquetry, bashfulness 6.devotional offering.
As noted above naaz-niyaaz are used for beloved-lover or god-devotee. Prostrations of love are like the union of beloved-lover or of god-devotee. Such unions give great pleasure and the poet does not have words to describe it.
6
dekh raanaaii1-e haqiiqat2 ko
ishq3 ne bhar diyaa hai raNg-e majaaz4 1.beauty, glory 2.reality, truth 3.love/bhakti 5.illusion
In sufi thought ‘ishq-e haqiiqi’ and ‘ishq-e majaazi’ are terms used to mean love of the divine beloved vs love as represented by the bhakti tradition. bhakti is supposed to create a pathway to the divine. Thus, love/bhakti/sufiyaana trance has painted the glory of the divine in the colours of ‘ishq-e majaazi’. Through this contemplate divine glory, says the shaa’er.
7
saaz1-e hasti2 ka jaa’eza3 kaisaa
taar4 kya dekh taar ki aavaaz 1.musical instrument, harp 2.existence, life 3.exploration, examination 4.string
The harp and its strings are used here like the divine being and the music it creates is the universe/existence/life. Thus, why are you stuck contemplating or trying to understand the string, just look at/contemplate its sound/music. This is similar to trying to reach ‘ishq-e haqiiqi’ through ‘ishq-e majaazi’.
asGhar husain asGhar gonDvi (1884-1936) from a family of limited means in gorakhpur, he learnt urdu, arabi, faarsi and English through personal effort. He has a philosophical sufiyaana bent. This is linked to a series of Ghair mudarraf Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib’s “maiN huN apni shikast ki aavaaz”. Considering the poet’s life-span and historical and legacy events in Ghalib’s lifetime, I date this Ghazal to 1919 – marking fifty years after his death.
1
na khule uqda1-haa-e naaz2-o-niyaaz3
husn4 bhi raaz5 aur ishq6 bhi raaz
1.knots, mysteries 2.coquetry, bashfulness 3.devotional offering, love 4.beauty 5.mysteries 6.love
In poetic and sufiyaana tradition naaz and husn can refer to the beloved and also to god. Both are beautiful/grand and both hide behind a veil. niyaaz and ishq are used to refer to the poet/lover or the sufi/devotee. Both make offerings of love or devotion. Humanity has been trying forever but the mysteries of lover-beloved, god-devotee are still not solved – the knots have still not been unraveled, both god and the nature of devotion remain mysterious.
2
raaz1 ki justuju2 meN martaa huN
aur maiN Khud huN ek parda3-e raaz1
1.mystery 2.search, seeking 3.veil, curtain, screen
I die, seeking the solution to (divine) mystery. And yet, I myself am a mystery hidden behind a veil i.e., I do not know my own reality. Alternatively, I die seeking a solution even though I am the screen on which on which the divine mystery is reflected.
3
baal-o-par1 meN magar kahaaN paa’eN2
buu-e gul yaani3 himmat4-e parvaaz5
1.wings and feathers 2.obtain, receive 3.meaning 4.courage, daring 5.flight
The fragrance of the rose spreads far and wide without impedance and without any wings and feathers. The shaa’er calls this the meaning of, i.e., similar to, the courage to fly. Thus, where can I find the courage/strength in wings and feathers that can make me fly/spread freely like the fragrance of rose i.e., let my imagination go to enable me to find a solution to this mystery.
4
saaz1-e dil kya hua vo TuuTa saa
saari hasti2 hai gosh3-bar4-aavaaz
1.musical instrument, harp 2.existence, life 3.ear 4.on
The whole universe is all ears, waiting to hear. Whatever has happened to the broken harp of my heart i.e., if the poet has the right emotions (staunch belief in universal divinity) then the harp of his heart would be able to make music that the whole world will be able to hear, even if the harp is somewhat damaged/imperfect. But it seems like he has lost that emotional spirit and the world is left straining to hear. Perhaps he is talking about his own verse composition.
5
lazzat1-e sajda-haa2-e shauq3 na poochh
haa’e vo ittesaal4-e naaz5-o-niyaaz6
1.pleasure 2.bowing down, prostrations (haa-in faarsi, makes it plural) 3.desire, love 4.union 5.coquetry, bashfulness 6.devotional offering.
As noted above naaz-niyaaz are used for beloved-lover or god-devotee. Prostrations of love are like the union of beloved-lover or of god-devotee. Such unions give great pleasure and the poet does not have words to describe it.
6
dekh raanaaii1-e haqiiqat2 ko
ishq3 ne bhar diyaa hai raNg-e majaaz4
1.beauty, glory 2.reality, truth 3.love/bhakti 5.illusion
In sufi thought ‘ishq-e haqiiqi’ and ‘ishq-e majaazi’ are terms used to mean love of the divine beloved vs love as represented by the bhakti tradition. bhakti is supposed to create a pathway to the divine. Thus, love/bhakti/sufiyaana trance has painted the glory of the divine in the colours of ‘ishq-e majaazi’. Through this contemplate divine glory, says the shaa’er.
7
saaz1-e hasti2 ka jaa’eza3 kaisaa
taar4 kya dekh taar ki aavaaz
1.musical instrument, harp 2.existence, life 3.exploration, examination 4.string
The harp and its strings are used here like the divine being and the music it creates is the universe/existence/life. Thus, why are you stuck contemplating or trying to understand the string, just look at/contemplate its sound/music. This is similar to trying to reach ‘ishq-e haqiiqi’ through ‘ishq-e majaazi’.
