Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit amarnath sahir dehlavi (1863-1962) was deeply affected by the cultural degeneration following the 1857 war. He turned to themes of mysticism in his poetry. He was a scholar of sanskrit, arabi and faarsi. This is one of a series of Ghazal styled after Ghalib’s ‘saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN’.
1
hai soz¹-e ishq² dil meN keh aKhgar³ hai taab⁴ meN
toofaN hai chashm⁵-e tar⁶ meN keh darya⁷ habaab⁸ meN   1.fire, passion 2.love 3.flame, fire, ashes 4.heat 5.eye 6.wet, tearful 7.sea 8.bubble
The heart burns with the passion of love like a fire burning everything to ashes. There is a storm in the tearful eye like a rive flowing out of a bubble. There is probably meant to be a parallelism between the two misra … the heart is like a bubble with fire rising from it and the eye is like a bubble with raining storm coming from it. Both are expressions of the passion of love (of the divine).
2
husn-e-azal¹ ayaaN² hai ruKh³-e aaftaab⁴ meN
Khurshiid⁵ jaise aks-figan⁶ ruu⁷-e aab⁸ meN    1.eteranl beauty, god 2.manifest 3.face 4.sun 5.sun 6.casting/dropping reflection/image 7.face 8.water
The parallelism here is that eternal beauty (god) is reflected in the sun just like the sun is reflected in water. The sun is a pale manifestation of the real glory of god just like the reflection in water is a pale manifestation of the sun’s brilliance. Another parallelism is that you cannot directly look at the sun, but can see its reflection. Much like you cannot see god but only its manifestation as the cosmos.
3
mohr¹-e sukoot² lab³ pe lagi pech-o-taab⁴ meN
soorat⁵ sukoon⁶ ki hai ayaaN⁷ izteraab⁸ meN    1.seal 2.silence 3.lips 4.restlessness 5.picture, image 6.tranquility 7.manifest, appearing 8.restlessness
The poet/lover is restless for union with the beloved. But his lips have been sealed with the stamp of silence. Because of that even in restlessness he presents an image of tranquility and peace.
4
vahm¹-e nazar² jahaaN³ meN raha jalva-e-hayaat⁴
ek bahr⁵ mauj-zan⁶ nazar aaya saraab⁷ meN    1.illusion 2.eyes, sight 3.world 4.splendour/beauty/manifestation of life 5.ocean 6.making waves 7.mirage
In a mirage you can see an illusion of an ocean making waves. Just like that the beauty and the pleasures of this material life are nothing but an illusion.
5
vo naGhma¹, saaz²-e dil ki sadaa³-e shikast⁴ hai
dar-parda⁵ goonj⁶ jis ki hai taar⁷-e rabaab⁸ meN   1.song 2.musical instrument, lute 3.sound 4.breaking, defeat 5.behind the veil 6.echo 7.string 8.stringed musical instrument similar to a sarod
Hidden behind the veil of the echo of the string of the rabaab is really the song/sound of a breaking heart (of the musical instrument of the heart). There is a parallelism between the two misra. Among music lovers the plucking of strings is considered painful for the musical instrument and the sadness of this experience manifests itself as music. The broken heart of the poet/lover manifests itself as a song/Ghazal.
6
tha husn¹-e be-misaal² pe kitna unheN Ghuroor³
timsaal⁴ aaiine ne dikha dii javaab⁵ meN    1.beauty 2.without equal, peerless 3.pride 4.example 5.answer
Oh, how proud she was of her unequaled beauty. In answer the mirror showed her an example/equal. Another way of saying that the only one equal to her in beauty is her reflection. No one else. This could be about ‘husn-e-azal’-divine beauty. That beauty is reflected in the mirror of creation.
7
jaam¹-e mai²-e alast³ se tha raNg⁴-e beKhudi⁵
husn-e-azal⁶ hai zauq⁷-e Khudi⁸ se hijaab⁹ meN    1.cup 2.wine (of divine love) 3.am I not (see notes below) 4.style 5.trance 6.eternal beauty, divinity 7.wish, desire 8.self, identity, uniqueness 9.veil
This has reference to an aayat of the qur’aan – 7:172. It is written that at the time of creation god gathered all proto-creatures and asked “alastu be rabb-e kum” – “am I not your lord”. It is generally considered that that is the time when creatures and creator were closest to each other. Once they were actually created, the distance between them increased. Thus, the poet says, when I had the cup of wine (divine love) at the time of creation (when god said … alastu …), I was in a trance of intoxication (with love). Now eternal beauty/divinity is hidden behind a veil to preserve its uniqueness.
8
jalve¹ meri nigaah² meN haiN kaif³-e mast⁴ huN
bedaariyauN⁵ ke naqsh⁶ numaayaaN⁷ haiN Khwaab⁸ meN    1.pictures, visions 2.sight 3.contentment, comfort 4.intoxication 5.wakefulness 6.sketches, marks 7.emerging, prominent 8.dream, sleep
The poet/sufi/devotee has (divine) visions/glories in his sight. As a result of this he is intoxicated with the love of the divine and quite content. His life (life on earth) is like a dream. But because he has awareness of divine visions (possible union with the great spirit) it is as if he is awake to that possibility.
9
taaka¹ vo dil jo taalib²-e diidaar³ tha tera
ek barq⁴-e tuur⁵ thi nigah⁶-e inteKhaab⁷ meN 1.look intently, stare, search 2.seeker 3.vision 4.lightning 5.mount tuur, Sinai peak 6.sight, eyes 7.selection, choice
‘barq-e tuur’ – flash of lightning that moosa is supposed to have seen on mount tuur is symbolic of divine manifestation. The poet/devotee had selected/desired to see that manifestation. That is why his eyes kept looking intently, kept searching for that sight.
10
jumla¹ nuqoosh²-e aab³ ki hai aab³ asliyaat⁴
baad⁵-e Ghuroor⁶ naqsh²-e fanaa⁷ hai habaab⁸ meN 1.total 2.marks, sketches 3.water 4.reality 5.air 6.hubris 7.annihilation 8.bubble
All creation is like marks/sketches/bubbles on water. They will get washed away or they burst. They are not permanent. Their reality is like water – shapeless. Life is like a bubble and the bubble is full of air of hubris/ego. When the bubble bursts and ego is let go, then it achieves ‘fanaa’ – annihilation – it loses its identity and merges with the divine spirit.
11
Gham-aashna¹ azal² se haiN hum kaafiraan³-e ishq⁴
rahne do Khair⁵ se hameN haal⁶-e Kharaab⁷ meN 1.familiar with pain (of universal love) 2.beginning, eternity 3.non-believers (in conventional rituals/faith) 4.(universal) love 5.safety 6.condition 7.intoxication
The poet/sufi and other devotees like him are kaafir – non-believers in conventional faith. They believe in universal love – love of the divine. They have been familiar with this right from the beginning. He says, leave us alone, let us be in our state of intoxication/trance.
12
rindaan¹-e baada-nosh² ki rooh-e-ravaaN³ hai vo
umm-ul-Khabaaes⁴ aaii jo umm-ul-kitaab⁵ meN    1.intoxicated, drunk 2.wine drinkers 3.moving spirit, motivating force 4.mother of deprivation (wine) 5.mother of books (holy books)
The poet sarcastically refers to the wine of universal/divine love as umm-ul-Khabaaes, because conventional wine is referred to as that. All holy books refer to (conventional) wine as a source of depravity. But here, by a sleight of hand the poet/devotee uses it to mean wine of universal love. For us, drunkards who drink this wine (of universal love), it is the moving spirit. This may also be a dig at holy books which claim exclusivity of faith rather than universality of the human spirit.
13
saahir¹ Ghariiq²-e rahmat³-e parvardigaar⁴ hai
le Doobi beKhudi⁵ use jaam⁶-e sharaab meN   1.pen-name of the poet 2.drowned in, overwhelmed by 3.benevolence 4.god 5.trance, intoxication 6.cup
saahir, the poet/devotee/sufi is overwhelmed by the generosity/benevolence of god because his trance drowns him the wine of universal love.