Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. bahaadur shaah zafar (1775-1862) became titular/nominal emperor of India in 1837. He was a scholar of faarsi and arabi and started composing at an early age. zauq and after zauq’s death in 1854, Ghalib became his ustaad. zafar used to hold frequent mushaa’era in the Red Fort. This Ghazal (1847) is one of series which most probably was composed for such a mushaa’era – see other posts in the same zamin by zauq, Ghalib, shefta, momin and aazurda.
1
jab mun’akis¹ ho vo ruKh²-e raushan³ sharaab meN
kya farq⁴ ho sharaab meN aur aaftaab⁵ meN 1.reflected 2.face 3.shining 4.difference 5.sun
When the beloved’s shining face is reflected in wine, then the wine itself becomes so bright that there remains no difference between it and the sun
2
aaNsu¹ na samjho ye mere chashm²-e pur-aab³ meN
e’jaaz⁴ se hai ishq⁵ ka darya⁶ habaab⁷ meN    1.tears 2.eyes 3.watery 4.miracle 5.love 6.river, sea 7.bubble
Do not think of these as tears in my watery eyes. It is a miracle of love that a river flows out of a bubble. Each tear drop is like a bubble and it contains a river of love.
3
allah ri sharm¹ aaye jo vo shab² ko Khwaab³ meN
pinhaaN⁴ rakha hijaab⁵ se muN ko naqaab⁶ meN    1.bashfulness 2.night 3.dream 4.hidden 5.used here to mean shyness 6.veil
By god, look at how bashful she is. When she appeared in my dream last night, she kept her face veiled out of shyness.
4
Khushboo jo hai pasiine¹ meN aye gulbadan² tere
ne³ vo gulaab⁴ meN hai na atr⁵-e gulaab meN    1.sweat 2.rose-bodied, beloved 3.neither 4.rose 5.perfume
The fragrance of your sweat, O beloved, can be found neither in the rose nor in rose perfume.
5
dil mera ek kya, keh hazaaroN hi us ne dil
baandhe kamand¹-e kaakul²-e pur-pechtaab³ meN 1.lasso, noose 2.forelocks 3.(full of) dense dark curls
It is not just the poet/lover’s heart, there are thousands of hearts tied up in the dark, dense curly forelocks of the beloved.
6
mere dil-e shikast¹ meN aa kar raheN vo kya
rahta hai kaun aise makaan²-e Kharaab³ meN    1.broken 2.house 3.dilapidated, ruined
Why would she come into my broken heart. Who lives in a dilapidated house like this.
7
yuN aaNsuoN ke saath piya hum ne Khoon-e dil
jaise mila ke piite haiN paani sharaab meN    The implication is that there is liberal dilution of (expensive) wine with (free) water. “aaNsu piina” is an expression that means bear sorrow with fortitude. “Khoon ke aaNsu” piina reflects the intensity of sorrow. Thus there is a liberal mixture of the heart of the blood in his tears like that of water in wine. Does this also imply that he is so sorrowful that he cries tears of blood; his blood is freely available.
8
minnat-kash¹-e ajal² na hum keh ho gaya
kaam apna teri ek nigaah³-e itaab⁴ meN 1.obliged to 2.death 3.glance 4.anger
‘kaam ho jaan’ or ‘kaam puura ho jaana’ is an expression that is used to mean that someone has died. Thus, the poet did not become obliged to (the angel of) death. One angry glance of the beloved completed the job.
9
us be-vafa¹ ko do na dil apna tum aye zafar²
Daalo na apni jaan ko dekho azaab³ meN    1.faithless 2.penname of the poet 3.used here to mean torture
The beloved is always faithless – not reciprocating the poet/lover’s feelings and stringing along many rivals. Thus, O zafar, do not give your heart to that faithless one. Do not put your life through this torture.