Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. kripaal siNgh bedaar (1916-1977), shaiKhupura. His family had no background in shaa’eri but he started composing while still in school. In dayaal siNgh college he won student competitions in a mushaa’era and came to the notice of taajvar najeebaabaadi professor of urdu and faarsi at the time. Later he became his ustaad/mentor. He had to flee to India under very difficult circumstances and lost all financial means. Finally, in 1967 he became lecturer in punjab university, paTiala. His collection was published in 1977 with a grant from the punjab government. In this collection he has a nazm which describes how he saved a muslim girl from being raped by a sikh mob. Another nazm describes his pain at the loss of home. This Ghazal is composed with same radeef and qaafiya as Ghalib’s ‘saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN’ and is linked to ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
allah re husn¹-e dost² ka aalam³ naqaab⁴ meN
jalvoN⁵ meN hai hijaab⁶ keh jalve hijaab meN   1.beauty 2.friend, beloved 3.condition, state 4.veil 5.face, image, beauty 6.veil
By god, look at the state of glory of the beloved behind the veil. The veil itself looks glorious, or is it that beauty behind the veil is filtering through.
2
har shai¹ bahaar²-e husn³ ki aaiina-daar⁴ hai
ye kaun jach⁵ gaya nigah-e-inteKhaab⁶ meN   1.(every) thing 2.spring, blooming flowers 3.beauty 4.holding mirror, reflection 5.evaluated (and found suitable/fitting) 6.selective/discriminating eye
Everything (about the beloved) reflects the beauty of blooming flowers. Who is it who has overwhelmed my selective/discriminating eye.
3
baiThe hue haiN kishti-e hasti¹ meN tishna-lab²
kya jaaniye keh bahr³ meN haiN yaa saraab⁴ meN 1.being, existence, life 2.thirsty lips 3.sea, ocean 4.mirage
We are floating in the boat of life, but are thirsty. Who knows if we are in the ocean or in a mirage. The mirage is an illusion that appears in the desert, where travelers are thirsty. The analogy is that life in the material world is an illusion like a mirage. It cannot satisfy our thirst (for union with the divine).
4
dil meN Khayaal¹-e marg² khaTkta³ hai raat-din
kya lutf⁴-e zindagi hai jahaan-e-Kharaab⁵ meN    1.thought, used here to mean fear 2.death 3.anticipation 4.pleasure 5.material world
We live in fear of anticipating our death day and night. What pleasure is there of life in this world.
5
saaqi hamaari tauba¹-e sabr-aazma² na ho
ye durd³ si hai kya tah⁴-e jaam⁵-e sharaab meN    1.repentence, forswear 2.patience trying 3.dregs, left over 4.bottom 5.cup
The poet/reveler has forsworn any more wine-drinking. This is trying his patience. He looks into the cup and sees the dregs of the last serving at the bottom and says – O saaqi this may be our patience trying penitence.
6
aah¹-e asiir²-e daam³ ka anjaam⁴ dekhna
apni sadaa⁵ bhi aaii na vaapas⁶ javaab⁷ meN   1.sigh 2.captive 3.net, web 4.result 5.voice, cry 6.return 7.answer
Look at the ineffective sigh of the bird captures in the bird-catcher’s net. Even his own cry does not return in answer.
7
pesh¹-e nazar² samaaN³ hai vahi bazm-e-dost⁴ ka
shaa’ed⁵ abhi hai diida⁶-e bedaar⁷ Khwaab⁸ meN    1.in front of, before 2.eyes 3.scene 4.gathering of the beloved 5.perhaps 6.eyes 7.awake, aware, also pen-name of the poet 8.sleep, dream
There is a nice juxtaposition of awake and asleep and double use of the word ‘Khwaab’. Before my eyes lingers the scene of the gathering around the beloved (from last night). Perhaps the eyes of bedaar are still dreaming/asleep.