For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
کرشمہ اُس بُتِ بے پیر کا ۔ پنڈت جواہر ناتھ ساقیؔ
۱
جلوہ دیکھا ہے یہ کس خورشیدِ پُر تنویر کا
مہر ذرّہ بن گیا ہے حسنِ عالم گیر کا
۲
ابروۓ پُر خم کے آگے میری گردن خم ہوئی
طوقِ گردن بن گیا حلقہ مری زنجیر کا
۳
جادۂ تسخیر پر آنے لگا ہے اب وہ شوخ
کچھ اثر ہونے لگا ہے آہِ پُر تاثیر کا
۴
ہو گیا اس کا تصوّر بھی ہے خلوت آفریں
دل میں جلوہ ہو رہا ہے یار کی تصویر کا
۵
سرد مہری سے تمہاری کانپتا ہے میرا دل
گرمیِ صحبت میں بھی عالم ہوا کشمیر کا
۶
سوختہ جانوں کے آگے گل کترتا ہے غضب
حال کیا تم پوچھتے ہو شمع سے گلگیر کا
۷
اپنے حسنِ خود نما پر ہو گیا خودبیں وہ شوخ
دیکھنا ساقی کرشمہ اُس بُتِ بے پیر کا
करिश्मा उस बुत-ए बे-पीर का – पंडित जवाहर नाथ साक़ी
१
जल्वा देखा है ये किस ख़ुर्शीद-ए पुर तनवीर का
महर ज़र्रा बन गया है हुस्न-ए आलमगीर का
२
अब्रू-ए पुरख़म के आगे मेरी गरदन ख़म हुई
तौक़-ए गरदन बन गया ह़ल्क़ा मेरी ज़ंजीर का
३
जादा-ए तस्ख़ीर पर आने लगा है अब वो शूख़
कुछ असर होने लगा है आह-ए पुर तासीर का
४
हो गया उस का तसव्वुर भी है ख़िल्वत आफ़्रीं
दिल में जल्वा हो रहा है यार की तस्वीर का
५
सर्द मोहरी से तुम्हारी कांपता है मेरा दिल
गर्मी-ए सोहबत में भी आलम हुआ कशमीर का
६
सोख़ता जानों के आगे दिल कतरता है ग़ज़ब
हाल क्या तुम पूछते हो शम’अ से गुल्गीर का
७
अपने हुस्न-ए ख़ुदनुमा पर हो गया ख़ुदबीं वो शूख़
देखना साक़ी करिश्मा उस बुत-ए बे-पीर का
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit javaahar nath saaqi (1864-1916) was born into a kashmiiri panDit family with a long history of serving the emperor starting with akbar. It also had an equally long list of urdu shu’ara. He himself lived under straitened conditions, like a jogi/sufi. He had the good fortune to receive advice/correction for his compositions from three of Ghalib’s shaagird – hargopal tufta, mohammed zakariah zaki, and qurbaan ali saalik. This Ghazal, in the style of Ghalib’s ‘naqsh faryaadi hai kis ki shooKhi-e tahriir ka’, is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
jalva1 dekha hai ye kis Khurshiid2-e pur-tanviir3 ka
mahr4 zarra5 ban gaya hai husn6-e aalamgiir7 ka 1.face, image, manifestation 2.sun 3.full of brilliance 4.sun 5.grain, particle, speck 6.beauty 7.world conquering
The sun must have seen the image/manifestation of an even more brilliant sun (divine brilliance), that is why it has become like a grain of that world conquering beauty. Thus, the divine is like a sun of ultimate brilliance, it is the overarching beauty of the universe and the sun that we see is a mere speck reflecting its glory.
2
abru1-e pur-Kham2 ke aage meri gardan Kham3 hui
tauq4-e gardan ban gaya halqa5 meri zanjiir6 ka 1.eye-brow 2.full arch 3.bend, bow 4.neck chains, shackles 5.circle, ring 6.chain
The poet/lover bows before the arch of the beloved’s arched eyebrow. ‘tauq-e gardan ban jaana’ means to be bound by. The poet/lover is bound in love. The circle formed by the arched brow and bowed head has become a link of the chain around his neck. This could well apply to the divine beloved.
3
jaada1-e tasKhiir2 par aane laga hai ab vo shooKh3
kuchh asar4 hone laga hai aah5-e pur-taasiir6 ka 1.pathway 2.conquest, subjugation 3.mischievous, beloved 4.effect 5.sigh 6.full of effectiveness i.e., effective, anguished
The mischievous beloved is now taking to the path of conquest/punishment. Finally, my anguished sigh is beginning to have an effect. The implication is that the desires and values the cruelty/punishment that the beloved inflicts.
4
ho gaya us ka tasavvur1 bhi hai Khilvat2-aafriiN3
dil meN jalva4 ho raha hai yaar5 ki tasviir6 ka 1.thought, imagination, memory 2.seclusion, reclusiveness 3.welcoming 4.manifestation 5.friend, beloved 6.image
The poet/lover imagines the face of the beloved and in his imagination achieves union with her. The pleasure of this imagination is such that he begines to welcome seclusion so that he may engage in this pleasure undisturbed. The beloved’s manifestation is etching her image on his heart, which is enough for him to contemplate in seclusion.
5
sard-mohri1 se tumhaari kaaNpta2 hai mera dil
garmi3-e sohbat4 meN bhi aalam5 hua kashmiir ka 1.cold shoulder, ignoring 2.trembles 3.warmth 4.comapanionship 5.condition
‘kashmir ka aalam’ probably implies shivering/trembling in cold weather. The beloved has been behaving coldly towards the poet/lover. Even in the warmth of companionship her aloofness reminds him of shivering in the cold in kashmir.
6
soKhta1 jaanoN ke aage2 gul-katarta3 hai Ghazab4
haal5 tum kya poochte ho sham’a6 se gulgiir7 ka 1.burning, passionate 2.in front of, face to face 3.doing something refined 4.what calamity 5.condition 6.lamp, candle 7.special scissors used to trim burnt out wicks
The candle is ‘soKhta jaan’ – its soul burning with passion. ‘gul katarna’ – trimming a rose – is used to convey several meanings including the range from – creating beauty/refinement to making mischief/criticizing. Both of these ends of the range of meanings can be applied in interpretation. The poet/lover is also ‘soKhta jaan’, burning with passion. The sham’a is symbolic of the poet. Someone approaches it with a gulgiir to trim the wick. How can I describe the condition of the candle when this happens! Depending on the interpretation of ‘gul katarna’ used the poet could either be elated or aaprehensive.
7
apne husn1-e Khud-numa2 par ho gaya Khud-biiN3 vo shooKh4
dekhna saaqi5 karishma6 us but7-e be-piir8 ka 1.beauty 2.self-revealing 3.self-regarding 4.mischievous, beloved, divine 5.pen-name of the poet 6.miracle, enchantment 7.idol, beauty, beloved 8.without equal
This refers to divine beauty. It reveals/manifests itself in every particle of the universe. But then it becomes absorbed in regarding its own beauty. O saaqi, look at the enchantment of this unequalled beauty.
panDit javaahar nath saaqi (1864-1916) was born into a kashmiiri panDit family with a long history of serving the emperor starting with akbar. It also had an equally long list of urdu shu’ara. He himself lived under straitened conditions, like a jogi/sufi. He had the good fortune to receive advice/correction for his compositions from three of Ghalib’s shaagird – hargopal tufta, mohammed zakariah zaki, and qurbaan ali saalik. This Ghazal, in the style of Ghalib’s ‘naqsh faryaadi hai kis ki shooKhi-e tahriir ka’, is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
jalva1 dekha hai ye kis Khurshiid2-e pur-tanviir3 ka
mahr4 zarra5 ban gaya hai husn6-e aalamgiir7 ka
1.face, image, manifestation 2.sun 3.full of brilliance 4.sun 5.grain, particle, speck 6.beauty 7.world conquering
The sun must have seen the image/manifestation of an even more brilliant sun (divine brilliance), that is why it has become like a grain of that world conquering beauty. Thus, the divine is like a sun of ultimate brilliance, it is the overarching beauty of the universe and the sun that we see is a mere speck reflecting its glory.
2
abru1-e pur-Kham2 ke aage meri gardan Kham3 hui
tauq4-e gardan ban gaya halqa5 meri zanjiir6 ka
1.eye-brow 2.full arch 3.bend, bow 4.neck chains, shackles 5.circle, ring 6.chain
The poet/lover bows before the arch of the beloved’s arched eyebrow. ‘tauq-e gardan ban jaana’ means to be bound by. The poet/lover is bound in love. The circle formed by the arched brow and bowed head has become a link of the chain around his neck. This could well apply to the divine beloved.
3
jaada1-e tasKhiir2 par aane laga hai ab vo shooKh3
kuchh asar4 hone laga hai aah5-e pur-taasiir6 ka
1.pathway 2.conquest, subjugation 3.mischievous, beloved 4.effect 5.sigh 6.full of effectiveness i.e., effective, anguished
The mischievous beloved is now taking to the path of conquest/punishment. Finally, my anguished sigh is beginning to have an effect. The implication is that the desires and values the cruelty/punishment that the beloved inflicts.
4
ho gaya us ka tasavvur1 bhi hai Khilvat2-aafriiN3
dil meN jalva4 ho raha hai yaar5 ki tasviir6 ka
1.thought, imagination, memory 2.seclusion, reclusiveness 3.welcoming 4.manifestation 5.friend, beloved 6.image
The poet/lover imagines the face of the beloved and in his imagination achieves union with her. The pleasure of this imagination is such that he begines to welcome seclusion so that he may engage in this pleasure undisturbed. The beloved’s manifestation is etching her image on his heart, which is enough for him to contemplate in seclusion.
5
sard-mohri1 se tumhaari kaaNpta2 hai mera dil
garmi3-e sohbat4 meN bhi aalam5 hua kashmiir ka
1.cold shoulder, ignoring 2.trembles 3.warmth 4.comapanionship 5.condition
‘kashmir ka aalam’ probably implies shivering/trembling in cold weather. The beloved has been behaving coldly towards the poet/lover. Even in the warmth of companionship her aloofness reminds him of shivering in the cold in kashmir.
6
soKhta1 jaanoN ke aage2 gul-katarta3 hai Ghazab4
haal5 tum kya poochte ho sham’a6 se gulgiir7 ka
1.burning, passionate 2.in front of, face to face 3.doing something refined 4.what calamity 5.condition 6.lamp, candle 7.special scissors used to trim burnt out wicks
The candle is ‘soKhta jaan’ – its soul burning with passion. ‘gul katarna’ – trimming a rose – is used to convey several meanings including the range from – creating beauty/refinement to making mischief/criticizing. Both of these ends of the range of meanings can be applied in interpretation. The poet/lover is also ‘soKhta jaan’, burning with passion. The sham’a is symbolic of the poet. Someone approaches it with a gulgiir to trim the wick. How can I describe the condition of the candle when this happens! Depending on the interpretation of ‘gul katarna’ used the poet could either be elated or aaprehensive.
7
apne husn1-e Khud-numa2 par ho gaya Khud-biiN3 vo shooKh4
dekhna saaqi5 karishma6 us but7-e be-piir8 ka
1.beauty 2.self-revealing 3.self-regarding 4.mischievous, beloved, divine 5.pen-name of the poet 6.miracle, enchantment 7.idol, beauty, beloved 8.without equal
This refers to divine beauty. It reveals/manifests itself in every particle of the universe. But then it becomes absorbed in regarding its own beauty. O saaqi, look at the enchantment of this unequalled beauty.
