Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mohammed taqi beg maa’el dehlavi (1850-1931). He moved to jaipur, rajasthan, in 1879 looking for patronage and found employment with the local rajah along with a number of cohorts. The extensive collection of his work was posthumously published in three volumes by the rajasthan urdu academy. The biographical note in this collection mentions that he met with Ghalib several times but there is no record that he received any formal instruction/correction of his verse. There may be a bit of confusion because there were two maa’el dehlavi contemporaneously. This Ghazal composed in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘jahaaN tera naqsh-e qadam dekhte haiN’ is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
dil us but ko de kar ye ham dekhte haiN
keh har lahza¹ aaNkhoN meN dam² dekhte haiN   1.moment 2.aaNkhoN meN dam rahna – on the last breath
Having given my heart to the beloved, I feel like I am on my last breath every moment.
2
falak¹ kya ye ho ho ke Kham² dekhte haiN
magar³ tere naqsh-e-qadam⁴ dekhte haiN    1.skies 2.bend over 3.but, except for 4.footprints
The skies bow down, bend over to see nothing except your footprints. Who is the ‘your’. It cannot be god by any stretch of my imagination. The beloved has been elevated and exalted position here. The sky bends down to see her footprints.
3
rahe kyuN na shaiKh o barhaman meN jhagRa
tamaasha¹-e dair² o haram³ dekhte haiN    1.spectacle 2.temple 3.mosque
There is a conflict between the shaiKh and the brahman. Do we not see the spectacle of the (workings of the) mosque and temple i.e., it is this that is reflected in the conflict between them.
4
yahaaN maikada¹ hai vahaaN hauz²-e kausar³
ye is ke karam⁴ par karam dekhte haiN   1.tavern 2.pool, fountain 3.legendary river in heaven 4.kindness, blessing
god’s blessings/gifts to us are … the tavern here and the fountain of kauser there. They are blessings piled on top of each other. The implication is that rivers in heaven are also flowing with wine. Thus, both the tavern and heaven serve the same purpose.
5
karam¹ ka hi bas ek rona nahiN hai
sitam² bhi to ab us ke kam dekhte haiN   1.kindness 2.cruelty
It is not just that the poet/lover is crying/complaining about the lack of the beloved’s kindness. She has even stopped being cruel to him i.e., she is completely ignoring him.
6
kahaaN maikade¹ se chaleN baiThe-baiThe²
tamaasha³-e abr⁴-e karam⁵ dekhte haiN   1.tavern 2.an expression meaning-for no good reason 3.spectacle 4.cloud 5.kindness, benevolence
Convention is that spring rains are an occasion for celebration including drinking of wine. Thus, why should we leave the tavern for no reason. Let us wait and see what the cloud of benevolence brings.
7
isi ghar meN goya¹ hamesha raheNge
mere dil ko yuN dard² o Gham³ dekhte haiN    1.as if 2.pain 3.sorrow
Pain and sorrow have made a home in the poet/lover’s heart and they are now eyeing it as if it is going to be their home forever i.e., he is always going to be in pain and sorrow because the beloved is not responding to him.
8
sitam¹ hai keh dushman² ko aaNkhoN se apni
teri khaate jhooTi qasam³ dekhte haiN    1.cruelty 2.enemy, rival 3.swear in the name of
To swear in the name of someone you love is to declare that you will do something at the cost of their lives i.e., if you don’t do it, then they will get hurt. The rival is not a sincere fellow. He is not above making false promises swearing in the name of the beloved. And it is so cruel that the poet/lover (who is sincere) has to see this happen before his eyes.
9
bigaR¹ kar vo kahte haiN rusva² na karna
kabhi chhup chhupa kar jo ham dekhte haiN   1.annoyed 2.embarrass
The poet/lover has been secretly spying on the beloved. Perpaps she has been meeting the rival and he sees them together. Of course, it would be embarrassing to the beloved if this word gets out. She is annoyed and tells him that he should not embarrass her.
10
hameN yaad aata hai maiKhaana¹ apna
jahaaN kufr² o diiN³ ko baham⁴ dekhte haiN     1.tavern 2.non-believer 3.believer 4.together
The tavern is a liberal and welcoming place regardless of faith. Thus, when the poet sees believers and non-believers together, he is reminded of the tavern.
11
ye maana¹ keh hai rind²-e maiKhwaar³ maa’el⁴
par itna bhi duniya meN kam dekhte haiN   1.agree 2.wine-lovers 3.wine-drinkers 4.pen-name of the poet, also means inclinded towards
It is agreed that maa’el is a wine-lover and drinks wine. But even this, we do not see much of, in this world. I am not sure that I understand what this means. What is it that we don’t see much of and how does it related to maa’el being a wine-lover. An alternative reading might be, it is agreed that the wine-lover, wine-drinker is inclined towards xxxxx. But we don’t see much of xxxxx in the world. This leaves the question of what xxxxx is. I am not sure.