Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. nazeer hussain siddiqui (1891-1956) kaakori (near lukhnau) and hyderabad. Early education in arabi and faarsi as well as urdu, was traditional and at home. Orphaned early, he was brought up by an uncle who also passed away. He trained in accountancy and moved to hyderabad with the encouragement of his brother; progressed steadily to become Assistant Financial Secretary. With the early passing of his wife, he devoted himself to his children and their education and expressed his creative talent in writing urdu poetry. His Ghazal have layers of mystic/sufi thought intertwined with romantic and religious themes. After his passing in 1956 but his diivaan remained in the family for a long time, only as a collection organized by radeef. in his own handwriting. This collection was finally published in 2022 after four years of loving work by his grandchildren. This Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘aadmi ko bhi mayassar nahiN insaaN hona’ is linked to ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
manzil¹-e ishq meN dushvaar² ka aasaaN³ hona
ahl⁴-e dil ke liye hai mauth⁵ ka saamaaN⁶ hona  1.destination 2.difficulty 3.become easy 4.people of love, lovers 5.death 6.means, provisions
Traditionally lovers are proud of the difficulty of the path they have to tread to get to the destination of love. If this difficult path becomes easy, then they lose their distinction. For lovers, this is the means/instrument of death.
2
pahuNche¹ manzil pe haiN sub arsa²-e hasti³ ke siva⁴
meri qismat⁵ hai magar⁶ zarra⁷-e jaulaaN⁸ hona  1.reached 2.duration, period 3.being/existence, life 4.further than, beyond 5.destiny/fate 6.but 7.particle, grain of sand 8.fast moving
Everyone reaches their destination (death) beyond the duration of their (alotted) life. But it is my fate to be a fast moving/leaping grain of dust i.e., he has reached his death even before the end of his life.
3
qalb¹ meN pahle taRap² dard³ kii payda⁴ kar lay
dekh⁵ phir siina⁶-e hastii ka darKhshaaN⁷ hona  1.heart 2.eagerness, longing 3.pain, sorrow, love 4.develop, create 5.see 6.breast 7.shining/glowing
First develop in your heart the eagerness/desire for the pain of (universal) love. Then see how your bosom glows (with virtue/nobility).
4
vo shab¹-e hijr² chamak³ dard ki uThna⁴ dil meN
zulmatoN⁵ meN vo meri noor⁶ ka samaaN⁷ hona  1.night 2.separation 3.shine, spark 4.rising pain 5.darkeness 6.light 7.means, capability
When the spark of pain rises in my heart on the night of separation, it becomes the means of light in my darkness i.e., pain is the source of comfort.
5
kaam taqdiir¹ ke sadqe² meN saNvarte³ laikiN
apni tadbeer⁴ pe insaan ka naazaN⁵ hona 1.fate/destiny 2.magnanimous alms/gift 3.arranged 4.plan, action 5.proud/arrogant
Tasks are arranged/accomplished/completed because of the magnanimity of fate, yet humans are proud of their own plans of action.
6
bistar-e gul¹ se vo mastaana² kisii ka uThna³
aur vo sub’h⁴ ka, aalam⁵ pe zar-afshaaN⁶ hona 1.rose 2.intoxicated 3.get up, arise 4.dawn 5.world 6.scatter gold dust
The beloved rises from her bed of roses, still a little inebriated. It is as if dawn sprinkles gold dust on the world.
7
Ghuncha¹ o gul ka bahaar-e chamanistaN³ hona
patti patti⁴ ka basad⁵ raNg-e-gulistaaN⁶ hona  1.blossom bud 2. flowering garden 3.flowering spring garden 4.leaf upon leaf 5.by the hundreds 6.colour/beauty of the rose garden
The bud and the rose, blossoming into a blooming garden. Leaves by the thousands lending colour/beauty to the rose-garden. I think this tries to draw attention to the equal contribution of the bud, rose bloom and the leaf to the beauty of the garden. This can be symbolic of the homeland or the world at large.
8
raqs-e¹ masti² meN vo taaroN³ ka tabassum⁴ baaham⁵
tapish⁶-e husN⁷ se zarroN⁸ ka farozaaN⁹ hona  1.dance 2.intoxicated 3.stars 4.smiling, shining 5.mutual, together 6.warmth, passion, ardour 7.beauty 8.grains of dust 9.shining, refulgent
There is a parallelism between the beauty of the night sky and the earth glowing in moonlight (or even sunlight). The inebriated dancing/twinkling stars shining together in the sky are just like grains of dust refulgent in the warmth of beauty. Thus, grains of sand are just as beautiful as the stars.
9
sarmadii¹ naGhmoN² ka raftaar³-e sabaa⁴ meN ghulna⁵
noor⁶-e irfaaN⁷ ka shafaq⁸ buN ke numayaaN⁹ hona  1.divine/eternal 2.songs 3.speed/pace 4.morning breeze 5.dissolve 6.light 7.mysticism, mystic knowledge 8.evening twilight 9.visible/apparent
There is a sufiyaana/mystic touch to the she’r reflecting the divine spirit manifest all around. The eternal/divine song dissolved in the blowing of the morning breeze i.e., the sound of the breeze is a manifestation of the divine sound/song. The appearance of colours in the evening twilight is a manifestation of the light of mystic/gnostic knowledge/spirit.
10
josh¹-e sahba² ka rag-o-pae³ meN naii jaaN ban’na
jaam⁴ mai ka kaf⁵-e saaqi pe vo raqsaaN⁶ hona  1.passion 2.red wine 3.every vein and fibre of the body 4.wine cup 5.hand 6.dance
As the saaqi walks with the cup in her hand, it sets off tiny ripples on the wine as if it were dancing. This dance reflects the passion of the wine which then gives a new life to every vein and fibre of the body.
11
sahn¹-e gulshan² se tarannum³ ki sadaaeN⁴ uTTheN
dil ka is kaif⁵ ke aalam⁶ meN Ghazal KhwaaN⁹ hona  1.courtyard 2.garden 3.melody 4.sounds 5.ecstacy, intoxication 6.state, condition 6.compose/sing Ghazal
There appears to be a continuity of thought from the previous she’r. With new life/energy in every vein and fibre of the body, the heart, in a condition of ecstasy composes Ghazal. The recitation/singing of the Ghazal in tarannum raises melodious sounds in the garden.
12
tere afsaana¹-e hastii² kii hai ye shar’ha³ junooN⁴
tere marne hi meN tha ziist⁵ ka pinhaaN⁶ hona  1.story 2.life, existence 3.explanation, meaning 4.pen-name of the poet 5.life 6.hidden
O junoon, the meaning of the story of your life is that your death is hidden in your very existence i.e., death is an inevitable part of life. It is also possible that by ‘ziist’ he means life in the next world. Thus, the meaning of the story of your life is that in death is hidden the start of your next life.