Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. sukhdev prashad sinha bismil allahabadi (1899-1976), learnt faarsi, arabi and urdu at a maktab until the age of 14. Sent to kayasth school for English, hindi. Illness interrupted schooling for 3 years. Restarted with great interest in shaa’eri, becoming shaagird of nooh naarvi. Worked for the Supplies department during the first world war years and then for the municipal corporation of allahabad. Participated in mushaa’era and published collections of poetry in both urdu and devnagiri scripts. This Ghazal is linked to ‘mayassar nahiN insaaN hona’ on Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
dil meN tiir¹-e nigah²-e naaz³ ka mehmaaN⁴ hona
koii mushkil⁵ nahiN ab is ko rag-e-jaaN⁶ hona    1.arrow 2.glance 3.coquetry 4.guest, welcome 5.difficult 6.vein of life, jugular vein
The beloved casts furtive/coquettish glances at the lover. These pierce his heart like arrows. Of course, they are not exactly unwelcome … these arrows are honoured guests. Thus, it is not very difficult for them to become the basis of the poet/lover’s life – like his jugular vein.
2
har ghaRi¹ shefta²-e kaakul³-e jaanaaN⁴ hona
khel hai meray liye daaKhil⁵-e zindaaN⁶ hona     1.moment 2.mad/passionate 3.curls 4.beloved 5.enter 6.prison
Every moment the poet/lover thinks madly/passionately about the curly forelocks of the beloved. Curly forelocks are also like fetters on his feet and shackles around his wrists. Thus is not very difficult, in fact it is child’s play, for him to consider himself imprisoned.
3
loag samjheN na kahiiN iss ka yahii qaatil¹ hai
tum meri laash² peh kuchh soch ke giriyaaN³ hona     1.killer 2.corpse 3.weeping, wailing
The implication is that the beloved has killed the poet/lover by her indifference, but he still loves her passionately and doesn’t want people to think that she has killed him. Thus, he pleads with her, when you come for a funereal visit, think and weep properly at the funeral, otherwise people might think that you are my killer.
4
dasht-paimaa¹ ke liye arsa²-e aafaaq³ hai taNg⁴
zarre-zarre⁵ ko munaasib⁶ tha biyaabaaN⁷ hona    1.taking a measure of the desert 2.region, expanse 3.horizon 4.narrow 5.every grain of sand 6.suitable, appropriate 7.wilderness
The lover, like majnuN, in his mad/passionate love, wanders the desert as if taking the measure of the expanse of the desert. He does it so passionately that even the range out to the horizon is too narrow for him. Thus, it was quite appropriate that for him every grain of sand was like a wilderness – increasing the expanse of the desert.
5
maiN isay sharm¹ kahuN ya isay shooKhi² samjhuN
kabhi chhupna kabhi parday meN numaayaaN³ hona    1.shyness, coyness 2.teasing, playful, coquettish 3.appear, be seen, visible
The beloved plays games with the lover to keep him captivated. What should I think of this – are you shy/coy or are you teasing/coquettish. Sometimes you hide behind the curtain and sometimes you make an appearance.
6
kah¹ gaya jaama²-e hasti³ ke uReN gay purzay⁴
teri chalti hui shamshiir⁵ ka uryaaN⁶ hona    1.spoke, said 2.garment 3.life 4.shreds 5.sword 6.naked, drawn out of the scabbard
The conventional picture is that the beloved is out with sword drawn, to kill her lovers. The expression ‘jaama-e hasti ke purzay uRna’ – the garment life torn into shreds means that there is a ‘mass killing’ of lovers. Thus, your coming out with a naked sword tells me that the garment of life will be torn to shreds.
7
kar chuka chaak¹ to kya baKhya-gari² se haasil³
ab garebaan⁴ ko mushkil⁵ hai garebaaN⁴ hona     1.tear, rip 2.sewing 3.benefit 4.collar 5.difficult
The lover rips his collar in mad passionate love. Having done that, what is the use of sewing it back up. It is very difficult for the torn collar to be mended/sewn back into an appropriate collar.
8
aaina dekhnay ko shauq se dekho laikin
apni soorat na kahiiN dekh ke hairaaN¹ hona    1.puzzled
It is a common trope in poetic tradition that the beloved looks at herself in the mirror and is either puzzled or gets jealous of her own beauty. The poet says, by all means, look into the mirror if you want to, but mind and don’t get puzzled looking at your own reflection.
9
mosam-e-gul¹ ka tasavvur² bhi, nasheman³ ki bhi fikr⁴
voh qafas⁵ hi meN mera mahv⁶-e gulistaaN⁷ hona     1.flowering season, spring 2.imagination, thinking 3.nest, home 4.worry 5.cage 6.absorbed in, obsessed with 7.garden
In poetic tradition the poet is often portrayed as a bird – either singing love songs to his beloved the rose or pining for his nest/home and garden. He is often trapped by the bird-catcher and caged. Such is the case here and he spends all his time absorbed in thoughts of spring, of the safety of his nest and of the freedom of the garden.
10
har ghaRi¹ yaad-e butaaN² rahti hai dil meN bismil³
koii aasaaN⁴ nahiiN hindu ka musalmaaN hona    1.moment 2.idols, beloved, hindu gods 3.pen-name of the poet 4.easy
This is a beautiful play on the double meaning of the word ‘but’ – meaning idol/beloved or idol/deity. It is also a beautiful play on momin’s she’r quoted here. Imagine that the devout hindu is always thinking of the idol/deity like the the poet/lover is always thinking of the idol/beloved. In this case, the poet happens to be hindu. If he is doing this, it is not easy for him to be considered a muslim (who is supposed to shun idol worship). Said momin KhaaN momin …
umr saari to kaTi ishq-e butaaN meN momin
aaKhri vaqt meN kya Khaak musalmaaN hoNge