Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ahmad faraaz (1931-2008) popular love and romance poet as well as a substantial contributor to progressive themes. This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s “muddat hui hai yaar ko mehmaaN kiye hue” and is linked to a series of such Ghazal under ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
phirte haiN ab bhi dil ko garebaaN¹ kiye hue
jin vahshiyon² pe haiN tere ehsaaN³ kiye hue    1.collar 2.mad, passionate, wild 3.kindness, favours
Those mad passionate lovers (mad like majnuN) to whom you (the beloved) have shown any kindness (a long time ago) still wander with their hearts torn like their torn collars.
2
tajdeed¹-e ishq kya ho keh barsoN² guzar³ gaye
tujh se koi sukhan⁴ bhi meri jaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.renovation, re-affirm 2.years 3.passed, gone by 4.words, conversation 5.dear, beloved
How can there be any re-affirmation of love, my dear, so many years have gone by since I have had a chance to exchange any words with you.
3
ab tujh se kya gila¹ ho keh ek umr² ho gaii
ham ko bhi qasd³-e koocha⁴-e janaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.complaint 2.lifetime 3.resolve, plan 4.street 5.beloved
How can I complain about you, it has been a lifetimes since I last attempted to go to the street of the beloved.
4
dil se hui hai phir tere baare¹ meN guftagoo²
tar³ aansuoN⁴ se deeda⁵ o daman⁶ kiye hue    1.about 2.conversation 3.wet, soaked 4.tears 5.eyes 6.hem of the robe
The poet/lover has had a conversation with his heart about the beloved. This has caused him to cry profusely soaking his eyes and them of his robe (with which he wipes his eyes).
5
jii¹ maanta nahiN hai keh ham bhi bhula² chukeN
teri tarah³ se vaa’da⁴ o paimaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.heart, soul 2.forget, ignore 3.like, similar to 4.promises 5.commitments
The beloved makes promises and commitments and ignores them. This has happened to the poet/lover many times, but still, he cannot bring his heart around to forget his own promises and commitments like she has.
6
kuchh zidd¹ meN naasehoN² ki tujhe chaahte rahe
kuchh paas-daari³-e dil-e naadaaN⁴ kiye hue   1.obstinacy, opposition 2.critics, moralizers, preachers 3.being mindful, respecting 4.simpleton
I kept loving you sometimes in opposition to the injunctions of the preacher and other times out of consideration for my innocent heart.
7
hum vo keh tujh ko she’r meN tasviir kar diya
soorat-garaan¹-e shahr² ko hairaaN³ kiye hue    1.makers of images, artists 2.town 3.amazement
I have cast your image in verse. The image is so beautiful that it leaves the artists of the town amazed.
8
baazar sard¹ tha na Khariidar² kam-nazar³
hum Khud⁴ the apne aap ko arzaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.cold, quiet 2.buyers 3.short-sighted, unappreciative 4.myself 5.cheap
It was not as if the market was not brisk i.e., not as if there was no demand. Neither were buyers unappreciative. But we ourselves had made ourselves cheap i.e., we laid ourselves at the feet of the one buyer who did not care – the beloved ignoring the others who appreciated us.
9
aye ishq¹ hum se² aur bhi hoNge zamaane³ meN
achche bhale gharoN ko biyabaaN⁴ kiye hue    1.love 2.like, similar to 3.times, world 4.wilderness, ruins
O Love, there must be many others like us who have ruined a perfectly good home.
10
kuch hum se na-muraad¹ keh phirte haiN koo-ba-koo²
dil ko kisi faqeer³ ka damaaN⁴ kiye hue    1.unfortunate 2.street by street 3.beggar 4.hem/cloth (used to collect alms)
There are a few others, unfortunate like us, wandering from street to street with their hearts like a begging bowl.
11
va’ada¹ kiya tha us ne kisi shaam ka kabhi
hum aaj tak haiN ghar meN chiraGhaaN² kiye hue    1.promise 2.lighting, lit up
A long time ago the beloved had promised that she would come some evening. Ever since, even to this day, we have kept our home lit up in anticipation.
12
ab uske jaur¹ se bhi gaye hum keh jab se haiN
apne kiye pe usko pashemaaN² kiye hue    1.cruelty 2.embarrass
It is standard practice for the beloved to be cruel to the poet/lover and for him to be happy about it for it shows that she is paying some attention to him. But he has done something to embarrass her. Ever since, she has not shown even this cruelty towards him, leave aside any favours.
13
ye ratjage¹ qubool² keh aaraam³ se to haiN
rakhte the varna⁴ Khwaab pareshaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.sleepless nights 2.acceptable, agreeable 3.comfort 4.otherwise 5.nightmare
Sleepless nights (because of the pain of separation) are acceptable because the poet/lover is at least in some comfort. Otherwise, whenever he slept of dozed off, he had had nightmares (because of jealousy or fear).
14
hum vo aseer¹ haiN keh zamaane² guzar³ gaye
band apne aap par dar⁴-e zindaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.imprisoned, caged 2.ages 3.passed 4.doors 5.prison, cage
I am the kind of captive who ages ago, closed the doors of prison on himself i.e., willingly submitted to the endeavour of love.
15
tark¹-e vafa² ke baad havas³ ekhtiyaar⁴ ki
is kaarobaar⁵ meN bhi haiN nuqsaaN⁶ kiye hue    1.abandonment 2.faith, fidelity 3.lust 4.adopt 5.affairs 6.loss
The poet/lover is so inept in the affairs of life that whatever he does, he loses or does harm to himself. He tried being faithful to the beloved. Did not get anywhere and abandoning his selfless/pure love, he adopted the attitude of lust. Of course even this is a great loss because he has given up a noble thing and adopted something that is looked down upon. Thus, he continues to be a loser all around.
16
jaan¹-e faraaz² marg³-e tamanna⁴ ke bavajood⁵
bhoole nahiN hamiiN⁶ tere ehsaaN⁷ kiye hue    1.dear, beloved 2.pen-name of the poet 3.death 4.yearning, hope 5.in spite of 6.we ourselves 7.kindnesses, favours
O beloved of faraaz, in spite of the death of all hope, it is we who have not forgotten the favours you showed us a long time ago.