Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. shyaam mohan lal jigar barelavi (1890-1976). He had a long line of urdu and faarsi scholars on both sides of his family. He learnt urdu and faarsi from this grandfather at home and later matriculation in 1911 and BA in 1916 (urdu, faarsi and philosophy). He also followed the family tradition as an educator in schools but soon changed to government administration, progressing to become a Collector, but resigned to participate in the freedom movement, later working as a professor in a junior college. He has several collections of Ghazal and rubaaii to his credit. This Ghazal is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam on the ‘Theme’ page.
1
kaifiyyat¹-e suroor² faraavaaN³ kiye hue
chhaaya hai dil pe kaun bahaaraaN⁴ kiye hue    1.condition 2.joy, happiness 3.plenty, overflowing 4.spring
The poet/lover is engulfed in thoughts of the beloved which have created a spring like, cheerful atmosphere all around and over him, bringing about a condition of overwhelming joy. He asks rhetorically, who is it that has done this.
2
raah¹-e fana² meN zeest³ ka saamaaN⁴ kiye hue
baiTha huN Gham se zabt⁵ ka paimaaN⁶ kiye hue    1.path 2.non-existence, merger with the great spirit 3.life 4.arrangements 5.self-control 6.promise, commitment
In poetic tradition, the lover bears his pain stoically and hides his sorrow. He has made a commitment to self-control that he will do so. Having done this he is walking along the path to his eventual goal … merger with the divine spirit. These are the arrangements that enable him to go along the path of life.
3
hota hai chaak-chaak¹ garebaaN² to kya kareN
kyuN aaye koi zulf³ pareshaaN⁴ kiye hue    1.torn to shreds 2.shirt front 3.hair 4.spread out
In poetic tradition the lover because of his intense love and pain goes into a frenzy and tears his shirt front/collar into shreds ala majnuN. In this case, this condition is triggered by the beloved appearing before him with her hair loosened and spread out.
4
phir jaan o dil ko hai nigah¹-e naaz² ki talash³
muddat⁴ hui hai barq⁵ ko ehsaaN⁶ kiye hue    1.glance 2.coquettish 3.search, seeking 4.long time 5.lightning 6.benevolence, kindness
The coquettish glance of the beloved, her ‘nigah-e naaz’ is characterized in the second misra as ‘barq/lightning’. It has been a long time since the poet has received any kindness from this ‘barq’. Hence his life and soul is once again in search of the beloved’s coquettish glance – nigah-e naaz.
5
aata hai kis ki chiin¹-e jabiiN² ka Khayaal³ phir
shiiraaza⁴-e hayaat⁵ pareshaaN⁶ kiye hue     1.wrinkle, frown 2.forhead, brow 3.thought, memory 4.arrangement, logical integration, bringing together 5.life 6.scattered, spread
When the poet sees the ‘arrangement of life’ get disordered/scattered he remembers the frown on the brow of the beloved. Is it because the frown/annoyance of the beloved causes life to go topsy-turvy or is it because the frown causes the normal smoothness of the beloved’s brow to look scattered/disordered. Perhaps both.
6
karna hai chaara-saazi¹-e vahshat² ka imtehaaN³
phirta huN taar-taar⁴ garebaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.power of healing 2.frenzy 3.test 4.shredded to threads 5.shirt front
In poetic tradition the lover shreds his shirt front to threads because of the frenzy of love. His frenzy is being tested for its healing abilities. It is clear that ‘vahshat’ is doing the healing and it is being tested. The question is how is healing defined; what is does a healed lover look like. Will he sew up his shirt front and become like everyone else? Unlikely. More likely he will head out into the wilderness looking for his beloved.
7
aaraa’esh¹-e jamaal² meN masroof³ hai koi
phirta hai koi chaak⁴ garebaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.adornment 2.beauty, elegance 3.busy 4.tear, rip 5.shirt front
The first misra applies to the beloved and the second to the poet/lover. The beloved is busy adorning herself and the lover is wandering distraught, ripping his shirt front in frenzy.
8
mahshar¹ meN diidni² haiN Gham-e dil ki barkateN³
jaise ho koi saaya⁴-e daamaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.day of judgement 2.worth seeing 3.blessings, rewards 4.shadow, cover, protection 5.hem of the garment
It is judgement day and the poet/lover having suffered the pain of love throughout his life is finally getting recompense and proudly proclaims that these blessings are worth seeing. It is as if someone is as if someone is protecting him in the shadow/cover of the hem of their garment. That someone has to be the beloved. This picture is quite different from the usual picture where the beloved is distressed that the lover will begin to complain of her atrocities and she will receive severe punishment.
9
dil Khoon¹ kar diya jigar² aadaab³-e ishq ne
muddat⁴ hui tasavvur⁵-e jaanaaN⁶ kiye hue    1.dil Khoon kar dena – an expression meaning cause a lot of pain/distress 2.pen-name of the poet 3.conventions, rituals 4.long time 5.imagine 6.beloved
When the poet/lover is distraught he consoles himself imagining the beloved. But the conventions of love have forbidden him from doing this and it has been a long time since he has done it. This has caused his heart to bleed and he blames the conventions of love.