Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit dilaaraam ratan panDorvi (1909-1990), paThaankoT. There are many books to his credit including urdu instructional texts for school children, an explanatory, interpretive book of Ghalib’s Ghazal, literary history and criticism, rules of versification and representative compositions of muslim poets of hindi. A recognized authority of urdu, hindi and sanskrit and perhaps also of faarsi. This Ghazal is linked to other ham-radeef Ghazal on the Refrain page.
1
khuli nigaah¹ meri chashm²-e raazadaN³ ki tarah
qafas⁴ meN aish⁵ mayassar⁶ hai aashiyaaN⁷ ki tarah    1.eyes 2.eyes 3.confidant 4.cage 5.luxury 6.available 7.nest
‘nigaah khulna’ as an expression is used to mean ‘begin to understand/comprehend’. The poet is like a caged bird and has been miserable in the cage. His eyes opened like those of a confidant, sharing secrets. What secret/knowledge did they share. They told him that all luxuries like those in the nest are available to him in the cage. So he does not need to make himself miserable. I am not sure that I get this, but that is the literal interpretation.
2
mili hayaat¹ hameN marg²-e naagahaaN³ ki tarah
bahaar⁴ aaii chaman meN magar KhizaaN⁵ ki tarah    1.life 2.death 3.sudden, unexpected 4.spring 5.autumn, dry season
Even the life that we were given came along with an unpredictable death. It is as spring comes to the garden along with autumn.
3
qadam-qadam¹ peh hai naazil² sitam³, balaa⁴, aafat⁵
zamiiN hai aaj mazaalim⁶ meN aasmaaN ki tarah    1.every step 2.descends, happens 3.cruelty 4.curse 5.calamity 6.oppressions
In poetic convention all calamities come down from the sky … the sky is many times used as ‘fate’. But here it seems that even the earth has become like the sky and is also inflicting cruelty, curse and calamities on the poet just like the sky.
4
t’ayyunaat¹ ki had² se baRha huN bhi aagay³
meri nazar⁴ meN makaaN⁵ bhi hai laamakaaN⁶ ki tarah    1.pre-destiny, pre-ordained 2.limits 3.beyond 4.sight, point of view 5.place 6.non-place
‘laamakaaN’ is a concept used as an attribute of god who is everywhere and not confined to anywhere. I have even gone beyond the limits of pre-destiny. In my view even the confines of space are like unlimited space. This probably means … humans are limited to a material existence on earth. But if they have the courage/vision to develop a point of view beyond these limitations then they will see that the spiritual (not limited by space) co-exists with the material.
5
guloN¹ ki fasl² meN vahshat³ ne gul khilaa’e⁴ haiN
usi ke faiz⁵ se sehraa⁶ hai gulsitaaN⁷ ki tarah    1.flowers 2.season 3.madness of passion 4.gul khilaana-creating mischief 5.benevolence 6.desert 7.garden
‘gul khilaana’ literally means making flowers bloom but as an expression in means ‘creating mischief’. Also, in poetic convention during spring (the season of flowers) lovers go mad with passion. This passion has created mischief during spring. It is because of the benevolence of this mischief that the desert has become like a garden. Why does the desert become like a garden? Maybe simply because the mad lovers think of it as a garden but more likely as in poetic convention, they roam the desert with their feet pricked with thorns and bleeding. Blood dripping on the sands is described as red roses and hence the desert becomes a garden.
6
rah¹-e talaash² meN aye dil tera Khuda haafiz
sitam³ she’aar⁴ ne dekha hai mehrbaaN⁵ ki tarah    1.path 2.search 3.cruelty 4.habit, character 5.kind, favouring
The beloved is ‘sitam sheaar’ i.e., she is habituated to being cruel. But she has looked upon the poet/lover with favour. That means that he is sure to fall for her trickery and pay a heavy price for it later. Only god can protect him now.
7
naseeb¹ ho nah saka aastaaN² mujhe laikin
jabeen³-e shauq⁴ miTi⁵ Khaak⁶-e aastaaN² ki tarah    1.fated, granted 2.threshold 3.forehead 4.desire 5.erased, wiped 6.dust
It was never the poet’s fate to reach the beloved’s threshold and bow his forehead to it. But he kept prostrating and bowing anyway until his forehead was erased into dust just like the dust on the beloved’s threshold. This could be interpreted to be directed at the divine beloved whose threshold he could never reach but kept offering obeisance anyway.
8
dil-e tabaah¹ ka anjaam² dekhiye kya ho
nigaah³-e shauq⁴ uThi marg⁵-e naagahaaN⁶ ki tarah    1.ruined 2.result 3.glance 4.desire 5.death 6.unexpected, sudden
The poet/lover lifted his eyes and glanced at the beloved. The beauty and the glory that he saw is enough to ruin his heart like sudden death. Let us see what will become of this runined heart.
9
asar-navaaz¹ kahaaN tak haiN ab meray sajday²
keh zarra-zarra³ nazar⁴ meN hai aastaaN⁵ ki tarah    1.effect granting, being effective 2.bowing down, obeisance 3.every grain of dust 4.sight, eyes 5.threshold
The poet/lover wants to bow at the threshold of the (earthly or divine) beloved’s threshold but cannot reach it. The sincerity of his devotion/love is such that his prostration is granted great effectiveness such that every grain of dust appears like a threshold to him. Said Ghalib (faarsi) – (urdu recomposition-shahed) …
sajda hai bas habiib ka ho dayr ya haram
jaata us aastaaN pe hai, chaahe karo jahaaN
10
meri nigaah¹-e rasaa² nay uTha diye parday
nehaaN³ bhi aaj nigaahoN meN hai ayaaN⁴ ki tarah    1.sight, eyes 2.reaching, discerning 3.hidden 4.manifest, visible
My discerning eye has lifted the veil (of mystery). That which was hidden, now appears visible before the eyes. Possibly he is talking about his verse which makes clear the universality of the divine.
11
gul¹ o shajar² ki mohabbat ka dam bharo³ daa’em⁴
raho chaman meN ba-sad⁵ shauq⁶ baaGhbaaN⁷ ki tarah    1.rose 2.tree 3.dam bharna to blow breath into mean to give life to 4.always 5.with a hundred 6.desires 7.gardener
The world is a garden and rose and tree symbolize all ‘creation’. Always keep alive love of all creation. Live in this garden like a nuturing gardener.
12
rah¹-e vafa² ka hai har naqsh-e-paa³ nigaahoN⁴ meN
ratan⁵ nishaan⁶ hai yeh bhi meray nishaaN ki tarah    1.path 2.fidelity, love 3.footprints 4.eyes 5.pen-name of the poet 6.mark
On the path of love, I have before my eyes, the footprints of those who have gone before me and just like that are my own marks/footprints.