Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. bahaadur shaah zafar (1775-1862) became titular/nominal emperor of India in 1837. He was a scholar of faarsi and arabi and started composing at an early age. zauq and after zauq’s death in 1854, Ghalib became his ustaad. zafar used to hold frequent mushaa’era in the Red Fort. This Ghazal, with the same radeef as many others of ‘aahista aahista’ is linked to that icon on the ‘radeef/refrain’ page.
1
nahiN aye hamdamo¹, chalta ye dam² aahista aahista
ravaaN³ hai kaarvaaN soo⁴-e adam⁵ aahista aahista    1.friends 2.breath, life, strength 3.flow, proceed 4.towards 5.non-existence, death
The poet/lover is dying and is on his last breath. His friends around him are doing something, not clear what. Whatever they are doing, he begs them to either not do it or do it gently, for his breathing cannot keep up. The caravan of his life proceeds towards death gradually.
2
koii duniya se jaata hai, agar aate ho jald¹ aao
na rakkho naaz² se apna qadam³ aahista aahista    1.quickly 2.style, coquetry 3.step
The ‘koii’ here is the poet/lover himself and this she’r is addressed to the beloved. It is the tradition that the beloved visits the lover on his death bed. He begs – I am departing from this world, come quickly if you intend to come. Do not take your time, stepping forward slowly in coquettish style.
3
mazay leta hai sayd¹-e ishq kya kya zib’h² hone ke
chhuri phere hai jab vo pur-sitam³ aahista aahista    1.prey, victim 2.slaughter, throat-slitting 3.torturous
The beloved is ‘pur-sitam’ – full of torturous cruelty. See how much the prey of love enjoys getting his throat slit, when the torturous beloved runs the blade slowly across his throat.
4
shab-e-furqat¹ meN us ke mujh ko misl²-e sham’a³ sar-ta-paa⁴
ghulaavega⁵ ye mera soz⁶-e Gham aahista aahista   1.night of separation 2.like, in the example of 3.candle 4.head to toe 5.dissolve, melt 6.fire/passion of love
It is the night of separation and poet/lover is melting away from head to foot in the fire of his love, just like a candle melting in its fire.
5
vo do do din nahiN aata hai yaa har roz aata hai
mulaaqaat¹ is qadar² ki us ne kam aahista aahista    1.meetings 2.so much
She is unreliable – sometimes she does not come for many days and on other days she comes every day. This is how she reduces meetings gradually. Editorial comment – this appears to be a rather awkward construction to me.
6
na kiije Khaak¹ ko barbaad² meri us ke kooche³ se
zara jaana nasiim⁴-e sub’h-dam⁵ aahista aahista    1.dust, ashes 2.destroy, scatter 3.lane 4.morning breeze 5.time of dawn
The poet is long dead, buried in her street, and converted to dust. The beloved is still alive, young and beautiful. He begs the morning breeze – blow gently, do not blow my dust away/scatter it away from the beloved’s street.
7
hua kahne se likhna mo’tabar¹ baa’is² ta’ammul³ ke
keh chalti hai zabaaN jald⁴ aur qalam⁵ aahista aahista    1.credible 2.reason 3.delay 4.fast 5.pen
Writing has become more credible than speaking because of its delay because the tongue works quickly (therefore without much thought) but the pen is more slow (therefore thoughtful and deliberate).
8
javaab¹ aisa vo detay haiN keh khul jaata bai sub matlab²
agar kuchh kaan meN kahte hai ham aahista aahista     1.answer 2.meaning
The poet/lover whispers in her ear, hoping to keep his secret private. But she answers openly and publicly and his secret is revealed to everyone.
9
nahiN rahne ka baaqi¹ dil meN KhooN ka ek bhi qatra²
bahaa degi zafar³ ab chashm⁴-e nam⁵ aahista aahista    1.remaining 2.drop 3.pen-name of the poet 4.eye 5.moist, weeping
Not a single drop of blood will remain in his heart. O zafar, the moist eye will cause it all to flow/drain out, little by little i.e., the poet is crying tears of blood.