Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is called shaa’er-e inqelaab, poet of change/revolution. He is very secular and nationalistic in his writings and rebels against orthodoxy. His range of language and vocabulary is simply amazing. He has written extensively about the beauty of dawn. His collection of nazm/Ghazal and rubaaii can be accessed both under the poet’s name and from the Theme Index, ‘jalva-e sahr’. This nazm/Ghazal is about intelligence and reasoning versus blind faith.
1
mai-Khaana¹ taabnaak² rahe, rind³ baamuraad⁴
ya rab⁵ dua-e sho’la-dilaaN⁶ mustajaab-baad⁷     1.wine-house, tavern 2.shining, brilliant 3.wine-lovers 4.wish/desire fulfilled 5.lord 6.flame-hearted, hearts burning with passion 7.agreeable, acceptable
May the tavern (of reason-the title of the nazm is maiKhaana-e afkaar) always remain shining, may the wine-lovers have their desires fulfilled. O lord may the prayers of the flame-hearted be accepted. The tavern is symbolic of a liberal place, a place that shows resistance to orthodoxy/authority. For it to remain brightly lit can mean always full of patrons/wine-lovers, or be a guiding light, a destination that can be seen from far and wide. People of flaming-hearts are people of passion- passionate for universal love, reason and knowledge, resistance to authority.
2
ta-kai¹ raheNge saNg²-e rah³-e raast⁴ aye nadiim⁵
zuhaad⁶-e kuuza⁷-aql⁸ o faqiihaan⁹-e kaj-nehaad¹⁰     1.how long 2.rocks, obstacles 3.path 4.straightforward 5.friend 6.abstinent, observant 7.small cup 8.mind, intellect 9.religious law-giver, preacher 10.crooked nature
‘kuuza-aql’ represents intellect that can be filled in a small cup i.e., of low intelligence, narrow-minded. O friend, how long will these narrow-minded preachers and crooked natured orthodox law-givers, remain an obstacle in the straightforward path. Here, ‘raah-e raast-straight path’ is used more in the sense of a path clearly visible through common sense and intelligence rather than the ‘straight and narrow’ defined by conventions and orthodoxy.
3
yaaroN¹ ki Ghaibat², aur phir un ki janaab³ meN
jin ki nazar⁴ meN kufr⁵ hai dushman se bhi in’aad⁶     1.friends 2.invisibility, absence 3.presence 4.view 5.forbidden 6.hostility, conflict
There are those in whose view hostility even towards the enemy, is forbidden. The poet implies that these are enlightened people who have a lot to offer and expresses surprise/disappointment that friends are absent from the presence of such people.
4
rakkhi hai rozgaar¹ ki napoKhtagi² ne haif³
aqvaal⁴ ki zamiin pe buniyaad⁵-e e’teqaad⁶    1.daily life 2.immaturity 3.alas 4. traditional sayings 5.foundations 6.faith
Alas, the immaturity (incomplete reasoning) of daily life is built on the foundations of traditional sayings and blind belief.
5
aye rahravaan¹-e jaada²-e aslaaf³ hoshiyaar⁴
dekho voh saamne hai m’aal⁵-e samuud⁶ o ‘aad⁶     1.travelers 2.path 3.ancestors 4.careful, vigilant 5.result, fate 6.ancient tribes
The ancient, pre-islamic tribes of samuud and ‘aad are mentioned as those tribes who refused to listen to the message of the respective prophets who were sent to them. They preferred to stick with the sayings of their ancestors. The consequence was that they were destroyed by the wrath of god through calamities. josh uses this only to draw on the first part of this story i.e., the calamities were a consequence of sticking with the sayings of ancestors. O travelers on the path of the ancestors, be vigilant, look at the fate of the tribes of samuud and ‘aad.
6
phabta¹ nahiN hai ishq pe daar-ul-qaza² ka chatr³
ab kaj⁴ ho farq⁵-e aql⁶ par aye taaj-e ijtehaad⁷     1.suitable, becoming 2.domain of justice 3.canopy, royal umbrella 4.askew, crooked 5.head 6.intellect, reason 7.interpretation based on legalistic scholarship of earlier jurists
The practice of ijtehaad is a scholarship, study and analysis of the judgements of earlier respected jurists. Interpretations and judgments of present-day issues are based on this scholarship. Also, ‘ishq’ here symbolizes universal love, free spirit released from constraints. Thus, ‘ishq’ does not sit well under the umbrella of legalistic orthodox jurisprudence. This is a call for the crown of ijtehaad to sit askew on the head of reason/intellect. Crown should be interpreted as any cap. A skewed cap is a sign of rebellion. Thus, this calls upon aql/intelligence to rebel against jurisprudence.
7
aye ahvalaan-e-madrasa¹, yaad-e Khuda hai shirk²
apne ko bhi kiya hai kabhi aadmi ne yaad     1.crooked sighted people of religious schools 2.deifying something in addition to god
In orthodoxy, ‘shirk’ is a major sin, god is recognized as the sole deity. Here josh turns it around. In his view universality of the human being and human service (Khidmat-e Khalq) is the primary deity and including god in it is ‘shirk’. He is warning/cautioning the ‘crooked sighted/narrow minded’ people of religious schools that remembrance of god is ‘shirk’. josh poses a rhetorical question – has man ever remembered, regarded, considered service to mankind as the primary deity?
8
dekheN voh suu¹-e nai’mat²-e daarain³ kis liye
haasil⁴ jinheN haiN daulat⁵-e bedaar⁶-e qalb⁷-e shaad⁸     1.towards 2.blessing 3.here and hereafter 4.available 5.treasure, wealth 6.awakened 7.heart 8.joyous, content
Why would they look towards/for blessings of the here and hereafter (through orthodox rituals); those who have available to them the wealth of a joyous and awakened heart. An ‘awakened’ heart/mind is one that is open to ideas and reason.
9
hum mehrmaan¹-e laili²-e azdaad³ ke huzuur⁴
yaKh⁵ meN jahandagi⁶ hai sharaare⁷ meN injemaad⁸     1.intimate, inner circle 2.laila, beloved 3.opposites 4.in front of, before 5.ice 6.movement, pulsations 7.sparks 8.solidification, congealment, freezing
In josh’s free-thinking mind the simultaneous existence of opposites is considered to be of high value and is personified in this she’r as laila, the beloved. All the liberal, free thinking people belong to the inner circle of the laila of opposites. Before them solid ice has movement, vibration, pulsations and sparks are congealed or frozen. The poet presents a paradox, suggesting that there is vitality in what appears cold and lifeless, and immobility in what seems fiery and dynamic.
10
hai naqsh-e-paa¹-e mard²-e Khud-aaagah³ par nisaar⁴
sad⁵ turrah⁶-e sikandar⁷ o sad⁵ afsar⁸-e qubaad⁹     1.footprint 2.brave, daring 3.self-aware 4.devotional offering 5.hundred 6.crest of the crown 7.Alexander 8.officers, commanders 9.ancient Persian emperor
A hundred crowns of Alexander and the army/power of kai-qubaad can be sacrificed at the footprints of a brave who is aware of his inner self.
11
past¹ o baland² o arz³ o samaavaat⁴ o mahr⁵ o maah⁶
aqtaab⁷-e fikr⁸ ke haiN Ghulaamaan⁹-e Khaana-zaad¹⁰     1.low 2.high 3.earth 4.skies 5.sun 6.moon 7.poles, axis 8.reason, intellect 9.slaves 10.born in the house i.e., by birth
All the elements of the first misra, together symbolize the universe. These are slaves by birth of the intellect and reason; they revolve around the axis of reason.