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.
1
husn¹ kahte’ haiN jise noor²-e dil-o-jaaN³ nikla
ishq samjhe the’ jise jalva⁴-e jaanaaN⁵ nikla 1.beauty 1.light 3.heart and soul 4.beauty, radiance 5.beloved
That which we call beauty turned out to be the light of heart and soul; what we believed was love turned out to be the beloved’s radiance. The poet reflects on the deeper essence of beauty and love. Beauty transcends physical allure to become a spiritual illumination in the heart and soul, while love finds fulfillment in the beloved’s glory/presence. The shift from physical perception to mystical realization highlights the transformative power of love and beauty.
2
gul-o-gauhar¹ meN, mah-o-mahr² meN, pinhaaN³ nikla
vahi ek sho’la⁴ jo dil meN mere raqsaaN⁵ nikla 1.flowers and pearls 2.moon and sun 3.hidden 4.flame 5.dancing
In flowers and pearls, in the moon and the sun, it was hidden; it turned out to be the same flame that danced in my heart. The poet identifies the divine spark, which is omnipresent in nature (flowers, pearls, sun, moon etc) and also resides within the human heart as the hidden sho’la/flame which is symbolic of the divine spirit.
3
allah-allah¹ kashish²-e jazba³-e hurriyyat⁴-e ishq
zarra-zarra⁵ mera diivaana⁶-e zindaaN nikla 1.by god 2.attraction, pull 3.passion 4.freedom 5.every particle 6.mad, lover
By god, such is the pull of the passion for the freedom of love; that every particle of mine turned out to be a lover of imprisonment. This is a juxtaposition of opposties. Love, though liberating (liberty loving), binds the lover to its constraints. The poet marvels at the paradoxical nature of love: it enslaves while offering freedom. Each atom of the poet’s being willingly embraces this captivity, symbolizing the consuming nature of true love.
4
koNpaleN¹ phooTi² haiN yaa³ fasl⁴-e KhizaaN⁵ ke Gham meN
haath malta⁶ hua har barg⁷-e gulistaaN⁸ nikla 1.new shoots 2.burst forth 3.or 4.season 5.autumn 6.wringing hands in sorrow 7.leaf, petal 8.garden
Spring has arrived signalling the departure of autumn. Is is new shoots bursting out, or is it grief over the departure of the season of autumn? Every leaf of the garden turned out to be wringing its hands in despair. The poet muses on the cycle of life and death, renewal and decay. The garden’s leaves symbolize both new beginnings and the mourning of endings, reflecting the bittersweet nature of existence and the interplay of joy and sorrow.
5
but-parasti¹ kisi aalam² meN na chhuuTi³ dil se
har tasavvur⁴ mera tasviir-ba-daamaaN nikla 1.idol worship 2.condition 3.leave, go away 4.thought, imagination 5.carrying a picture of the beloved in the hem of its garment
Idol worship under no condition left my heart; every thought I conjured up carried with it the image of the beloved. The poet admits to an innate tendency toward reverence, seeing divinity or idealized beauty in everything. The intimate interplay between idol, god and the beloved is interesting.
6
Khatm¹ samjhe the mah-o-mahr² pe anvaar³-e jamaal⁴
dil ko dekha to ajab⁵ aalam-e-taabaaN⁶ nikla 1.finished, extended to the limit of 2.moon and sun 3.rays of light, radiance 4.beauty, divine glory 5.fascinating, wondrous 6.shining world
We thought the moon and sun marked the extent of divine radiance; but upon looking at the heart, we found a wondrous glowing world within. The poet challenges the external definitions of beauty, asserting that the heart contains a more profound brilliance. The divine resides in the heart.
7
diida¹-e aaqil² o aaina³ o qalb⁴-e aarif⁵
mahram⁶-e husn⁷ jo nikla vahi hairaaN⁸ nikla 1.eye 2.wise, wisdom 3.mirror 4.heart 5.mystic 6.familiar with, privy to 7.beauty 8.astonished, amazed
The eye of wisdom, the mirror, and the heart of the mystic; whoever turned out to be privy to beauty, emerged astonished. The wise and mystic contemplate divinity. If they become privy to the glory of this beauty then they emerge of their contemplation completely amazed and astonished. The mirror is also symbolic of reflection of truth. It shows you your own self. Such self-realization can also be wondrous. In addition, there is a double play here- the beloved looks at the mirror, thus the mirror gets a chance to contemplate her beauty. The mirror too comes out of this amazed. Beloved, idol and the divine are juxtaposed.
8
thaa azal¹ meN jo mere’ husn²-e tasavvur³ ka faroGh⁴
aaNkh kholi to vahi aalam⁵-e imkaaN⁶ nikla 1.beginning of time, eternity 2.beauty, skill, ability 3.imagination 4.splendour 5.world, realm 6.possibilities
The splendour that was the beauty of imagination from the beginning of time; when I opened my eyes (came into this world as a human), it turned out to be the same realm of possibilities. The poet links imagination with reality, suggesting that what was once a distant dream or ideal in the realm of time before creation manifests itself in life as imagination. It speaks to the power of perception and the realization of dreams. Said Ghalib …
hai kahaaN tamanna ka duusra qadam yaarab
ham ne dasht-e imkaaN ko ek naqsh-e paa paayaa
9
ishq-o-husn¹ ek tajalli² ke haiN partav³ laikin
bazm⁴-e aalam⁵ meN vo pinhaaN⁶ ye namaayaaN⁷ nikla 1.love and beauty 2.radiance 3.reflections, images 4.gathering 5.world 6.hidden 7.apparent, revealed
Love and beauty are both reflections of one divine radiance; yet in the gathering of the world, one remains hidden, the other revealed. The poet contrasts the subtlety of love with the visibility of beauty. This duality captures how love operates quietly within, while beauty is displayed outwardly, both emanating from the same divine source. An exact opposite role for both is intriguing. Love is symbolic of devotion to the divine and beauty is symbolic of the divine. Yet love is revealed/displayed while divine beauty remains hidden.
10
hasrat¹-e diid² ne parde’³ meN biThaaya uss ko
dil ka armaan⁴ hijaab⁵-e ruKh⁶-e taabaaN⁷ nikla 1.longing 2.to see 3.veil 4.desire 5.veil 6.face 7.radiant
The desire to see him itself placed him behind a veil; the heart’s longing turned out to be a veil over his radiant face. The poet reflects on the paradox of yearning: intense desire often creates barriers. This could apply to the divine- our intense desire to see him/her/it makes us wish that he/she/it would appear before us. This puts a blindfold on our eyes when the truth is that he/she/it is all around us. Our desire itself has put a veil on that radiant visage.
11
allah allah nig’h¹-e barq²-figan³ ki taasiir⁴
paara-paara⁵ jigar⁶-e Khasta⁷ ka tabaaN⁸ nikla 1.glance 2.lightning 3.throwing down, overpowering 4.effect, impact 5.every piece 6.liver, heart, pen-name 7.broken 8.radiant
By god, the impact of her lightning-overpowering glance; every shattered piece of jigar’s broken heart turned out to be radiant. The beloved’s glance is described as so bright that it can overpower the brightness of lightning. She casts an a glance at the poet/lover and shatters his heart. The effect of the brightness is such that even shattered pieces of his heart continue to glow. This glow could be symbolic of his undying love.