Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ataa kaakvi-ataa-ur-rahman (1904-1998), UGC professor faarsi paTna university. Head of the Institute of Research in urdu and faarsi. Prolific writer – authored 19, compiled 82 and translated 6 books. One of his books, called nazr-e Ghalib has tributes to Ghalib by other poets and his own compositions in the zamin of Ghalib. This Ghazal is linked to ‘aadmi ko bhi mayassar nahiN insaaN hona’, Ghalib naqsh-e qadam on the Theme Index page.
1
aabru¹ chashm²-e mohabbat ki hai giriyaaN³ hona
gauhar⁴-e ashk⁵ ka palkoN⁶ peh numaayaaN⁷ hona    1.honour, dignity 2.eye 3.weeping 4.pearls 5.tears 6.eye-lashes 7.emerge, appear
The dignity of the loving eye lies in weeping tears, tear drops appearing like pearls on eyelashes. This could apply to the lover weeping in sorrow because of unrequited love or it could be weeping with sorrow for the ills of all humanity.
2
nig’h¹-e rahmat²-e yazdaaN³ ko bahut bhaata⁴ hai
zulf⁵-e isyaaN⁶ ka ba-sad⁷ husn⁸ pareshaaN⁹ hona    1.eye 2.benevolence 3.god 4.pleasing 5.hair 6.sining, transgression 7.with a hundred 8.beauty 9.scattered, spread
Transgression is visualised/presented as a damsel with her hair spread out. This of course, is a conventional image of the beauty of the beloved. Here transgression is presenting herself in a hundred beautiful styles and this pleases the benevolent eye of god i.e., he will forgive our transgressions.
3
naNg¹-e pairaahan²-e hasti³ hai voh daamaaN⁴ aye zohd⁵
jis ko aata nahiN aaluuda⁶-e isyaaN⁷ hona    1.shame 2.garment 3.life 4.hem 5.abstinence, observing edicts 6.smeared, dirty 7.sin
Going through a situation without getting the hem of the garment dirty is to remain righteous and observant. Imagine ‘zohd-abstinece’ as a damsel wearing the garment of life and going through life without getting the hem of its robe dirty. The poet asserts that this is shameful for the ‘pairaahan-e hasti’. If you want to experience life to its full, if you don’t want to insult the opportunity of living, then you have to let the hem of your garment get dirty every now and then.
4
surma¹-e chasm² hai voh ahl³-e basiirat⁴ ke liye
jis ki qismat meN hai Khaak⁵-e dar⁶-e jaanaaN⁷ hona   1.collyrium 2.eye 3.people of 4.sight, insight, discerning 5.dust 6.door 7.beloved
It is thought that ‘surma-collyrium’ improves eyesight. For discerning/ingsightful people, the fortunate dust of the beloved’s door is like ‘surma’.
5
taab¹-e nazzaara² bhi to chashm³ ko baKhshi⁴ hoti
aisa kis kaam ka jalve⁵ ka pareshaaN⁶ hona    1.ability, strength, courage 2.seeing 3.eye 4.grant 5.manifestation 6.spread
This may be an allusion to the story of moosa/Moses who went up mount tuur asking to see god. When there was a manifestation in the form of a flash of lightning, he fainted. The poet implies that this was so because he did not have the courage to see. O god, you should have given the eye the courage to see. Of what use is the spreading/appearance of your manifestation if cannot be seen. This can also apply to what are considered to be everyday manifestations of the divine.
6
qissa¹-e jaur² o jafa³ maiN ne bhi naahaq⁴ chheRa⁵
mujh se dekha na gaya un ka pashemaaN⁶ hona     1.story 2.cruelty 3.oppression 4.unjustified, wrong 5.started 6.penitent, ashamed
In poetic convention the beloved is always cruel and oppressive towards the poet/lover. The poet started relating the story of her cruelty and oppression. The beloved felt ashamed of what she had done and poet/lover could not bear to see her penitence. He himself then regrets having started this story.
7
na sahi un peh asar¹, dil ki kadoorat² to gaii
kaargar³ kuchh to hua chashm⁴ ka giryaaN⁵ hona     1.effect 2.ill-feeling, offence 3.useful 4.eye 5.weeping
The poet/lover is sorrowful and offended by the beloved’s behaviour. He weeps, but his tears have had no effect on her. His tears were at least useful in clearing up the offended feelings in his heart.
8
chaandni mahr¹ o mohabbat² ki to chhiTki³ hi nahiN
daaGh⁴-e dil ko hai meray aur numaayaaN⁵ hona     1.kindness 2.love 3.spread, shine 4.wound 5.prominent, appear
The poet/lover carries wounds in his heart that he has bared, opened up. But it does not seem to have affected the beloved – the moonlight of her kindness/sympathy and love has not spread over him. He feels that is is necessary for the wounds of his heart to become more prominent to have an effect on her.
9
gesu¹-e kufr² ba-sad³ naaz⁴ balaa-gardaaN⁵ hai
vajd⁶ meN uss ka nisaar⁷-e ruKh⁸-e iimaaN⁹ hona   1.hair, tresses 2.non-faith, temptations 3.with a hundred 4.coquetries 5.sacrificial, demanding sacrifice 6.spiritual trance 7.devotional offering/sacrifice 8.face, beauty 9.faith
‘gesu-e kufr’ are alluring (material) temptations. With a hundred coquetries they demand sacrifice … the lover sacrifices his spiritual and material well being and goes into a frenzy of passion. But he could go into spiritual trance and offer himself as a devotional sacrifice to ‘ruKh-e iimaaN’, the beauty of faith. Thus, the two misra offer contrasting choices.
10
ashk¹-e raNgiiN se huN Khud hi gulistaaN² ba-kinaar³
ho mubaarak tumheN firdaus⁴ ba-daamaaN⁵ hona     1.tears 2.garden 3.embracing, possessing 4.heaven 5.in the hem of the garment
To hold something in the hem of the garment is to be in control/possession of that thing. The interlocuter is in ‘possession’ of i.e., is guaranteed to go to heaven. The poet says, felicitations to you for your guaranteed entry to heaven. The poet himself, on the other hand, has ‘ashk-e raNgiiN’ … colourful tears i.e., tears of blood. This makes floral patterns on his garment, and it is as if he is embracing/holding a garden. He is quite happy with this and leaves heaven to his interlocuter.
11
kitna andher¹ hai duniya-e mohabbat meN ataa²
mizsha³-e husn⁴ peh taaroN ka charaaGhaaN⁵ hona    1.darkness, injustice 2.pen-name of the poet 3.eyelash 4.beauty/beloved 5.light up, shine
IF the beloved were to cry, then tears would shine like stars on her eyelashes. This would be a grave injustice in the world of love, O ataa. Thus, this is a description of a hypothetical situation.