Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. jaleel hasan jaleel maanikpuri (1864-1946), maanikpur. Learnt urdu, faarsi, arabi from scholars/tutors at home. Became shaagird of amiir minaaii in 1882 and followed him to rampur (1886) and to hyderabad in 1901. Appointed ustaad of mahboob ali KhaaN in 1910 and later of osman ali KhaaN. Given numerous titles including navaab fasaahat jaNg. This Ghazal is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam, ‘saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN’.
1
ek barq-vash¹ ko dekh rahuN izteraab² meN
aaNkhoN ne mujh ko Daal diya kis azaab³ meN    1.lightning-bodied 2.restlessness 3.calamity, curse
The beloved is described as lightning-bodies – barq-vash. This could mean the brilliance of her beauty or glance like a lightnig strike or her flashes of teasing and burning. In any case, the lover having seen her is a constant state of restlessness and blames his eyes for having brought down this curse (of restlessness) on him.
2
kah do yeh niind se keh na aaye shab¹-e firaaq²
til³ bhar jagah nahiN meray chashm⁴-e pur-aab⁵ meN     1.night of 2.separation 3.sesame seed, speck 4.eye 5.full of water/tears
It is the night of separation and the lover is weeping. His eyes are flooded with tears. There is not even a speck of room for anything. Thus, do not come, O sleep, there isn’t any room in my eyes except for tears in this night of separation.
3
voh chaandni meN phirtay haiN, ghar ghar yeh shor hai
nikla hai aaftaab¹ shab²-e maahtaab³ meN    1.sun 2.night of 3.full moon
The beloved is out wandering in moonlight. This is very unusual. Conventionally, the beloved does not step out at night, particularly during moonlit nights for fear of being seen/recognized. The poet does not say why she is out. Her beauty is brilliant like the sun … thus, the sun has come out on a full-moon night and this has caused talk in every household.
4
voh muNh chhupaa’e baiThe hain jalta hai jii¹ mera
aye barq² aah³ aag laga de naqaab⁴ meN    1.heart 2.lightning 3.sigh, an expression meaning ‘I wish’ 4.veil
The beloved has her face veiled, and the lover’s heart burns with desire. He calls upon lightning to strike and burn her veil. There is a nice juxtaposition of his heart burning and setting fire to the veil.
5
duniya ka raNg¹ dekh ke ham chauNkte² nahiN
aaNkheN to jaagti haiN magar dil hai Khwaab³ meN     1.attractions, temptations 2.alerted 3.sleep
We are not alert/careful upon seeing the temptations of this world. Our eyes are open but our hearts are asleep i.e., we fall prey to temptations.
6
phir dil meN uss ki yaad ne nashtar¹ chubho² diya
phir kuchh kami hui thi meray izteraab³ meN     1.knife 2.pricked, pierced 3.restlessness
As soon as the lover calmed down a little, as soon as his restlessness got some respite, the beloved’s memory once again pierced a knife into this heart.
7
thoRi si niind maaNg le qismat se chashm¹-e shauq²
v’aada³ voh kar gaye haiN keh aa’eNge Khwaab⁴ meN    1.eye 2.desire 3.promise 4.dream
During nights of separation the lover is restless and sleepless. If she promises to come in his dream it is no use to him because he cannot sleep, hence cannot dream. So he beseeches his ‘eye of desire’, beg some sleep from fortune/fate, because she has promised to visit him in his dream.
8
zaahid¹ tujhe hai zohd² meN jis chiiz ki talaash³
voh hai paRi hui meray jaam⁴-e sharaab meN     1.observant, pious 2.piety 3.search, desire 4.cup
This is poking fun at the concept that abstinence from wine is piety here but wine will be available as a reward in heaven for forgoing it now. That which you are looking for (as reward in heaven), and abstaining and being pious for it, is available in my cup of wine.
9
roz¹-e hisaab² aa’e jo naubat³ jaleel⁴ ki
yaarab⁵ kami⁶ na ho karam⁷-e be-hisaab⁸ meN    1.day of 2.reckoning, judgment 3.time, turn 4.pen-name of the poet 5.O lord 6.shortage 7.kindness 8.immeasurable
When on the day of judgment, it is time for jaleel to be judged, O lord, let there be not shortage in your immeasurable kindness.