Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. Khwaaja haider ali aatish (1777-1847), born faizabad, sufi family, disciple of mus’hafi and wrote both in faarsi and urdu. aatish wrote more explicitly than most about the pleasures of flesh. Refused all patronage because he wanted to be independent. Ghalib’s Ghazal in this zamin is dated 1821. I do not have the scholarship to date this one but I have linked it both to Ghalib peshrau-hamasr and to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
qabr¹ par yaar² ne qur’aan paRhaa mere baad
shart³-e ulfat⁴ ki mili mujh ko jazaa⁵ mere baad    1.grave 2.beloved 3.condition, commitment, promise 4.love 5.reward
At my grave, my beloved recited the qur’aan after I was gone. I received the reward for the condition/promise of love after my death. During the life, the poet/lover had remained steadfast in his love. As a reward the beloved came to his grave and recited the qur’aan.
2
ho gaya silsilaa¹-e mehr-o-mohabbat² barham³
naazniiN⁴ bhool ga’e naaz-o-ada⁵ mere baad    1.continuity, chain, tradition 2.love and affection 3.disrupted, scattered 4.beauties 5.coquetry and charms
The tradition of affection and love was disrupted/discontinued after me. The beauties forgot their charms and coquetries after I was gone.
3
yaas¹ o hirmaan² o Gham o dard ye baRh jaa’eNge
bekasi³ ka nahiN lagn’e ka pataa⁴ mere baad 1.despair 2.deprivation 3.helplessness 4.whereabouts, clue, presence
Despair, deprivation, sorrow, and pain will only increase. There is no trace of helplessness left after me. The poet, while alive, was the quintessential ‘bekas’. In his infinite ‘bekasi’, he absorbed all the ‘yaas o hirmaan o Gham o dard’. Now that he is gone, there is nowhere else for these to go, so they will keep increasing.
4
raNg-e ruKhsaar¹-e gul²-o-laala³ digarguuN⁴ hoga
na rahegi ye gulistaaN⁵ ki havaa⁶ mere baad     1.cheeks 2.rose 3.tulip 4.changed for the worse, pale 5.garden 6.atmosphere, ambience
The colors of the cheeks/petals of rose and tulips will change for the worse/become pale. The ambience of the garden will no longer remain the same after I am gone.
5
zindagi tak haiN qayaamat¹ ke ye saare dhaRke²
mujh ko kya Gham hai agar hashr³ hua mere baad 1,doomsday 2.fears, tremors 3.judgment day
All these fears of doomsday last only during life. I have no sorrow if the judgment day arrives after my death. The implication is that the poet is disdainful of the ‘fear of death’. He is not afraid of judgment day perhaps because he is confident that he will come out all right because of his steadfast love and loyalty.
6
dost-daari¹ ka gunahgaar² huN, voh dushman-e jaaN
maGhferat³ kii mer’e maaNgega dua mere baad     1.cultivating sincere freindship 2.sinner, guilty 3.salvation, forgiveness
I am guilty of being a friend to that foe of my soul (the beloved). Even she will pray for my salvation after I am gone. A paradoxical couplet where the poet imagines his beloved, despite her disdain/hostility, seeking his pardon after his death.
7
maiN jo naushaah¹ to voh ban jaa’egi aaGhosh²-e uruus³
gor⁴ se aa’egi shahna⁵ ki sadaa⁶ mere baad    1.bridegroom 2.lap, embrace 3.bride 4.grave 5.shahnaaii, traditional wedding clarinet 6.sound
If I were a bridegroom, she would become a bride’s embrace. The sound of wedding songs will come from my grave after I am gone – a metaphorical portrayal of unfulfilled love, imagining a mystical union after death, with the wedding taking place in his grave.
8
Khoon-e-naahaq¹ ka mere khiiNchiyega Khamyaaza²
haath maliyega³ bahut mal⁴ ke hinaa⁵ mere baad    1.unjust bloodshed 2.Khamyaaza khiiNchna is an expression meaning suffer the consequences of 3.haath malna-rubbing hands, regret 4.rub, apply 5.henna
You will suffer the consequences of my unjust bloodshed. You will wring your hands in regret after applying henna on them, after I am gone. The tradition in urdu poetry says that the beloved is never quite satisfied with the colour that henna imparts to her hands and feet. She like a deep red colour which she can get by mixing the lover’s blood with henna. This is what the poet refers to as unjust bloodshed. After his death she will regret having killed him because no source of blood will be available for future henna applications.
9
qafas-e-tan¹ se chhuTaa maiN to chaman se la kar
buu-e-gul² kis ko suNghaavegi sabaa³ mere baad     1.cage/prison of the body 2.fragrance of the rose 3.morning breeze
After I am released from the cage of my body, who will the morning breeze bring the fragrance of the rose to, from the garden? Release from the cage of the body is death. When the poet is dead there is no one to appreciate the fragrance of the rose. This may also relate to the poetic convention of depicting the poet as a caged bird pining for the beloved-rose. Every morning, the breeze brings fragrance of the rose to the caged bird. But once it is dead there is no true lover of the rose left.
10
kul’h-e-kaj¹ nahiN rahne ki tumhaare sar par
taNg² o chust³ aisi na hovegi qabaa⁴ mere baad     1.tilted cap-a sign of defiance, youthful abandon 2.tight 3.snug 4.robe, garment
This tilted cap will not stay on your head. Your robe will no longer remain so tight and fitting after I am gone. The beloved dresses in youthful abandon. She is not fearful of what society will say because she has a lover in reserve who she can call upon any time she needs. But after he is gone, she will not longer have this luxury and will have to abandon her defiant style.
11
haDDiyaaN khaa ke jo mujh kushte¹ ki lazzat² paaii
sadqe³ hoga mere qaatil⁴ ke humaa⁵ mere baad     1.killed 2.pleasure, taste 3.devotional offering 4.killer, slayer 5.mythical bird
After enjoying the taste of the bones of my slain body, huma, the bird of fortune will offer devotion to my killer. huma is a mythical bird that eats bones. If it casts its shadow on someone, they are blessed and become a monarch. Thus, by offering devotion to the beloved, the huma will bestow her with monarchy, which can be credited to the poet/lover’s killing.
12
maiN na hoNga to na hoga ye qimaar-e-ulfat¹
koi yadne² ka nahiN shart-e-vafa³ mere baad     1.gamble of love 2.wager, bet 3.condition of loyalty
This gamble of love will not exist without me. No one will stake loyalty after I am gone. The poet claims a unique role in defining the game of love, implying its collapse in his absence and that he is the only one who is willing to make the wager of loyalty.
13
gor¹ tak saath rahe paRh ke janaaze² ki namaaz
farz³ jo thaa so kiya tum ne adaa⁴ mere baad     1.grave 2.funeral 3.duty 4.fulfil, perform
You walked with the funeral to the grave, offering the funeral prayer. You fulfilled your obligations after I was gone – a melancholic yet resigned acceptance of duty and final farewells, devoid of emotional attachment.
14
aaina rakh ke banaane ke nahiN shaane¹ se
muKhtasar² ho ga’ii ye zulf-e-rasa³ mere baad 1.comb 2.short 3.long, flowing locks
No one will use a mirror or comb to style their hair. These long, flowing locks will become shorter after I am gone. This is a metaphorical description of beauty and the poet’s ability to describe this beauty. The poet associates his absence with a loss of poetic description of beauty and grooming, emphasizing his poetic influence.
15
qabr par faateha¹ ko aa’e voh shooKh² aye aatish³
nek⁴ taufiiq⁵ de uss but⁶ ko Khuda mere baad      1.prayer for the salvation of the dead 2.playful, coquettish 3.pen-name 4.virtuous, pious 5.divine guidance 6.idol
O aatish, that playful beloved will come to my grave to offer prayers, may god grant that idol/beloved pious guidance after I am gone. The poet concludes with hope for his beloved’s spiritual growth, imagining a heartfelt visit to his grave.