Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. raghupati sahay firaq gorakhpuri (1896-1982) pre-eminent urdu shaa’er, scholar of farsi and sanskrit. Was nominated to Indian Civil Service but chose to participate in the freedom movement. After independence he chose an academic career, teaching English at Allahabad University. firaq composed four Ghazal (already posted on urdushahkar) in the style of mir taqi mir and five in the style of Ghalib. He composed one Ghazal specially for a dedicated ‘Ghalib Number’, Feb 1969 issue of ‘aaj kal’, a monthly magazine. There are at least three others in the same style in his collection ‘Ghazalistan’. This Ghazal is one of them. They are all dated 1943, so I have linked them to 1947-Birth +150 years. Also, firaq lifted many ash’aar from his earlier Ghazals and wove them into his 1969, Ghalib number publication. I have left them out to avoid duplication.
1
chaak¹ dil, chaak jigar, chaak garebaaN² hona
vahshiyo³, ye to nahiN aashiq⁴-e jaanaaN⁵ hona    1.torn, rent 2.collar 3.mad/passionate like majnuN 4.lover 5.beloved
The classical picture of the lover in urdu poetics is that of majnuN who goes around with hair disheveled, collar torn, heart broken strength/courage (liver) sapped, looking for his beloved. O, lovers, this is not the way of showing love for the beloved. The implication is that staying firm with feet squarely planted on the ground is the right way. Perhaps the implication includes a wider definition of ‘beloved’ … universal love rather than romantic love.
2
dukhte dil ko naye andaaz¹ se dukhna aaya
Gham²-e dauraaN³ ko mubarak Gham-e jaanaaN⁴ hona    1.style, way 2.pain/sorrow (of love) 3.times, era, period 4.beloved
The pained/hurting heart has learnt to feel pain in a new way. The old way to feel the pain of unrequited romantic love. The new way is to feel the pain of the times, of people, social injustice. Felicitations to this new pain that has taken the place of the old romantic love.
3
farsh¹-e rah²-e diida³ o dil haiN tere mushtaaqoN⁴ ke
teri aamad⁵ meN koii saaz⁶ na saamaaN⁶ hona     1.floor 2.path 3.eyes 4.eagerly desirous 5.arrival 6.provisions and arrangements
Those who are eagerly desirous of you have spread their eyes and hearts on the path by which you are to come. There is no need for any other provisions for your arrival. The implication is asking ‘the beloved’ to come soon because everyone is waiting for her. The beloved could easily be independence or socialist revolution.
4
chappe¹ chappe meN hai gulzaar² ke sad-dasht³-e junuN⁴
zarre⁵ zarre se Tapakta hai biyabaaN⁶ hona     1.patch 2.garden 3.hundred deserts/wildernesses 4.madness, frenzy, passion 5.particle, grain (of sand) 6.wilderness
The poet/lover/revolutionary is reinforcing the invitation to the beloved (or independence, revolution) asking her to come. Every patch in the garden is like wandering through a hundred wildernesses, like majnuN did. Everyone is looking for you. Every grain of sand is eager to become a wilderness (affording more opportunities for majnuN to show his passion/frenzy).
5
ThokareN haiN dar-o-diivaar¹ ki aur tere asiir²
saKht³ dushvaar⁴ hai shaa’esta⁵-e zindaaN⁶ hona     1.door and wall – used in the sense of pillar to post 2.captives (in love) 3.hard, very much 4.difficult 5.cultured, refined 6.prison
Your captives are wandering from pillar to post, lost and not knowing where to go. It is very difficult to be cultured (on best behaviour) when they are imprisoned (by your love) like this.
6
Khud ko pahchaan saki dukh bhari duniya na abhi
Gham-e insaaN ko na aaya Gham-e insaaN hona    Even to this day, this unhappy world has not been able to know its true self. Human love has not yet learnt the meaning of universal love.
7
uf! vo nairaNg¹-e junuN² chaak-garebaanoN³ ka
kabhi KhandaaN⁴, kabhi giriyaaN⁵, kabhi hairaaN⁶ hona     1.multiple colours, fascination 2.passion, frenzy 3.torn collars as in passionate mad lovers 4.laughing 5.crying 6.puzzled, worried
Oh, the many facets/colours of these frenzied lovers. Sometimes they laugh at other times they cry and are sometimes surprised.
8
ise jo kuchh koii samjhe, ise jo kuchh koii jaane
Gham-e-jaanaaN¹ ko magar kufr² na eemaaN³ hona     1.love of the beloved/god 2.unorthodox 3.orthodox
Whatever you think of it, however you understand/explain it, love of god (universal love) is neither orthodox nor unorthodox i.e. it has nothing to do with an belief system, it is basic and universal.
9
nigah-e-shooKh¹ ne chheRa hai rag²-e saaz-e-majaaz³
dekh ab husn-e-haqiiqat⁴ ka numaayaaN⁵ hona    1.glance of the beloved 2.vein, nerve 3.harp-string of illusion 4.beauty of reality 5.manifest, apparent
I think of ‘nigah-e-shooKh’ the glance of the beloved as the glance of god and it teases, plucks the vein of string of harp of creation i.e. of the material world. In particular, it teases the curiosity of humans. Now see how the beauty of Reality/spiritual world will be understood/explained/displayed. He is expecting the beauty of universal love will mature.
10
haiN umeedeN¹ bhi taGhaaful² se tere yuN to use
mera hamraaz³, na damsaaz⁴, na pursaaN⁵ hona     1.hopes 2.neglect, ignore 3.confidant 4.sustainer 5.well-wisher
Even the poet/lover’s hopes are tied up with the beloved’s neglect/spurning/ignoring of my love. But the beloved is not even doing that, so his hopes can never become a friend, helper or well-wisher.
11
aaj dar-parda¹ junuN-silsila² jumbaaN³ hai firaq
khul gaya gesu⁴-e pur-Kham⁵ ka pareshaaN⁶ hona    1.behind the curtain 2.continuing frenzy/passion 3.moving/active 4.hair 5.curly 6.scattered
Hidden behind the curtain of continued frenzy/passion firaq is still actively thinking/writing. This has opened up/revealed the spreading/scattering of the curly hair of the beloved i.e. the beauty of the beloved is revealed in the writings of firaq.