Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. aal-e ahmad suroor (1911-2002) academic, critic, writer, editor and poet. MA in English and urdu literature. He taught at aligaRh and lakhnau universities, serving as head of the department of urdu at aligaRh. He was associated with, if not an active member of the Progressive Writers’ Association. His poetic compositions tend to be thoughtful and philosophical. This Ghazal is linked to ham-radeef Ghazaliyaat on the Refrain Index page.
1
aaj pii kar bhi vohi tishna-labi¹ hai saaqi
lutf² meN tere kahiiN koii kami hai saaqi    1.thirst, state of longing 2.favours, benevolence
Today, even after drinking, the thirst remains; the poet suggests an insatiable desire or spiritual (or perhaps poetic) yearning. There you are holding back your favours or there is some defect in your wine, O saaqi. Who is the saaqi and what does this signify. Let us take saaqi to mean the server of mystic wine. If this saaqi does not show favours, then the mystical yearning of the seeker remain unfulfilled, thirst unquenched. The saaqi could also be poetic inspiration in which case the poet is not entirely satisfied with his creativity.
2
tere har jaam¹ meN ek turfah² nasha³ thaa shaa’ed⁴
har adaa⁵ mere bahakne⁶ ki na’ii hai saaqi     1.cup 2.rare, wonderful 3.intoxication 4.perhaps 5.style, gesture 6.stagger, incoherence
Perhaps each cup carries a unique/different intoxication; every style of my bahakna – incoherence is new, O saaqi. The shaa’er speculates that perhaps there is no defect in the wine/inspiration that the saaqi is serving, but the style of his ash’aar (he refers to them tongue in cheek as ‘incoherence’-bahaknaa) is new.
3
laa teri bazm¹ meN kuch aur charaaGhaaN² kar duuN
abhi siine³ meN mere aag⁴ dabi⁵ hai saaqi     1.gathering 2.illumination, brilliance 3.bosom, heart 4.fire, passion 5.suppressed, hidden
Let me add more brilliance to your gathering; there’s still fire/passion buried in my bosom/heart. This fire is both creative and emotional, suggesting poetic inspiration and inner passion waiting to erupt. Perhaps there is a subtle suggestion that HIS poetry will add more brilliance than other shu’araa have managed to do.
4
chaandni shiishe se siinoN¹ meN utar aa’ii hai
mauj²-e mai³ hai keh teri jalva-gari⁴ hai saaqi     1.hearts 2.wave 3.wine 4.act/magic of revealing beauty
Moonlight, filtered through glass (of wine), pours into the hearts (of the audience in the bazm. Is it the effect of the ripples of wine or the magical effect of you revealing your beauty, O saaqi. Thus, the magical effect of the beauty of his ash’aar penetrates the hearts of the audience.
5
hai faroGh¹-e mai²-e gulguuN³ keh teraa aks⁴-e jamaal⁵
kaisi shiishe meN pari naach rahi hai saaqi    1.brilliance, radiance 2.wine 3.rose coloured 4.reflection 5.beauty, glory
Is it the radiance of the wine or a reflection of your beauty? A fairy dances in the glass. This is the glass (ash’aar-Ghazal) in which wine is served; it is radiant, there are fairies dancing in the glass; not just because of the brilliance of the wine but also because of the reflection of the beauty of the inspiration provided by the saaqi, because of hidden meaning that the shaa’er has folded into the wine-ash’aar.
6
tere maiKhaane¹ pe ilzaam² na aa jaa’e kahiiN
mere hisse³ meN vahi tishna-labi⁴ hai saaqi    1.tavern 2.blame 3.share, portion 4.thirst
Let not your tavern be blamed, but I’m still left thirsty. The poet is still not satisfied with what he has created and presented, but does not want to blame the tavern/mushaa’era.
7
maiN nahiiN voh jo har ek shiishe se saaGhar¹ bhar luuN
haaN kabhi tuu ne pilaa’ii² hai to pii hai saaqi     1.goblet 2.offered a drink
I am not one to fill my goblet/cup from any bottle. I only drink when you offer. It’s a declaration of spiritual or artistic fidelity, true intoxication comes only from the right inspirations/source.
8
aaj samjheN¹ na ise shaiKh o barahman na sahi
tere maiKhaane² ki tauqiir³ baRi hai saaqi     1.understand, know, accept 2.tavern 3.dignity, reverence
The tavern is a symbol of universalism free from narrow orthodoxy or rituals. Let the orthodox (shaiKh and brahmin) not understand or accept this today, but your tavern deserves high respect. A defense of mystical or poetic ecstasy against religious rigidity.
9
kaj-kulaahi¹ tere rindoN² ki nazar³ meN na jachi⁴
yuN Khazaane⁵ meN tere koi kami⁶ hai saaqi     1.slanted cap, defiance or arrogance 2.wine drinkers 3.eyes 4.accepted, suited 5.treasurey 6.defect
Arrogance (symbolized by the slanted cap) didn’t appeal to your humble drinkers. Whose arrogance? This is left ambiguous. It is unlikely that the saaqi’s arrogance is implied. It can be still about the orthodoxy … the shaiKh and the brahmin. Is this the shortcoming in your treasury that the orthodox are still arrogant?
10
muntazir¹ hai meri ek vaadi²-e pur-Khaar³ suroor
aur aamaada⁴-e sad⁵-ishva-gari⁶ hai saaqi     1.waiting 2.valley, plains, world 3.full of thorns 4.willing, inclined towards 5.hundred 6.coquetteries, charms
The poet’s life (perhaps his poetic/creative life) is described as vaadi-e pur-Khaar a thorny trajectory. But it is inclined towards displaying hundreds of charms. The vaadi-e pur-Khaar goes along with the thirst that the poet has been feeling. Thus, implied here is an appeal to the saaqi to irrigate his valley with more inspiration, slake his thirst. Alternatively, and perhaps better – it is the saaqi who is aamaada-e sad-ishva gari. Thus, the poet is thirsty in a thorny valley, waiting for wine (inspiration to compose verse) from the saaqi and the saaqi is teasing him with a hundred charms.