aab-o-gil m’eN hai – munshi maharaaj barq dehlavi
1
saa’eqah hai yaa sharaar-e ‘ishq mer’e dil m’eN hai
jal bujhuuNgaa ek din vo chiiz aab-o-gil m’eN hai
2
jumbish-e paiham m’eN hai raaz-e sabaat-e zindagi
kab sukuuN mauj-e ravaaN ko daaman-e saahil m’eN hai
3
zauq-e naakaami hai meri koshish-e barbaad ko
ek kashish mer’e liye har sa’ii-e laa-haasil m’eN hai
4
mahv hai saaraa jahaaN nairaNg-e duniyaa dekh kar
kis qayaamat ki kashish nazzaara-e baatil m’eN hai
5
be-kasi haNsti hai uss ki himmat-e maayuus par
Khaak-e uftaadah jo fikr-e duuri-e manzil m’eN hai
6
aamad-o-shud par nafas hai Khaanah-e tan m’eN asiir
ye musaafir roz hir-phir kar isi manzil m’eN hai
7
be-mashaqqat maut bhi maaNguuN to mil sakti nahiN
vaa’e qismat meri aasaani bhi kis mushkil m’eN hai
8
qaalib-e Khaaki ke zarroN m’eN hai kis ki roshni
kis ki tasviir-e hijaabi pardah-haa-e dil m’eN hai

barq dehlavi-munshi maharaj (1884-1936) from long line of poets and administrators who served in muGhal administration.  His grandfather daulat raam ibrat was a shaagird of shaiKh ibrahim zauq.  There are several collections of religious, devotional nazm and of Ghazal to his credit.  He also wrote plays, a couple of which were staged.  His shaagird disciple collected and got his work published which migh otherwise have been lost.  After his passing he also solicited poetic tributes and collected and published them.  This Ghazal is linked to “ye bhi mer’e dil m’eN hai” under Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
saa’eqah¹ hai yaa sharaar²-e ‘ishq mer’e dil m’eN hai
jal bujhuuNgaa ek din vo chiiz aab-o-gil³ m’eN hai

1.lightning 2.spark 3.water and clay, the human body

The poet wonders what it is in his heart that is making him so restless – it can’t be a simple spark of love sharaar-e ‘ishq.  It must be lightning saa’eqah because it feels so strong.  aab-o-gil is water and clay and that is what the human body is supposed to be made of.  Thus, the poet concludes that the thing he has in his heart/body is so strong that one day it will burn him to ashes.
2
jumbish¹-e paiham² m’eN hai raaz³-e sabaat⁴-e zindagi
kab sukuuN⁵ mauj-e ravaaN⁶ ko daaman⁷-e saahil⁸ m’eN hai

1.movement 2.repeated, constant 3.secret 4.steadfastness, resolve, constancy 5.stillness 6.flowing 7.hem of the garment 8.shoreline

Constant movement jumbish-e paiham is the secret of the steadfastness/resolve of life sabaat-e zindagi.  This is just like the dynamic waves mauj-e ravaaN at the shoreline.  There is no rest for them and in it lies their constancy.
3
zauq¹-e naakaami² hai meri koshish³-e barbaad⁴ ko
ek kashish⁵ mer’e liye har sa’ii⁶-e laa-haasil⁷ m’eN hai

1.taste, desire 2.failure 3.effort 4.ruined 5.attraction 6.effort 7.fruitless

Desire for failure zauq-e naakaami is very much a part of my ruined effort koshish-e barbaad.  For me, there is an attraction in fruitless effort sa’ii-e laa-haasil.  This is not wanting to fail or wanting to make a useless effort … it is quite different … it is making an effort regardless of the outcome/fruit even if that be certain failure.  The real reward lies in making the effort not in gaining the objective.
4
mahv¹ hai saaraa jahaaN nairaNg²-e duniyaa dekh kar
kis qayaamat ki kashish³ nazzaara⁴-e baatil⁵ m’eN hai

1.engrossed 2.enchantment 3.attraction 4.scene 5.false, not real, not spiritual, material

The material world has a lot of enchantment nairaNg-e duniyaa and the whole world is taken in and is absorbed in its attractions.  What hellish attraction qayaamat ki kashish does this false (appearance only, not real) scene nazzaara-e baatil carry.
5
be-kasi¹ haNsti hai uss ki himmat²-e maayuus³ par
Khaak⁴-e uftaadah⁵ jo fikr⁶-e duuri⁷-e manzil⁸ m’eN hai

1.helplessness 2.courage, resolve 3.disappointment, disillusionment 4.dust 5.fallen to the ground 6.worry 7.distance 8.destination, goal

There is a traveler/seeker on his way to the destination manzil.  There is disappointment, disillusionment in his courage himmat-e maayuus if he worries about the long distance to the destination.  Helplessness be-kasi laughs at/derides the fallen dust Khaak-e uftaadah of the path.  Rising dust is symbolic of an energetic, onward journey and falling dust represents giving up and sitting down.
6
aamad-o-shud¹ par nafas² hai Khaanah³-e tan⁴ m’eN asiir⁵
ye musaafir⁶ roz hir-phir⁷ kar isi manzil⁸ m’eN hai

1.coming and going 2.breath 3.house, home 4.body 5.captive 6.traveler 7.returning again and again 8.destination

In the house of the body Khaanah-e tan the coming and going aamad-o-shud of breath nafas is imprisoned.  This traveler ye musaafir i.e., nafas breath comes back again and again hir-phir kar every day to the same path to the destination.  Very simply, as long as there is a body, breath is bound to come and go/in and out.
7
be-mashaqqat¹ maut bhi maaNguuN to mil sakti nahiN
vaa’e² qismat meri aasaani³ bhi kis mushkil⁴ m’eN hai

1.without effort/strain 2.fie upon 3.ease 4.difficulty

The poet’s aasaani ease/relief/comfort is in death.  He wants to be released from the confines of this body.  But woe to my fate even my aasaani is in mushkil.  Even if I ask/beg, I do not get ‘it’, without making an effort be-mashaqqat.  Here ‘it’ is death.
8
qaalib¹-e Khaaki² ke zarroN³ m’eN hai kis ki roshni
kis ki tasviir-e hijaabi⁴ pardah-haa⁵-e dil m’eN hai

1.body 2.of clay 3.particles 4.veiled, hidden 5.plural of pardah

Whose brilliance is reflected in the grains zarroN m’eN of the body of clay qaalib-e Khaaki; whose veiled image tasviir-e hijaabi is behind the veils of the heart parda-haa-e dil.  This is a rhetorical question implying that divine glory is reflected in the body and is behind the veils of the heart.