veeraaN mera – seemab akbarabadi

Click here for overall comments and on any she’r for word meanings and explanatory discussion. This Ghazal has echoes of and quotes from a Ghazal of mohammed rafi sauda in which, using sufi imagery, he complains about his ill fate. seemab akbarabadi does the same here.

1
jaag aur dekh zara aalam¹-e-veeraaN² mera
subah ke bhes³ meN nikla hai garebaaN⁴ mera1.world of 2.desolation 3.disguise 4.collar
This is addressed to god in the guise of the beloved (sufi tradition). Wake up and look at my desolate world. My torn collar emerges disguised as the dawn. Normally dawn is associated with hope and a new day. But here it emerges as extreme sorrow – a torn collar. The imagery of torn collar as dawn is from sauda …
tanha tere maatam meN nahiN shaam-e siyah posh
rahta hai sada chaak garebaan-e sahr bhi

2
tu bhi ab chaahe to mumkin¹ nahiN darmaaN² mera
maraz-ul-maut³ hai zaalim⁴ Gham-e-pinhaaN⁵ mera1.possible 2.cure 3.life sapping illness 4.oppressor, beloved 5.hidden/secret pain (of love)
The poet/lover hides his pain/love so as not to malign the name of the beloved. His pain is life-sapping and will take his life. Even if the beloved wishes, it will not be possible to cure him now.

3
fitrat-aara¹-e junooN² hai tan³-e uryaaN⁴ mera
meri be-chaaragiyaaN⁵ haiN sar-o-saamaaN⁶ mera1.adorn nature/character 2.madness 3.body 4.naked 5.incurable, helplessness 6.possessions
The poet is so miserable that the only possession he has left, that adorns his character, is his helplessness. He goes about mad/naked and his nakedness/madness is his only possession.

4
bund aaNkheN kiye yuN jaag raha huN subah-Gham¹
ke unheN aaye nazar Khwaab-e-pareshaaN² mera1.dawn of the day of mourning (of the poet’s death) 2.nightmare
The poet/lover is writing about his own death as if he is observing it, a not uncommon practice in urdu poetry. He is dead, it is the day of mourning and the beloved has come to offer ‘respects’. His eyes are closed but he observes, hoping that she would become aware of his nightmare in which she had rejected him and he died. Will she show regret?

5
hai pareshaani¹-e dil ka yahi sirf² ek ilaaj³
poochh lo haal⁴ ba-andaaz⁵-e pareshaaN⁶ mera1.sorrow 2.only 3.cure, remedy 4.condition 5.in the style of 6.worry
There is only one remedy for the poet/lover’s sorrowful heart. The beloved needs to enquire about his condition as if she is worried about him.

6
sham’a-e-sozaaN¹ hai mera dil bhi, magar² farq³ ye hai
jal ke phir bujh nahiN sakta dil-e-sozaaN⁴ mera1.burning candle 2.but 3.difference 4.burning heart
The poet/lover’s heart is on fire like a candle, but the difference is that the candle flame can be put out, but his heart will keep burning (in the fire of love).

7
Ghalba¹-e-yaas² baja³ shiddat⁴-e-hirmaaN⁵ taslim⁶
maiN samajhta huN ke marna nahiN aasaN⁷ mera1.overwhelming 2.hopelessness 3.normal, appropriate 4.excessive, oppressive 5.despair 6.acceptable 7.easy
The poet/lover is so used to ill fate that he considers overwhelming hopelessness to be normal and oppressive despair to be acceptable. He has resigned to these conditions and therefore will continue to live like this. Death is not going to easily available.

8
muddatauN¹ boo-e vafa² aayegi but-KhaanauN³ se
ood⁴ ban-ban ke jala hai dil-e-sozaaN⁵ mera1.for a long time 2.fidelity, faith in love 3.idol-houses 4.incense 5.sorrowful heart
The poet/lover is dead but his sorrowful heart is ‘re-born’ as incense that is burnt to create fragrant smoke. This will the fragrance of fidelity, since the poet/lover has been steadfast in his love. It will be burnt in idol-houses and provide fragrance for years to come.

9
mujhe parvaa¹-e taGhaaful² nahiN shikwa³ ye hai
ke tere ilm⁴ meN kyuN hai Gham-e-pinhaaN⁵ mera1.concern 2.forgetfulness, neglect 3.complaint 4.knowledge, awareness 5.hidden/secret pain (of love)
The poet/lover is supposed to hide his love even from the beloved so as not to cause her any concern. She neglects him. He is not concerned about the neglect (that is to be expected, it is normal). But his complaint is that she has somehow become aware of his secret/hidden pain.

10
ishq¹ deedaar-talab², husn³ tamanna-aazaar⁴
ho chuka tum se ilaaj⁵-e Gham-e-pinhaaN⁶ mera1.love, poet/lover 2.seeking/demanding sight (of the beloved) 3.beauty, beloved 4.tired of (the demands of) desire (of the lover to see her) 5.cure 6.hidden/secret pain
The poet/lover seeks/demands to see the beloved. The beloved is tired of these demands. Thus the poet says sarcastically, this is how you cure me of my pain!

11
toR kaliyaaN magar aye Khaana-bar-andaaz-e-chaman¹
arz² ye hai ke nasheman³ na ho uryaaN⁴ mera1.home like/similar to garden, pleasant/luxurious living 2.appeal 3.nest 4.naked, denuded
Khaana-bar-andaaz-e-chaman is one who lives in a pleasant/luxurious garden-like home. This could be either the beloved or god in heaven. Thus, by all means, pluck flowers as you like, but don’t leave my garden denuded. seemab borrows this also from the same Ghazal of sauda, from this she’r …
gul phaiNke hai auroN ki taraf balke samar bhi
aye Khana-bar-andaz-e-chaman kuchh to idhar bhi

12
tumheN kyuN madd-e-nazar¹ ab hai Kharaabi² us ki
tum to kahte the ke ghar hai dil-e-insaaN mera1.before the eyes, intention, plan 2.destruction
The convention is that god lives in the heart. Thus, you, O god, said that my heart is your home. Why then are you now intent on destroying it.

13
paR gaii kis ki nigaah¹-e mutabassim² seemaab
ho gaya harf³-e Ghalat⁴ daftar⁵-e isyaaN⁶ mera1.glance 2.smiling, kind 3.word 4.wrong, false – used here to mean rejected 5.book (in farsi) – used here to mean accounting of 6.sins
The poet has lived a life of sin and there is an account/book listing his sins. But this has been rejected i.e. he has been absolved/pardoned. This is the result of the benevolent/smiling glance of favour and kindness that god cast on him.