Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi is well known for his fiery nazm. He also wrote many romantic as well as cerebral nazm and Ghazal. His marsia are a celebration of dignified death rather than bowing to injustice even at the cost of life. He also wrote numerous rubaaii. This series is a collection of nearly 300 rubaaiyaat from various books organized by subject. This selection is about the vigour and youth of the beloved. I do keep in mind that in the ‘me too’ era, this can offend. My only justification is the beauty of the language and the richness of metaphor and imagination.
1
jannat ki bahaarauN¹ ka nikhaara² mukhRa
bele ki kali, subah ka taara mukhRa
kauser³ ki musaddiq⁴ hai tumhaari aavaaz
hoorauN ka suboot⁵ hai tumhaara mukhRa 1.spring, flowers 2.freshened 3.name of a river in heaven 4.one who attests/verifies/assures 5.proof
The beloved’s face is washed fresh by the spring (freshness, youth) of heaven. She is like budding jasmine, like the morning star. kauser – a river in heaven, flowing gently. The beloved’s voice is an attestation of the gentle, musical sound of these ripples. Her beauty is proof of the existence of hoor.
2
chauNki¹ jo vo salma-e-zamiN² hoor-e-falak³
rug rug meN liye Khwaab-e javaani ki khaTak⁴
gaalauN pe baras ke khul gaya neend ka abr⁵
aNgRaaii ke parde⁶ se nikal aaii dhanak⁷   1.startled, woke up 2.the most delicately beautiful on earth 3.angel of heaven 4.irritation, restlessness 5.cloud 6.reflection, image, copy 7.rainbow
The beloved is the most beautiful damsel on earth, like an angel of heaven. When she wakes up, carrying the restless memories of her youthful dreams, her face lights up as if clouds (of sleep) have been cleared away and the sun shines after a rain shower. Following the shower, you see a rainbow. The arch of the rainbow is like the arch of her stretch/yawn.
3
ye chaand ka ghera hai ke tera mukhRa
firdaus¹ ka Dera hai ke tera mukhRa
jaNgal ki ye rateN haiN ke teri zulfeN²
parbat ka savera hai ke tera mukhRa 1.heaven 2.hair
Her face is like the full (circle) moon. It is like the station/dignity/beauty of heaven. Nights of the jungle are particularly dark, because there are no city lights. Thus her hair are like jungle nights. Dawn is particularly pleasing and bright as the sun emerges from behind hills. Thus her face is like the bright dawn of the mountain.
4
kal subah ko yuN hui vo alhaR¹ bedaar²
jis naaz se paRti hai dhundalke³ meN phu’aar
aaNkhauN ne Kharabaat⁴ ke dar⁵ khol diye
aNgRaaii ne jhoom kar chala di talwaar 1.lively damsel 2.awake 3.twilight 4.tavern, wine 5.door
The beloved wakes up … still in the asleep/awake mode, hence the analogy with dhudalka – twilight, neither dark nor light. And the gentle drizzle is freshness. Her eyes are intoxicating like wine. So when she opens her eyes, it is as if the doors of the tavern have been thrown open. When she stretches and yawns, the arch of her body is like the curve of the sword.
5
alhaR¹ ne javaani ki suni jab aahaT
joban² chiTka³ ragauN meN goonji anvaT⁴
sanki⁵ har roNgTe meN purva⁶ sunn-sun
barkha aaii badan ne ulTa ghooNgaT 1.young damsel 2.youth, breasts 3.bloom 4.ankle bells and also coquetry 5.gently blowing 6.spring breeze
The adolescent is coming of age and hears the footsteps of youth. Her breasts blossom and coquetry echoes through every vein. The spring breeze blows through every fibre of her body. And with the spring shower, her body throws off the veil.
6
ruKh¹ par jo tabassum² sa damak³ uThta hai
hoNTauN pe tera vaa’da⁴ thirak uThta hai
heele⁵ ki dulaaii⁶ ka sunahra lachka⁷
aaNkhauN ke kinaarauN pe jhalak⁸ uThta hai 1.face 2.smile 3.glow 4.promise 5.excuses (for breaking promises) 6.shawl 7.tassle, suggestive swing 8.shine, twinkle
The beloved smiles, her face glows and promises dance on her lips. Even as she is promising (a rendezvous) he knows that she is not going to keep her promise. Figuratively, she is wearing a shawl of excuses (that will give her cover for breaking her promise), and the tassle of this shawl is swinging suggestively. The corners of her eyes twinkle mischievously because she is teasing.
7
milte hi nazar dil pe tabar¹ lagta hai
ek teer sa aye rashk-e-qamar² lagta hai
ye kaun sa unsur³ hai tere mukhRe meN
nazreN jo uThaata huN to Dar lagta hai 1.hatchet, dagger 2.envy of the moon 3.ingredient
The beloved is so beautiful that she is the envy of the moon. Whenever the poet/lover raises his eyes to look at her it is as if a dagger has plunged into his heart or an arrow has struck him. He wonders what ingredient she has in her face/beauty that he is fearful of raising his eyes.
8
allah ri pur-shor¹ javaani ki uThaan²
halchal, haNgaama, goonj, aandhi, toofaan
uThti haiN jo aaNkheN to jhalakti³ hai kaTaar⁴
hilte haiN jo abru⁵ to kaRakti⁶ hai kamaan⁷   1.noisy, lively 2.rise, emergence 3.shining 4.dagger 5.eye brows 6.twang (of a drawn bow) 7.bow
The beloved is young, her youth emerging and causing great tumult, disturbance, reverberation (thunder) and storms. When she raises her (bright) eyes it seems as if daggers are shining. When she arches her brows it is as if she is drawing a bow to shoot arrows.
9
shaanauN pe hai chhiTki¹ hui zulfauN² ki laTak³
a’aza⁴ meN hai taaza⁵ shaaKh-e-gul⁶ ki si lachak⁷
aur us pe ye aNgRaaii ka aalam ke na poochh
bikhri hui badliyauN⁸ meN jis tarah dhanak⁹  1.sprinkled 2.hair 3.hanging/swinging 4.limbs 5.fresh, young 6.flower bough 7.supple swing 8.clouds
She has a gait as if she is sprinkling locks of her hair such that they suggestively swing on her shoulders. Her young limbs have a supple swing, like a young branch laden with flowers. On top of this, her stretch creates an arch like a rainbow in scattered clouds.