Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. syed insha allah KhaaN insha (1753–1817), contemporary of mir taqi mir, left dehli and got patronage lukhnau. He fell out with the nawab because of his rather independent nature, lost his patronage and was even imprisoned. He died in poverty and misery. He was a great linguist and composed verse in turki, poorvi, punjabi, maraThi, marwaRi, kashmiri and hindi. Here he seems to be bemoaning the arrival of old age and impending death.
1
kamar baaNdhe¹ hue chalne ko yaaN sab yaar baiThe haiN
bahut aage gaye baaqi jo haiN tayyaar baiThe haiN   1.gird up the loins, get ready
It seems like all the poet’s friends are getting of an age when they are facing death … girding up their loins and getting ready to depart. Many have already gone ahead, the remaining are all prepared.
2
na chheR ai nik’hat¹-e baad-e-bahaari² raah lag apni
tujhe aTkheliyaaN³ soojhi haiN ham be-zaar⁴ baiThe haiN   1.pleasure, joy 2.spring breeze 3.playfulness 4.tired, bored
Do not tease me, O, spring breeze, go your own way. You are being playful and I am sitting here tired/disinterested.
3
Khayaal un ka pare¹ hai arsh-e-aazam² se kahiN saaqi
Gharaz³ kuchh aur dhun meN is ghaRi mai-Khwaar⁴ baiThe haiN   1.beyond 2.highest sky, seventh heaven 3.all said and done, after all 4.wine drinker, reveler
The scene is the tavern. The patrons/revelers are either all drunk or in a trance. The saaqi is trying to rouse them or serve them some more wine. The poet observes that these people are totally lost in thought … thoughts of things beyond the seventh heaven. After all, they are obsessed with something else, saaqi, leave them alone. What is it that they are obsessed with … the poet leaves us to fill in the blanks. He does not give us a clue.
4
basaan¹-e naqsh-e-paa²-e rah-ravaaN³ koo-e-tamannaa⁴ meN
nahiN uThne ki taaqat⁵ kya kareN laachaar⁶ baiThe haiN   1.similar to, image of 2.footprints 3.travellers on the path 4.street of desire, beloved’s street 5.strength 6.helpless
The poet/lover is on the street of the beloved. He sees many footprints on the way to her house and it should be very easy for him to follow those footprints to reach it. But he is old and tired, does not have the strengthe and is sitting by the side of the street helplessly.
5
ye apni chaal hai uftaadgi¹ se in dinoN pahroN²
nazar aaya jahaaN par saaya-e-divaar baiThe haiN   1.falling down, weakness 2.three-four hour periods/times of the day such as morning, afternoon,
Our way of walking is such these days, morning and evening. Wherever we see a shade, we sit down to rest.
6
kaheN haiN sabr¹ kis ko aah naNg-o-naam² hai kya shai³
Gharaz⁴ ro piiT kar un sab ko ham yak-baar⁵ baiThe haiN   1.patience 2.disrepute 3.thing 4.after all 5.used to mean ‘finally’
In the days of youth, the poet/lover knew what disrepute was, because he indulged in activities that went beyond the acceptable norm. He no longer has the strength/ability to do that. So he no longer knows what it is to patiently wait for the beloved, to get into trouble and acquire a bad name. After all he is done dealing with all these things and is finally sitting down.
7
kahiN bose¹ ki mat jur’at² dilaa kar baiThiyo un se
abhi is hadd³ ko vo kaifi⁴ nahiN hushyaar⁵ baiThe haiN   1.kiss 2.courage 3.limit, extent 4.intoxicated 5.aware, sober
The poet/lover is either addressing the saqi or himself. Do not summon up the courage to kiss her yet. She is not intoxicated to that extent, she is still sober.
8
najiboN¹ ka ajab² kuchh haal hai is daur³ meN yaaro
jise poochho yahi kahte haiN hum bekaar⁴ baiThe haiN      1.noble 2.strange 3.times 4.unemployed, no income
These days the condition of even the nobility is strange. Whoever you ask they say, we have no means of income.
9
naii ye vaz’a¹ sharmaane ki sikhi aaj hai tum ne
hamaare paas saahab varna² yuN sau baar baiThe haiN   1.style 2.otherwise
The beloved is being bashful and does not want to sit next to him. You (O, beloved) have a learnt a new style of being bashful, otherwise you have sat next to me for hundreds of times before.
10
kahaaN gardish¹ falak² ki chain³ deti hai sunaa ‘inshaa’
Ghanimat⁴ hai ki ham-soorat⁵ yahaaN do-chaar baiThe haiN     1.turn of events 2.fate 3.comfort, peace 4.enough, at least 5.similar condition
Does the turn of fate leave any one in peace, have you ever heard, O, insha. At least there are a few more like me here (with whom I can share my problems).