Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mir mahdi hasan majrooh dehlavi (1833-1903) was one of the close disciples of Ghalib. This Ghazal is composed in the same qaafiya as Ghalib’s Ghair mudarraf Ghazal ‘shikast ki aavaaz’. It is linked to that and also to tributes to him around 1894 or 1897 to mark the 25^th death anniversary or the 100^th birth anniversary.
1
kaun parde meN hai ye zamzama-saaz¹
saKht² dilkash³ hai saaz⁴ ki aavaaz   1.music maker, singer 2.very much 3.pleasant 4.musical instrument, harp
Who is this musician behind the curtain. The sound of the harp is exceedingly pleasant. The musician behind the curtain could be the beloved, god or Ghalib. We are left to find our own answer.
2
qaher¹ hai chashm²-e mast³ ka andaaz⁴
saher⁵ samjho agar nahiN e’jaaz⁶     1.calamity, doomsday 2.eye 3.intoxicated or intoxicating 4.style 5.magic, fascinating 6.miracle
The eyes of the beloved can be intoxicating for the poet/lover. On the other hand when the beloved is intoxicated her eyes may look even more fascinating. Thus the style/appearance of the beloved’s intoxicating (or intoxicated) eyes is calamitous. If you don’t think of it as a miracle, then think of it as magic.
3
zamzama-sanj¹ yaaN sunaayeN kise
hamsfeer² apne kar gaye parvaaz³    1.experts of song/music/Ghazal 2.companions of journey 3.flight
Who will the expert singers/musicians/poets sing/play/recite for. Our companions in the journey (of life or of the arts) have taken flight (died). This could be about the death of Ghalib and many of those who gathered around him.
4
aas¹ toRi shikasta-baali² ne
Khoon ho kyuN na hasrat³-e parvaaz⁴    1.hope 2.helplessness, broken/crushed 3.longing, yearning 4.flight
In this she’r ‘parvaaz-flight’ is used in the positive sense of flying high. The helplessness, crushed condition of the poet has broken his hope. Why would his yearning for flight not bleed to death.
5
pal meN kar de diloN ko zer-o-zabar¹
qaher² hai vo nigaah³-e saher-taraaz⁴      1.scatter here and there, conquer 2.calamity, doomsday 3.glance 4.magic making
The beloved’s magical glances are calamitous. In one instant they conquer and scatter all hearts.
6
muntaKhab¹ kis ko chashm²-e shauq³ kare
aek se aek hai nayaa andaaz⁴     1.select 2.eyes 3.wish, desire 4.style
Which one can the desirous eye of the poet/lover select. Each new style of the beloved is unique. Perhaps I can stretch the meaning a little. Is he talking about Ghalib’s verse? Which one can the poet/shaagird select.
7
shab-e-Gham¹ se na bahas² zulf-e-taveel³
qissa⁴ ho jaaye muft⁵ meN na daraaz⁶    1.night of sorrow/separation 2.argument 3.long hair 4.story 5.uselessly, profitless 6.long
The night of separation is dark and long. The beloved’s hair are also dark and long. There is an argument on which is longer. The poet/lover asks the night of separation not argue with/about the beloved’s hair. This will only make the story long without any use.
8
dil ke tha manba¹-e fuyooz²-e azal³
luT gaya Gham se vo Khazeena⁴-e raaz⁵     1.source, headwaters of a spring 2.benevolence 3.eternity 4.treasure 5.secrets
The heart is a treasure of secrets because it stores and hides the poet/lover’s love for the beloved. The heart has also been the source of eternal/infinite comfort for the poet/lover. Now his sorrow has increased so much that his heart is destroyed. The increase in sorrow could well be because of Ghalib’s passing.
9
aati hai saaz¹ o baaNg² o mutrib³ se
usi nairaNg-saaz⁴ ki aavaaz    1.harp 2.cry, call 3.singer 4.magic/illusion-creator
From every harp, from every cry, from every singer comes the sound of that illusion creator. The magician, illusion-creator is Ghalib though conceivably it could be god or even the beloved.
10
us ka anjaam¹ kis ne dekha hai
jaan jaana² hai ishq ka aaGhaaz³     1.end, result 2.departure 3.beginning
Who has seen, how can anyone see the end result of love. Its beginning is the departure of life. Thus, before you get to the end of the story of love, your life is gone.
11
hai mudabbir¹ umuur²-e aalam³ ka
kya ye bekaar hi hai parda-e-raaz⁴    1.administrator 2.order, working 3.world 4.curtain of secrets/mysteries
The “curtain of mysteries” is god. He is the administrator responsible for the workings of the world. Why has everything gone wrong then. Is this curtain of mysteries useless/ineffective.
12
chah¹ meN yusuf² hai daar³ par mansoor⁴
hai ajab⁵ ishq⁶ ka nasheb⁷ o faraaz⁸    1.chaah in farsi is a well it is abbreviated to chah to be consistent with rhythm 2.Joseph 3.hanging platform 4.mansoor-al-hallaj 5.strange 6.love 7.low 8.high
This has reference to two stories. In the Biblical story, Joseph was the favourite of his father, Jacob. His brothers were very jealous of him and on a journey (for trade) threw him down a well and left him to die, lying to their father upon return. mansoor-al-hallaj was a sufi scholar who is considered a symbol of defiance standing up to absolute power at the cost of his life. He said/wrote “anal haqq – I am the Truth” which some scholars interpret to be “aham brahmasmi”. He was tried and convicted of claiming divinity and given the option of recanting or death. He chose death. These two stories represent the low and high points of love/truth.
13
dil ko barbaad¹ kar na aye bad-Khoo²
hai ye majrooh³ ka baRa damsaaz⁴        1.destroy 2.bad nature 3.pen-name of poet 4.life giver, support
Do not destroy my heart O, you bad-natured. It (my heart) is a great support to me. The ‘bad-natured’ person could be the beloved or fate.