Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. amir ahmed amir minaaii (1829-1900) was contemporary of daaGh dehlavi and much like him received patronage in rampur and later in hyderabad, where he died and is buried. Both he and daaGh composed several Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib. Both were young and emerging poets during the later years of Ghalib’s life. Both write primarily in the classical style about classical themes of love.
1
kaun uThaayega tumhaari ye jafa¹ mere b’aad
yaad aayegi bahut meri vafa² mere b’aad   1.cruelty 2.fidelity, faithful in love
Who will bear/accept your cruelties after me. You will remember my faithfulness in love after I am gone (because there will not be anyone else to bear your cruelties).
2
huN vo naalaaN¹ ke hai itne liye marne ki Khushi
chayn² se soyegi sub Khalq³-e Khuda mere b’aad   1.wailing, crying loudly 2.comfort, peace 3.creation
During his lifetime, the poet/lover wailed loudly and constantly because his love was spurned. Now that he is dead, so many are happy that they (all creation) can sleep in peace. The fact that so many are happy makes him wail again (hopefully, no one can hear his wails).
3
jitna jii chaahe balaa’oN¹ meN phaNsa lo mujh ko
koii paaoge na mushtaaq²-e balaa mere b’aad    1.calamities, problems 2.desirous
Snare me in as many calamities as you like. After me there will be no one who will wish to undergo these calamities.
4
hai vasiyyat¹ meri marqad² pe ye likh deN ahbaab³
ke kare koii kisi se na vafa⁴ mere b’aad    1.will (as in last will and testament) 2.grave 3.friends 4.fidelity
The poet/lover is leaving behind a will, asking his friends to inscribe on his grave that no one should show fidelity, faith in love to anyone after him. This could be for one of two reasons … (a) look what happens if you are faithful in love – you are killed by the beloved or (b) he was such an exemplar, had set such high standards that no one can do what he did, so they should cease and desist.
5
shukr¹ hai kuchh to mohabbat meN hua raNg-e-asar²
tiin din us ne lagaaii na hina³ mere b’aad     1.thanks 2.effect 3.henna, mehndi
Three days is one of the primary mourning periods after death. The poet/lover (who has died but is still able to compose verse) is thankful that at least there has been some effect of his love. The beloved has not adorned herself with henna for three days, observing the ritual mourning period.
6
kaun maatam¹ meN hai yuN dil ka jalaane vaala
gul² hui sham’a³ mazaar⁴-e shohada⁵ mere b’aad     1.mourning 2.extinguished 3.lamp, candle 4.grave, mausoleum, memorial 5.martyrs (in this context – those who died of despondence because of spurned love)
The poet/lover was the ideal/exemplary mourner. He lit is own heart (rather than a candle) at the mausoleum of martyrs (of love). Who will mourn like this now, lighting their own heart. The candle (the lover’s heart) at the mausoleum of martrys/lovers is extinguished after him.
7
zau’f¹ meN hai tan²-e majnuN bhi mah-e-nau³ laikin
hai vo aalam⁴ meN to aNgusht-numa⁵ mere b’aad    1.weakness 2.body 3.new moon 4.world 5.fingers pointed towards
The new moon is used here as a metaphor for bent back (as in old age or extreme weakness). Recall this she’r of qamar jalalavi (hilaal also means new moon, and qamar means full moon) …
baRha baRha ke jafaa’eN jhuka hi do ge kamar
ghaTa ghaTa ke qamar ko hilaal kar do ge
majnuN (the mad/distraught lover of the laila-majnuN legend) also has a bent back (like the shape of the new moon), because he has become so weak due to his madness and wandering. But the poet/lover says that he became the example that people point their finger towards (angusht-numa) only after he (the poet/lover) is gone. While he was still alive, he was the example that people pointed to.
8
mar gaya huN maiN sanam teri faraamoshi¹ par
yaad karna na mujhe bahr-e-Khuda² mere b’aad    1.forgetfulness, ignoring, overlooking 2.for god’s sake
O beloved, I died (of sorrow) because you ignored me. For god’s sake do not remember me now, after I am gone.
9
tha vo bulbul, ke jigar¹ meN mere kaaNTa khaTka
chaman-e husn² meN jo phool khila³ mere baad    1.liver, heart 2.beauty, beloved 3.bloom, open
In urdu poetic tradition bulbul and rose are lovers. ‘kaaNTa khaTakna’ can mean a prick of jealousy. Here, the beloved was the bulbul and the poet/lover was the rose. Now that he is gone, every time a flower blooms in the garden of the beloved (a rival emerges), he feels a prick of jealousy even after death.
10
KhuN mera kar ke bahut haath male qaatil¹ ne
na jamaa, par na jamaa, raNg-e hina² mere b’aad    1.killer, beloved 2.henna, mehndi
The beloved has killed the poet/lover with her glances or with her neglect. Having done so, she is rubbing her hands. “haath malna” can mean to be regretful, to repent. But here it could also mean applying mehndi. But the colour did not take, it did not take. Why? Because she used to use his blood to mix with the mehndi to get a good colour. Now that he is dead, there is not supply of blood.
11
mere marte hi mila Khaak¹ meN ye auj²-e junuN³
dasht⁴ meN koii baguula⁵ na uTha mere b’aad     1.dust 2.climax, heights 3.frenzy of passion 4.desert 5.dust storm/whirlwind
When the poet/lover was alive the frenzy of passion was at its peak. He used to wander the desert in search of his beloved, like majnuN. His wandering kicked up desert sands into “whirlwinds – dust devils”. But after him, the frenzy of passion has “gone to dust”, there is no one wandering the desert and there are no whirlwinds.
12
mere marte hi mila Khaak¹ meN ye auj²-e junuN³
dasht⁴ meN koii baguula⁵ na uTha mere b’aad     1.dust 2.climax, heights 3.frenzy of passion 4.desert 5.dust storm/whirlwind
When the poet/lover was alive the frenzy of passion was at its peak. He used to wander the desert in search of his beloved, like majnuN. His wandering kicked up desert sands into “whirlwinds – dust devils”. But after him, the frenzy of passion has “gone to dust”, there is no one wandering the desert and there are no whirlwinds.
13
nigah¹-e naaz² se maara na kisi ko us ne
yaar³ se khiNch⁴ na saki teGh⁵-e ada⁶ mere b’aad     1.glance 2.flirtation, coquetry 3.friend, beloved 4.pull, draw 5.sword 6.style, flirtation
The beloved has not killed anyone with her flirtatious glances. She could not draw the sword of coquetry after me. This could be because she did not think that anyone else was worthwhile/deserving and could it be that she regrets having killed him and does not want to kill any more.
14
Khush-KhatoN¹ ne na kisi ko bhi kiya zer-o-zabar²
yak-qalam³ chhooT gayii mashq⁴-e jafa⁵ mere b’aad     1.scribe, expert in penmanship/calligraphy 2.diacritical marks showing vowel sounds 3.suddenly 4.practice 5.torture
This has a complicated double meaning. It should also be remembered that it was common to find pre-pubiscent boys sexually attractive and even compose verse about them. “Khush-Khat” does mean scribe/calligrapher but it also can imply a beautiful “Khat” – pre-pubiscent fuzzy facial hair. “zer-o-zabar” does mean diacritical marks, but it also means demeaning, destroying, hurting someone. Thus, pre-pubiscent boys with fuzzy hair did not torture anyone. Suddenly all the practice of tempting/flirting/playing stopped after me.
15
zeenat¹-e mahfil²-e arbaab³-e suKhan⁴ tha maiN amir⁵
na rahi raunaq⁶-e bazm⁷-e shu’ara⁸ mere b’aad     1.embellishment, decoration 2.gathering, society 3.lords, owners, nuturers 4.versification 5.pen name of poet 6.glory 7.gathering, society 8.poets
I was the embellishment of the gathering of the lords of versification, O, amir. The gathering of poets (mushaa’era) lost its glory after me.