Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. munavvar KhaaN Ghaafil (????-????), lakhnau. His diivan was published in 1872, a few years after his death because his son worked at naval kishore printing press and mentioned to the owner that his father had left behind a collection of Ghazal. Nothing is mentioned about the shaa’er in the diivan and even this story appears as a footnote towards the end. Ghalib’s Ghazal in this zamin was composed before 1821. I (without any documented proof) link this Ghazal with Ghalib peshrau-ham-asr and also with Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
aa ke sajjaada-nashiN¹ qais² hua mere b’aad
na rahi dasht³ meN Khaali koi jaa⁴ mere b’aad   1.sitting on the jaa-namaaz/prayer mat 2.another name of majnuN 3.desert, wilderness 4.place
qais/majnuN is the legendary mad/passionate lover who wandered the desert and wilderness in search of his beloved laila. But the poet/lover set such a high standard of passion and wandering that qais had to give up and come back to a conventional life, observing namaaz/prayer. There was no place left for him in the desert. There has been some confusion about the authorship of this Ghazal. In a foreword this she’r was quoted as that of mir taqi mir, but is not found in his ‘kulliyaat’. Then another she’r emerged with ‘mir’ in it as a taKhallus …
b’aad marne ke meri qabr pe aaya vo mir
yaad aaii mere eesa ko davaa mere b’aad
but this is also not found in any of mir’s divaan. But after this confusion, it is definitively established as a Ghazal of munavvar KhaaN Ghaafil.
2
niyaam¹ meN us ne jo ki teGh²-e jafaa³ mere b’aad
KhuN-girafta⁴ koi kya aur na tha mere b’aad   1.sheath, scabbard 2.sword 3.torture 4.deserving of being killed
After killing the poet/lover the beloved sheathed her sword. Was there no one deserving of being killed after me!
3
dosti ka bhi tujhe paas¹ na aaya hai-hai²
tu ne dushman se kiya mera gila³ mere b’aad     1.regard, consideration 2.alas 3.complaint
Alas, you did not have any regard for my love. You complained to the rival about me, after me (the poet/lover’s death).
4
garm-baazaari¹-e ulfat² hai mujhi se varna³
koi lene ka nahiN naam-e vafaa⁴ mere b’aad   1.brisk trade, availability 2.love 3.otherwise 4.fidelity
The offer of staying true/steadfast in love is only because of me, otherwise there is no one who will go anywhere near fidelity after me.
5
muNh pe le daaman-e-gul¹ ro’eNge murGhaan²-e chaman
baaGh meN Khaak uRaayegi sabaa³ mere b’aad   1.hem of the robe of the rose i.e. rose petal 2.birds 3.breeze
Normally, the garden is a place where birds sing songs of love to their beloved, the rose. But after the demise of the poet/lover there will be such sorrow that birds with cry hiding their face behind rose petals. The breeze will blow dust in sorrow.
6
chaak¹ isi Gham se garebaan² kiya hai maiN ne
kaun kholegaa tere band³-e qabaa⁴ mere b’aad   1.tear 2.collar 3.ties 4.robe
Tearing the collar is a sign of great distress. The poet/lover, anticipating his own death is in great distress either because (a) there will be no one after him to help the beloved untie the ties of her robe, because no one was as intimate with her as he was or (b) he is wondering (and is jealous) about who will replace him.
7
ab to haNs haNs ke lagaata hai vo mehNdi laikin
KhuuN rulaa dega use raNg-e hina¹ mere b’aad   1.henna, mehndi
While the poet/lover is alive she happily applies henna to herself. But after his death she will cry tears of blood because (a) the colour of henna will remind her of him and she will be sorrowful or (b) the colour will not take, will not be a deep red because it is not mixed with his blood.
8
maiN to gulzaar¹ se dil-taNg² chalaa Ghuncha-ravish³
mujh ko kya phir jo koi phuul khilaa⁴ mere b’aad   1.garden 2.unopened heart, unfulfilled desire 3.like/similar to unopened flower 4.bloom
The poet/lover departed from the garden/world/life without his heart’s desire being fulfilled. What does he care if any flower blooms in the garden after him.
9
vo havaa-Khwaah¹-e chaman huN ke chaman meN har sub’h
pahle maiN jaata tha aur baad-e-sabaa² mere b’aad   1.desiring (fresh) air, taking a walk 2.morning breeze
I am so keen on taking an early morning walk for fresh air, that it was I who went to the garden first, and the morning breeze came after me.
10
sun ke marne ki Khabar¹ yaar² mere ghar aaya
y’aani³ maqbuul⁴ hui meri vafaa⁵ mere b’aad   1.news 2.friend, beloved 3.meaning, it means that 4.accept 5.fidelity
After the beloved heard of the news of the poet/lover’s death, she came to his house (to pay respects). This means that his promise of fidelity in love was finally accepted after his death.
11
zib’h¹ kar ke mujhe naadim² ye hua vo qaatil³
haath meN phir kabhi Khanjar⁴ na liya mere b’aad   1.slaughter, slit throat 2.regret 3.killer, beloved 4.dagger, sword
The beloved regretted her act after slaughtering the poet/lover so much so that she never touched a sword after that. This could be because she is sorry for him or because there is no one else deserving of “love”.
12
meri hi zamzama-sanji¹ se chaman tha aabaad²
kiya sayyaad³ ne ek ek ko rehaa⁴ mere b’aad     1.refined/selected of singing 2.prosperous 3.jailer, bird-catcher 4.set free
The bird-catcher had many birds in cages. This could be the beloved herself. The poet/lover was an expert songster. After his death there were no other birds that could match his skill. So the bird catcher released them one after the other. This could be the beloved letting all the other lovers go, disappointed in their fildelity.
13
aa gayaa biich meN us zulf¹ ki ek maiN naadaaN²
na hua koi giraftaar-e-balaa³ mere b’aad     1.hair 2.simpleton 3.snared in calamities
The poet/lover considers himself a simpleton. He did not think through all the implications of falling in love and got snared in the long tresses of the beloved. There was no one else that was caught in calamities after him.
14
qatl to karte ho par Khuub hi pachhtaaoge¹
mujh saa milne ka nahiN ahl-e-vafaa² mere b’aad   1.regret 2.person of faith/fidelity
You O beloved, are getting ready to kill/slaughter me but you will regret this very much. You will not find another faithful lover like me, after me.
15
barg-e-gul¹ laaii sabaa² qabr³ pe meri na nasim⁴
phir-gayii⁵ aisi zamaane ki havaa⁶ mere b’aad   1.flower petal 2.breeze 3.grave 4.fragrance 5.changed direction, turned 6.behaviour
The breeze did not blow either flower petals or fragrance towards the grave of the poet/lover. The ways of the world have changed after me.
16
gir paRe aaNkh se us ki bhi yakaayak¹ aaNsu
zikr² mahfil³ meN jo kuchh mera hua mere b’aad   1.spontaneously 2.mention 3.gathering
When there was some mention of the poet/lover in the gathering around the beloved, she spontaneously shed tears.
17
zer¹-e shamshir² yahi soch hai maqtal³ meN mujhe
dekhiye ab kise laati hai qazaa⁴ mere b’aad   1.under 2.sword 3.slaughter-house 4.death
The poet/lover is under the sword in the slaughter-house, his throat about to be slit. He wonders who will be next. Is this out of jealousy!
18
shart¹-e yaari² yahi hoti hai ke tu ne Ghaafil³
bhuul kar bhi na mujhe yaad kiya mere b’aad     1.condition 2.love 3.pen name of the poet, also means-forgetful, neglectful
Normally when the taKhallus is used, it implies the poet him/herself. But in this case, the taKhallus stands-in for the beloved. It is she who has been forgetful. Is this the condition/requirement that you placed on my love O, forgetful one. You have not remembered me even by mistake, after me.