For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
تلاشِ سراب میں ۔ اصغر حسین اصغرؔ گونڈوی
۱
میخانۂ ازل میں ۔ جہانِ خراب میں
ٹھہرا گیا نہ ایک جگہ اضطراب میں
۲
اب کون تشنگانِ حقیقت سے یہ کہے
ہے زندگی کا راز تلاشِ سراب میں
۳
اے کاش میں حقیقتِ مستی نہ جانتا
اب لُطفِ خواب بھی نہیں اِحساسِ خواب میں
۴
میری ندائے درد پہ کوئی صدا نہیں
بکھرا دئے ہیں کچھ مہ و انجُم جواب میں
۵
اصغرؔ غزل میں چاہئے وہ موجِ زندگی
جو حسن ہے بُتوں میں ۔ جو مستی شراب میں
तलाश-ए सराब में – अस्ग़र हुसैन अस्ग़र गोंडवी
१
मय-ख़ाना-ए अज़ल में – जहान-ए ख़राब में
ठहरा गया न एक जगह इज़्तेराब में
२
अब कौन तश्नगान-ए हक़ीक़त से ये कहे
है ज़िंदगी का राज़ तलाश-ए सराब में
३
अए काश मैं हक़ीक़त-ए मस्ती न जान्ता
अब लुत्फ़-ए ख़्वाब भी नहीं एहसास-ए ख़्वाब में
४
मेरी निदा-ए दर्द पे कोई सदा नहीं
बिख्रा दिये हैं कुछ मह ओ अंजुम जवाब में
५
अस्ग़र ग़ज़ल में चाहिये वो मौज-ए ज़िन्दगी
जो हुस्न है बुतौं में – जो मस्ती शराब में
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. asGhar husain asGhar gonDvi (1884-1936) from a family of limited means in gorakhpur, he learnt urdu, arabi, faarsi and English through personal effort. He has a philosophical sufiyaana bent. This is one of two Ghazal of asGhar gonDvi modeled after Ghalib’s “saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN”. Considering the poet’s life-span and historical and legacy events in Ghalib’s lifetime, I date this Ghazal to 1919 – marking fifty years after his death.
1
mai-Khaana1-e azal2 meN – jahaan-e-Kharaab3 meN
Thahra gaya na ek jagah izteraab4 meN 1.tavern 2.eternal 3.material world 4.restlessness
The poet/sufi is eager for union with the divine beloved even beyond dreams of rewards in heaven. He is so eager that he cannot stop at (be satisfied with) any place, neither anywhere in the ‘eternal tavern’ i.e. all of creation, nor in this material world.
2
ab kaun tishnagaan1-e haqiiqat2 se ye kahe
hai zindagi ka raaz3 talaash4-e saraab5 meN 1.thirsty ones 2.truth 3.secret 4.search 5.mirage
Truth is like a mirage. You think you see it, it appears real to you, but it is not there. All you see is illusion. Who will tell those who are thirsty for the truth that the secret of life is the search for this mirage-like truth. I prefer to interpret this as an advocacy of ‘justaju’ – searching, trying. But there is a sufiyaana undertone in everything this poet/sufi writes which gives intuitive belief preference over logical thinking.
3
aye kaash1 maiN haqiiqat2-e masti3 na jaanta
ab lutf4-e Khwaab5 bhi nahiN ehsaas6-e Khwaab meN 1.I wish 2.truth, experience 3.trance, intoxication (of divine love) 4.pleasure 5.dreams 6.feeling
If, for a moment we interpret ‘Khwaab’ (dreams) as yearning for heaven, for reward. Then the poet/sufi says that he no longer has any pleasure in such dreams or in the feeling of heaven. Why? Because he has tasted of the intoxication of divine love. So, he will not be satisfied with anything less that union/merger with the divine spirit. Not even heaven will satisfy him.
4
meri nida1-e dard2 pe koii sada3 nahiN
bikhraa4 diye haiN kuchh mah5 o anjum6 javaab7 meN 1.call, cry 2.pain 3.sound, reply 4.scatter 5.moons 6.stars 7.answer
There is no answer to my cry of pain. The poet/sufi has been crying/calling for answers to his mystical questions. But he does not get any reply. All that has happened in answer is that the great spirit has scattered a few moons and stars in the sky i.e. the beauty of creation is the answer to his questions.
5
asGhar1 Ghazal meN chaahiye vo mauj2-e zindagi
jo husn3 hai butoN4 meN – jo masti5 sharaab meN 1.pen-name of the poet 2.wave, welling up 3.beauty 4.idols 5.intoxication
Here the ‘sharaab’ – wine, is wine of divine love and the ‘but’ – idol, is the divine being. O, asGhar, your Ghazals should well up with (be brimming with) the same energetic wave of life, that is found in the beauty of the divine beloved and in the intoxication of divine love.
asGhar husain asGhar gonDvi (1884-1936) from a family of limited means in gorakhpur, he learnt urdu, arabi, faarsi and English through personal effort. He has a philosophical sufiyaana bent. This is one of two Ghazal of asGhar gonDvi modeled after Ghalib’s “saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN”. Considering the poet’s life-span and historical and legacy events in Ghalib’s lifetime, I date this Ghazal to 1919 – marking fifty years after his death.
1
mai-Khaana1-e azal2 meN – jahaan-e-Kharaab3 meN
Thahra gaya na ek jagah izteraab4 meN
1.tavern 2.eternal 3.material world 4.restlessness
The poet/sufi is eager for union with the divine beloved even beyond dreams of rewards in heaven. He is so eager that he cannot stop at (be satisfied with) any place, neither anywhere in the ‘eternal tavern’ i.e. all of creation, nor in this material world.
2
ab kaun tishnagaan1-e haqiiqat2 se ye kahe
hai zindagi ka raaz3 talaash4-e saraab5 meN
1.thirsty ones 2.truth 3.secret 4.search 5.mirage
Truth is like a mirage. You think you see it, it appears real to you, but it is not there. All you see is illusion. Who will tell those who are thirsty for the truth that the secret of life is the search for this mirage-like truth. I prefer to interpret this as an advocacy of ‘justaju’ – searching, trying. But there is a sufiyaana undertone in everything this poet/sufi writes which gives intuitive belief preference over logical thinking.
3
aye kaash1 maiN haqiiqat2-e masti3 na jaanta
ab lutf4-e Khwaab5 bhi nahiN ehsaas6-e Khwaab meN
1.I wish 2.truth, experience 3.trance, intoxication (of divine love) 4.pleasure 5.dreams 6.feeling
If, for a moment we interpret ‘Khwaab’ (dreams) as yearning for heaven, for reward. Then the poet/sufi says that he no longer has any pleasure in such dreams or in the feeling of heaven. Why? Because he has tasted of the intoxication of divine love. So, he will not be satisfied with anything less that union/merger with the divine spirit. Not even heaven will satisfy him.
4
meri nida1-e dard2 pe koii sada3 nahiN
bikhraa4 diye haiN kuchh mah5 o anjum6 javaab7 meN
1.call, cry 2.pain 3.sound, reply 4.scatter 5.moons 6.stars 7.answer
There is no answer to my cry of pain. The poet/sufi has been crying/calling for answers to his mystical questions. But he does not get any reply. All that has happened in answer is that the great spirit has scattered a few moons and stars in the sky i.e. the beauty of creation is the answer to his questions.
5
asGhar1 Ghazal meN chaahiye vo mauj2-e zindagi
jo husn3 hai butoN4 meN – jo masti5 sharaab meN
1.pen-name of the poet 2.wave, welling up 3.beauty 4.idols 5.intoxication
Here the ‘sharaab’ – wine, is wine of divine love and the ‘but’ – idol, is the divine being. O, asGhar, your Ghazals should well up with (be brimming with) the same energetic wave of life, that is found in the beauty of the divine beloved and in the intoxication of divine love.
