Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit brij mohan dattatreya kaifi (1866-1955) was recognized as a scholar of arabi, faarsi, sanskrit and urdu. He was a great lover of urdu and wrote a short history of the evolution of the language. He wrote with much poignancy about communal harmony that existed before the souring of relationships. This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s ‘aisa kahaaN se laa’uN keh tujh sa kaheN jise’ of the same bahr, radiif and qaafiya. In addition, kaifi’s tribute to Ghalib is also worth visiting (https://urdushahkar.org/mirza-ghalib-brij-mohan-kaifi/).
1
ek Khwaab ka Khayaal hai duniya kaheN jise
hai is meN ek tilasm¹ tamanna² kaheN jise     1.magic, enchantment 2.desire
The prevailing philosophy in the Indian subcontinental culture is that desire leads to sorrow in this world. Thus, there is a magic in this world, called desire, that traps you. This (material) world is merely a the thought of a dream. Reality is in the spiritual world.
2
ek shakl¹ hai tafannun²-e tab’a³-e jamaal⁴ ki
is se ziyaada kuchh nahiN duniya kaheN jise   1.facet 2.amusement, pastime 3.nature 4.glorious
This world is nothing more than amusement for the one who has a glorious nature i.e., god.
3
Khamyaaza¹ hai karishma-parasti²-e dahr³ ka
ahl-e zamaana⁴ aalam⁵-e aqba⁶ kaheN jise    1.reward, compensation 2.miracle worshipping, karishma can also mean trickery 3.world 4.people of the world 5.world of 6.hereafter, the next world
The world worships trickery (material goods). That which we called the next world is compensation for trickery-worship.
4
ek ashk¹ vaarmida²-e zabt³-e Gham-e firaaq⁴
mauj⁵-e havaa-e-shauq⁶ hai dariya⁷ kaheN jise    1.tear drop 2.running, flowing, escape 3.control, self-control 4.separation 5.wave 6.overwhelming desire 7.sea
An escaped tear drop indicates the self-control of the sorrow of separation from the beloved, but overwhelming desire is like waves of the sea.
5
ba-vasf¹-e zabt² raaz³-e mohabbat hai aashkaar⁴
uqda⁵ hai dil ka aqd-e-surayya⁶ kaheN jise   1.in spite of 2.self-control 3.secret, hidden 4.apparent, obvious 5.problem, puzzle 6.constellation of pleiades used as a symbol of love
In spite of self control love is apparent from your looks. This is what is called the puzzle of the heart.
6
barham-zan¹-e hijaab² hai Khud-raftagi³-e husn⁴
ek shaan⁵-e be-Khudi⁶ hai zulaiKha⁷ kaheN jise   1.constantly/repeatedly disturbing 2.veil 3.flowing in an excess of emotion 4.beauty 5.dignity 6.trance, forgetting oneself in love 7.see notes
When beauty/beloved is overwhelmed by the flow of emotions, she constantly (and coyly) disturbs/arranges/re-arranges the veil. On the other hand the boldness of zulaiKha shows the dignity of true and intense love. zulaiKha was the wife of a wealthy trader in Egypt who bought yusuf/Joseph as a slave. yusuf was a very handsome man and zulaiKha immediately fell deeply in love with him and was very open about it, trying to seduce him. It is this boldness that the poet seems to admire.
7
aks¹-e safaa²-e qalb³ ka jauhar⁴ hai aa’ina
vaarafta⁵-e jamaal⁶-e Khud-aaraa⁷ kaheN jise   1.image, reflection 2.purity 3.heart 4.light, brilliance, essence 5.beKhudi, trance, forgetting oneself 6.beauty, glory 7.self-adorning, self-creating, god
The heart is in a trance/is absorbed in contemplating the glory of (self-adorning) god. Because of this absorption it is pure and the light of this purity is reflected like a shining mirror.
8
ram-sheva¹ hai sanam² to hai ram-aashna³ ye dil
haasil⁴ hai mujh ko aish-e-muhayya⁵ kaheN jise   1.by nature trying to run away/escape 2.beloved 3.familiar with such running 4.available 5.provision of comfort of live
The beloved is in the habit of running away from me and escaping my reach. But I am familiar with this and at peace with it. Because I am familiar with it, it is as if all comforts of live are provided to me. At a mystical level this can be applied to the concept to god. Its understanding/meaning escapes us, but because we know we cannot understand, we can make peace with it and be happy/comfortable in the love of god.
9
Khooni¹ kafan² ye saiNt³ ke rakkha hai kis liye
qaatil⁴ vo hai keh rashk⁵-e masiiha⁶ kaheN jise     1.blood stained 2.burial shroud 3.collected, gathered, saved 4.killer, beloved 5.envy of 6.healer, miraculous healer like Jesus
Why do you need to save this blood-stained shroud. The killer/beloved him/herself can be called the envy of Jesus, the miraculous healer. At a mystical level if we think of the beloved as god and are bloodied/injured because of separation from him/her, then why worry about saving the stained burial shroud. You can leave everything in the hands of god.
10
sab kuchh hai aur kuchh bhi nahiN dahr¹ ka vajood²
kaifi³ ye baat vo hai mu’amma⁴ kaheN jise    1.material world 2.existence 3.pen-name 4.puzzle
This material world is all we know and all we have at this time, yet it is nothing i.e., not of any consequence. O kaifi, this is what is called a puzzle.