Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. This Ghazal is taken from a small booklet published in 1969 by Ghalib shataabdi naagarik samiti, jabalpur. premchandr srivastav mazhar, PhD, principal of a local college, editorial board member for this booklet, chairman of the jabalpur branch of ‘anjuman-e taraqqi-e urdu’. I pick this Ghazal as representative of the wide following that urdu had even in 1969! How rapidly was the language murdered! This is one of several Ghazal modeled after
“chhoRa na rashk ne keh tere dar ka naam luN
har ek se puuchhta huN keh jaauN kidhar ko maiN”
The ‘samiti’ held several mushaa’era over a two year period using one Ghazal or the other of Ghalib’s as a model.
1
kuchh duur saath le chala shams¹ o qamar² ko maiN
be-taab³ ho ke baRh gaya aage safar⁴ ko maiN    1.sun 2.moon 3.restless, impatient 4.journey
The poet is on the journey of life. For a little while he goes with the sun and moon but then, getting impatient he moves ahead on his journey. This implies that the sun and moon are slow and he is eager to move on to get to his destination (the divine, above the stars and the sun). This may be similar to iqbaal’s … sitaaroN ke aage jahaaN aur bhi haiN’. This could also possibly be a strike at the inordinate emphasis that people in India place on the horoscope and the position of the stars. The poet has no patience for this.
2
har gaam¹ par tha imtehaaN² raah³-e hayaat⁴ meN
manzil⁵ hi maanta raha saare safar⁶ ko maiN    1.step 2.test, trial 3.path 4.life 5.destination 6.journey
At every step of the path of life, the poet faced a test/trial. So much so that be began to consider the journey itself to be his destination.
3
raah¹-e Khirad² ke baad milegi rah³-e junooN⁴
manzil⁵ se bhejta huN Khabar⁶ raahbar⁷ ko maiN    1.path 2.(material) knowledge 3.path 4.passion 5.destination 6.news 7.guide
The poet has found the guide to be either too slow or too incompetent. He was insisting on teaching him the ways of the (material) world. But the poet got impatient and moved on and found that beyond the path of knowledge of the material world is the path of passion/love/mysticism/spirituality. This to him is the more desirable goal. Having reached this destination he is sending back a message to the guide who had left behind.
4
vahshat baRhegi aur bhi barbadiyoN ke baad
ye jaanta agar to luTaata na ghar ko maiN    1.madness, passion 2.squandered, destroyed 3.if 4.let it be looted
This has echoes of majnuN of the laila-majnuN legend. majnuN, in mad passion abandons his home and wanders the desert in search of his beloved, laila. The poet has done the same and now regrets because instead of soothing him, it has increased his passion even more. Thus, if I had known that my passion would increase even more after destroying/rejecting everything I had, I would not have let my home be looted.
5
bharne ko raNg apni shabiih-e hayaat meN
rakhta gaya sanbhaal ke Khoon-e jigar ko maiN 1.image, picture, sketch 2.life 3.saved, protected 4.liver/heart
The poet is making/drawing/writing a sketch of his life. In order to fill it with colours he has been saving his heart’s blood along the way i.e., his life has been so painful that it can only be represented by the colour of his blood.
6
dii hai sadaf¹ ne qatra²-e naacheez³ ko panaah⁴
kya jaanta nahiN huN bisaat⁵-e gohar⁶ ko maiN   1.shell, sea-shell 2.drop 3.worthless 4.refuge 5.spread, ability, range 6.pearl
It is believed in urdu poetic tradition that when a drop of water is lucky enough to find its way into a shell, then it can become a pearl. This is held up as an example of the courage of a drop or its good fortune. Here the poet gives credit to the shell. The shell has given refuge to an otherwise worthless drop. Because of the benevolence of shell it has become pearl. Don’t I know the capabilities of the pearl! Here the ‘worthless drop’ could be the poet himself and the ‘shell’ could be the nurturing, blessing he received from his parents, ustaad or from the divine.
7
har bazm¹ meN raha hai mera Khaas² martaba³
sahba⁴ ko sub, magar⁵ sam⁶-e mohlik⁷ asar⁸ ko maiN    1.gathering, association 2.special 3.status 4.flask, decanter 5.poison 6.fatal 7.fatal 8.effect
I have always had a special status in every gathering. Everyone else went for the flask of wine, I went for the effect of the fatal drink. The use of ‘sam’ – poison, is probably superflous to just emphasize fatality/potency, but not necessarily poison. The ‘fatal drink’ that the poet goes after here may be the eyes of the saaqi/beloved.
8
paiGhaam¹ ta-keh² arsh³ ke mazhar⁴ mila kareN
chhoR aaya aate vaqt dil-e mo’tabar⁵ ko maiN    1.messages 2.so that 3.sky, heaven, divine 4.pen-name of poet 5.trustworthy
This could be a continuation of thought from the previous she’r. He was in the presence of the saaqi (divine beloved), going after the most potent wine – love of the divine. Even though he returned from that mafil, he left his heart there. Thus, O mazhar, so that I may continue to receive divine message, I left my trustworthy heart behind.