agar vaa na hua – Ghalib – Raina

For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.

اگر وا نہ ہوا  –  مرزا  غالبؔ

١
در خورِ قہر و غضب جب کوئی ہم سا نہ ہوا
پھر غلط کیا ہے کہ ہم سا کوئی پیدا نہ ہوا

٢

بندگی میں بھی وہ آزادہ و خود بیں ہیں کہ ہم
الٹے پھر آئے درِ کعبہ اگر وا نہ ہوا

٣

سب کو مقبول ہے دعویٰ تری یکتائی کا
روبرو کوئی بتِ آئنہ سیما نہ ہوا

٤

کم نہیں نازشِ ہم نامیِ چشمِ خوباں
ترا بیمار برا کیا ہے گر اچّھا نہ ہوا

٥

سینے کا داغ ہے وہ نالہ کہ لب تک نہ گیا
خاک کا رزق ہے وہ قطرہ کہ دریا نہ ہوا

٦

نام کا میرے ہے جو دکھ کہ کسی کو  نہ ملا
کام میں میرے ہے جو فتنہ کہ بر پا نہ ہوا

٧

ہر بنِ مو سے دمِ ذکر نہ ٹپکے خوں ناب
حمزہ کا قصّہ ہوا عشق کا چرچا نہ ہوا

٨

قطرے میں دجلہ دکھائی نہ دے اور جزو میں کل
کھیل لڑکوں کاہوا دیدۂ بینا نہ ہوا

٩

تھی خبر گرم کہ غالبؔ کے اڑینگے پرزے
دیکھنے ہم بھی گۓ  تھے پہ تماشا نہ ہوا

अगर वा न हुआ- मिरज़ा ग़ालिब

दर-ख़ुर-ए क़हर-ओ-ग़ज़ब जब कोई हम-सा न हुआ
फिर ग़लत कया है कि हम-सा कोई पैदा न हुआ

बन्दगी में भी वो आज़ाद-ओ-ख़ुद-बीं हैं के हम
उलटे फिर आए दर-ए का’बा अगर वा न हुआ

सब को मक़बूल है दावा तेरी यकताई का
रूबरू कोई बुत-ए आईना-सीमा न हुआ

कम नहीं नाज़िश-ए हम-नामी-ए चशम-ए ख़ूबां
तेरा बीमार बुरा क्या है गर अचछा न हुआ

सीने का दाग़ है वो नाला के लब तक न गया
ख़ाक का रिज़क़ है वो क़तरह के दरया न हुआ

नाम का मेरे है जो दुख के किसी को न मिला
काम में मेरे है जो फ़ितनह के बरपा न हुआ

हर बुन-ए मू से दम-ए ज़िक्र न टपके ख़ूंनाब
हमज़ह का क़िस्सा हुआ इशक़ का चरचा न हुआ

क़तरे में दज्ला दिखाई न दे और जुज़व में कुल
खेल लड़कों का हुआ दीदा-ए बीना न हुआ

थी ख़बर गरम कि ग़ालिब के उड़ेंगे पुरज़े
देखने हम भी गए थे प तमाशा न हुआ

 

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mirza asadullah KhaaN Ghalib (1797-1869). I dare not write any introduction. On more than one occasion Ghalib has warned his readers that he needs no introduction or even address. I humbly comply. kalidas gupta raza dates this Ghazal to 1854, when Ghalib was appointed ustad to bahadur shah zafar and was supposedly composing more straightforward Ghazal rather than his earlier style with farfetched analogies and tangled logic. But there are some difficult ash’aar in this Ghazal. There are two Ghazal of Ghalib as weel as several others of other shu’ara, in the same radeef/qaafiya and are linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
dar-Khur1-e qahr-o-Ghazab2 jab koii ham-saa na huaa
phir Ghalat kyaa hai kih ham-saa koii paidaa na huaa  
1.deserving of 2.anger and torture/punishment
When there is no one as deserving of wrath and torture as the poet/lover, then is it surprising that there is no one else like him on earth. Is he “deserving” because only he is “capable” of bearing such torture? And is he not unique? And who is it that is torturing him? The beloved or critics of poetry? Surely only he can uniquely stand up to them. At a more sufiyaana level, he may be talking about all humanity. Human beings are the only creatures held to account for their actions i.e., they are the only ones deserving of wrath. Then, why is surprising that they are ‘ashraf-ul-maKhlooqaat’ – highest among all creatures.

2
bandagii1 meN bhii vo aazaadah2-o-Khud-biiN3 haiN ke hum
ulTe phir aae4 dar-e-kaabah5 agar vaa6 na huaa
1.slavery, servitude (of god, or of the beloved?) 2.free 3.self-regarding, self-respecting 4.turned back 5.door of the Ka’aba 6.open
Even in servitude (either to god or the beloved) he is so self-respecting that he would turn back if the door did not open for him. The expression implies an act of opening … the door should open up, upon seeing him approach. He was the same in actual life … even when he was in dire financial circumstances when he got an opportunity to potentially teach at Dehli college, when he went there and the Principal/Head did not come out to receive him, he turned back.

3
sab ko maqbool1 hai davaa2 terii yaktaaii3 kaa
roo-ba-roo4 koii but5-e-aaina-siimaa6 na huaa
1.acceptable, accepted 2.claim, assertion 3.uniqueness, one-ness 4.face to face 5.idol/beloved/god 6.mirror like
This is a rather obscure she’r and has echoes of Sufi concepts of one-ness of god and all creation. We see ourselves as a ‘reflection of god’. The beloved’s beauty is such that he/she is supposed to have a mirror like forehead. If such a beautiful creature were to come face to face with god, then god’s reflection would be seen in the mirror like forehead. The fact that on one has yet come face to face is proof of the uniqueness of god, i.e., everyone one accepts god’s uniqueness. An alternative interpretation is that in the second misra god himself is described as ‘but-e aaiina siima’ – mirror faced idol. Thus, whoever comes face to face simply sees his/her own reflection. How unique, everyone can come face to face but no one can see the real being, only his own reflection.

4
kam nahiiN1 naazish2-e hum-naamii3-e chashm-e-KhoobaaN4
teraa biimaar5 buraa kyaa hai6 gar achchhaa na huaa
1.It is not any less 2.pride 3.same name/reputation, compared to 4.eyes of the beloved 5.sick (with love), lover 6.what is wrong
In urdu poetry the eyes of the beloved are considered to be languid, drooping (perhaps because of modesty or pride or feigned indifference). They are called chashm-e biimaar. The poet/lover is quite pleased that he is also called biimaar because he is sick with love of her. In this case, why is it bad that he continues to remain sick and is not cured – his eyes get compared with the eyes of the beloved! To have the same reputation as the eyes of the beloved is not a small thing. It is good that I am not healed.

5
siine kaa daaGh1 hai vo naalah2 ke lab3 tak na gayaa
Khaak4 kaa rizq5 hai vo qatra6 ke daryaa7 na hua
1.scar of the bosom/heart 2.sigh, lament 3.lips 4.dust 5.food 6.drop 7.river, sea
The lament that does not rise to the lips becomes a scar in the bosom just like a drop that does not flow into the river becomes a scar/dent in the dust and becomes food for it. But there is an undertone … I would rather be a silent scar than lose my identity in the vast ocean, I would rather control myself than let laments escape my lips.

6
naam kaa mere1 hai jo dukh ke kisii ko na milaa
kaam2 meN mere hai jo fitna3 ke barpaa4 na hua
1.reserved in my name, destined for me 2.work, desire (in Farsi) 3.disruption, tumult, mischief 4.arise, happen
The sorrows/trials and tribulations that are written for me (in my name), that are my destiny, no one else has received them. There is such mischief/tumult in my work as has never happened before.

7
har bun-e muu1 se dam-e zikr2 na Tapke KhooN-naab3
hamzah4 kaa qissah5 huaa ishq6 kaa charchaa na hua  
1.roots of hair 2.at the time of narration 3.pure blood 4.legendary story teller of royal wars and court life 5.story 6.love
The story of real love should be so moving that blood should drip from the roots/pores of every hair/follicle. If this does not happen, the story telling is more akin to the amusing tales of hamzah (fables, Arabian Nights), not real love.

8
qatre meN dajlah1 dikhaaii na de aur juzv2 meN kul3
khel laRkoN ka huaa diidah-e biinaa4 na hua
1.River Tigris, used for all/any river 2.part 3.whole 4.discerning eye
Once again a Sufi/mystic concept of seeing the whole in the part. If you are unable to see the ocean in the drop, or the whole in the part then it is mere child’s play (imagination, make-belief, not real), not a discerning eye.

9
thii Khabar1 garm2 ke Ghaalib ke uReNge purze3
dekhne ham bhii gaye the pa tamaashaa4 na hua
1.news/rumour 2.hot (as in hot news, juicy rumour) 3.smithereens 4.show
Rumour was rampant that Ghalib would be insulted (by the lover, by critics or other poets who considered themselves one better?). We also went to see but the show did not happen … was it because Ghalib turned tables on them?

mirza asadullah KhaaN Ghalib (1797-1869).  I dare not write any introduction.  On more than one occasion Ghalib has warned his readers that he needs no introduction or even address.   I humbly comply.  kalidas gupta raza dates this Ghazal to 1854, when Ghalib was appointed ustad to bahadur shah zafar and was supposedly composing more straightforward Ghazal rather than his earlier style with farfetched analogies and tangled logic.  But there are some difficult ash’aar in this Ghazal.  There are two Ghazal of Ghalib as weel as several others of other shu’ara, in the same radeef/qaafiya and are linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
dar-Khur1-e qahr-o-Ghazab2 jab koii ham-saa na huaa
phir Ghalat kyaa hai kih ham-saa koii paidaa na huaa

1.deserving of 2.anger and torture/punishment

When there is no one as deserving of wrath and torture as the poet/lover, then is it surprising that there is no one else like him on earth. Is he “deserving” because only he is “capable” of bearing such torture?  And is he not unique?  And who is it that is torturing him?  The beloved or critics of poetry?  Surely only he can uniquely stand up to them.  At a more sufiyaana level, he may be talking about all humanity.  Human beings are the only creatures held to account for their actions i.e., they are the only ones deserving of wrath.  Then, why is surprising that they are ‘ashraf-ul-maKhlooqaat’ – highest among all creatures.
2
bandagii1 meN bhii vo aazaadah2-o-Khud-biiN3 haiN ke hum
ulTe phir aae4 dar-e-kaabah5 agar vaa6 na huaa

1.slavery, servitude (of god, or of the beloved?) 2.free 3.self-regarding, self-respecting 4.turned back 5.door of the Ka’aba 6.open

Even in servitude (either to god or the beloved) he is so self-respecting that he would turn back if the door did not open for him. The expression implies an act of opening … the door should open up, upon seeing him approach. He was the same in actual life … even when he was in dire financial circumstances when he got an opportunity to potentially teach at Dehli college, when he went there and the Principal/Head did not come out to receive him, he turned back.
3
sab ko maqbool1 hai davaa2 terii yaktaaii3 kaa
roo-ba-roo4 koii but5-e-aaina-siimaa6 na huaa

1.acceptable, accepted 2.claim, assertion 3.uniqueness, one-ness 4.face to face 5.idol/beloved/god 6.mirror like

This is a rather obscure she’r and has echoes of Sufi concepts of one-ness of god and all creation. We see ourselves as a ‘reflection of god’. The beloved’s beauty is such that he/she is supposed to have a mirror like forehead. If such a beautiful creature were to come face to face with god, then god’s reflection would be seen in the mirror like forehead.  The fact that on one has yet come face to face is proof of the uniqueness of god, i.e., everyone one accepts god’s uniqueness.  An alternative interpretation is that in the second misra god himself is described as ‘but-e aaiina siima’ – mirror faced idol.  Thus whoever comes face to face simply sees his/her own reflection.  How unique, everyone can come face to face but no one can see the real being, only his own reflection.
4
kam nahiiN1 naazish2-e hum-naamii3-e chashm-e-KhoobaaN4
teraa biimaar5 buraa kyaa hai6 gar achchhaa na huaa

1.It is not any less 2.pride 3.same name/reputation, compared to 4.eyes of the beloved 5.sick (with love), lover 6.what is wrong

In urdu poetry the eyes of the beloved are considered to be languid, drooping (perhaps because of modesty or pride or feigned indifference). They are called chashm-e biimaar. The poet/lover is quite pleased that he is also called biimaar because he is sick with love of her. In this case, why is it bad that he continues to remain sick and is not cured – his eyes get compared with the eyes of the beloved!  To have the same reputation as the eyes of the beloved is not a small thing.  It is good that I am not healed.
5
siine kaa daaGh1 hai vo naalah2 ke lab3 tak na gayaa
Khaak4 kaa rizq5 hai vo qatra6 ke daryaa7 na huaa

1.scar of the bosom/heart 2.sigh, lament 3.lips 4.dust 5.food 6.drop 7.river, sea

The lament that does not rise to the lips becomes a scar in the bosom just like a drop that does not flow into the river becomes a scar/dent in the dust and becomes food for it. But there is an undertone … I would rather be a silent scar than lose my identity in the vast ocean, I would rather control myself than let laments escape my lips.
6
naam kaa mere1 hai jo dukh ke kisii ko na milaa
kaam2 meN mere hai jo fitna3 ke barpaa4 na huaa

1.reserved in my name, destined for me 2.work, desire (in Farsi) 3.disruption, tumult, mischief 4.arise, happen

The sorrows/trials and tribulations that are written for me (in my name), that are my destiny, no one else has received them. There is such mischief/tumult in my work as has never happened before.
7
har bun-e muu1 se dam-e zikr2 na Tapke KhooN-naab3
hamzah4 kaa qissah5 huaa ishq6 kaa charchaa na huaa

1.roots of hair 2.at the time of narration 3.pure blood 4.legendary story teller of royal wars and court life 5.story 6.love

The story of real love should be so moving that blood should drip from the roots/pores of every hair/follicle. If this does not happen, the story telling is more akin to the amusing tales of hamzah (fables, Arabian Nights), not real love.
8
qatre meN dajlah1 dikhaaii na de aur juzv2 meN kul3
khel laRkoN ka huaa diidah-e biinaa4 na huaa

1.River Tigris, used for all/any river 2.part 3.whole 4.discerning eye

Once again a Sufi/mystic concept of seeing the whole in the part. If you are unable to see the ocean in the drop, or the whole in the part then it is mere child’s play (imagination, make-belief, not real), not a discerning eye.
9
thii Khabar1 garm2 ke Ghaalib ke uReNge purze3
dekhne ham bhii gaye the pa tamaashaa4 na huaa

1.news/rumour 2.hot (as in hot news, juicy rumour) 3.smithereens 4.show

Rumour was rampant that Ghalib would be insulted (by the lover, by critics or other poets who considered themselves one better?). We also went to see but the show did not happen … was it because Ghalib turned tables on them?

vaa na hua – Raina’s Rendition
1
If I did bear with the wrongs, the tortures wrought by her
Then grant that I have truly been her only worshipper
2
So stern my regal disposition, so high my noble stock
Even Ka’aba, should its doors be barred, could scarcely make me knock
5
The sigh that froze within the heart, a festering wound became
Just as the speck no river reached took desert for its name
6
Unheard, unparalleled grief, my exclusive destiny
And my endeavours all accursed, all blighted miserably
8
To know the ocean within the drop, the whole within the part
What vision must one need possess, and what perceptive heart
9
Ghalib would be dismembered all, the rumour said, in a rout
I went in time to watch the show, but it did not come about