Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit jagmohan raina shauq (1863-1947?). He served as deputy collector in a district including agra. His ustaad was amir minaaii. He retired in 1920 and lived in allahabad. There are two volumes of his own Ghazal, published in 1940 and 1947. Together with panDit brij kishan kaul beKhabar, he authored two massive volumes (1931 and 1932) of about 1000 pages each of fine print, collecting urdu and faarsi verse of kashmiri panDits from magazine and manuscripts. This is modeled after Ghalib’s Ghazal and considering the life-span of the poet and dates of significant Ghalib events, I place this Ghazal in 1919, fifty years after Ghalib’s demise.
1
aatish¹-e ishq²-e balaa³ aag lagaaye na bane⁴
aur ham us ko bujhaayeN to bujhaaye na bane     1.fire 2.love 3.calamity, used here to mean the beloved 4.does not work
This probably means trying to set the fire of love in the beloved’s heart. However much I try, it does not work. On the other hand, of us (lovers) however much we try to put out the fire, we cannot.
2
raNg-e ruKh¹ uRne pe aa jaaye to roke na ruke
laakh vo raaz² chhupaayeN to chhupaaye na bane     1.face 2.secret
This may be some embarrassing moment (such as confessing his love before the beloved, or trying to hide his love from the rest of the world) when the face loses its colour i.e. goes pale. However much I try to prevent this, I cannot. I may try a hundred thousand tricks to hide this secret, but it does not work.
3
kya maza ho na rahe yaad jo andaaz¹-e jafaa²
maiN kahuN bhi ke sataao to sataaye na bane     1.style, methods 2.cruelty
The beloved is know to be cruel to her lovers, never showing them any favours. What fun it would be if she forgets the methods/ways of being cruel. Then, even if I ask her to tease me (for example, by showing favours to the rival), she will not be able to.
4
Khud vafa¹ hai meri shaahed² ke vafaadaar³ huN maiN
laakh tum dil se bhulaao to bhulaaye na bane     1.fidelity (in love) 2.witness 3.faithful
Fidelity itself bears witness that I am faithful (to you, O, beloved). You may try a hundred thousand times to forget this, but you will not be able to.
5
dil, ke har zarre¹ meN hai soz²-e mohabbat ki numud³
Khaak meN in ko milaauN to milaaye na bane     1.particle, piece 2.fire of passion 3.manifestation
My heart is such (so sincere) that every part is a manifestation/embodiment of the passion of love. Even if I try to bury these manifestations in the dust, I will not be able to (because his love is so sanctified that they cannot be insulted by mixing it with dust).
6
raah¹-e ulfat² ne kuchh aisi meri surat badli
daaman³-e dasht⁴ chhupaaye to chhupaaye na bane     1.path 2.love 3.apron, plains, expanse 4.desert, wilderness
The mad/passionate lover wanders the wilderness in search of his beloved like majnuN. He might get lost in the vastness of the wilderness. But in this case, the path of love has changed the face/condition of the poet/lover so much that even if the vastness of the wilderness tries to hide it, it will not be able to.
7
dil ko ab taab¹-e talaafi² o mudaava³ bhi nahiN
chaaragar⁴ aaye to ehsaan⁵ uThaaye na bane     1.strength/ability to bear the burden of 2.recompense, compensation 3.cure, remedy 4.healer 5.obligation
The heart of the poet/lover is so far gone that it can no longer bear the burden of any compensation or remedy. If the healer shows up to administer the remedy the poet/lover will not be able to life/bear the burden of this obligation. He would rather continue to bear the pain of love.
8
koi Khaaka¹ meri tasviir ka khiiNche² to sahi
khiNch bhi jaaye koi naqsha³ to miTaaye na bane     1.sketch, outline 2.draw, paint, write 3.picture, plan, description
Let anyone try to paint a picture of my love. They will not be able to do so, because they cannot reproduce the intensity and sincerity of my love. And if the succeed in painting an outline, no one will be able to erase it.
9
maut qaabu¹ ki nahiN aur na Thikaana² us ka
koi vaqt us pe bhi aaye ke bin aaye na bane    1.control 2.dependability, predictability
It is customary for the beloved to visit the lover upon his death or during his last breath. This is considered almost obligatory and the poet/lover is quite willing to try this but death is not in his control nor is it predictable. He wishes/prays that such a time would come (even without his imminent death), the she cannot control herself and cannot help but visit him.
10
aise Dhab¹ se ho gilaa² un ke sitam³ ka aye shauq⁴
baat kuchh chaaheN banaani to banaaye na bane     1.style, method 2.complaint 3.cruelty 4.pen-name of poet, also means love/desire
O, Love (O, shauq) your complaint of the cruel negligence of the beloved (in the form of a Ghazal) should of such a style, that even if she tries to make excuses she will not be able to. ‘baat banaana’ means to make up stories.