For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
برہمن کے پانو ۔ بہادر شاہ ظفرؔ
۱
گر ناز سے وہ صحن میں رکھے چمن کے پانو
چومے زمیں پہ گر کے گُل اُس گُلبدن کے پانو
۲
وحشت کو میرے دیکھ کے جو بھولے چوکڑی
اِک جست میں شکستہ ہوں چاروں ہرن کے پانو
۳
اے عشق کیا صلاح ہے تیری بتا مجھے
لوں شیخ کے قدم کے پڑوں برہمن کے پانو
۴
اتنا نہ آہ و نالہ سے اپنے بُلا اُسے
اے دل نہیں ہیں گنبدِ چرخِ کہن کے پانو
۵
شیریں کو پھر نہ ہو ہوسِ سرخیِ کفک
رنگیں کرے لہو سے اگر کوہکن کے پانو
۶
یاں تک ہے شوقِ دشت نوردی کہ دوں نکال
میں اپنے بعدِ مرگ بھی باہر کفن کے پانو
۷
شیطاں کو سونپے اپنی اگر خدمتِ وضو
دھو دھو پٔیے وہ زاہدِ پُر مکر و فن کے پانو
۸
کیوںکر نکل سکے دلِ وحشی کہ پھنس گئے
پھندے میں اس کی زلفِ شکن در شکن کے پانو
۹
دشتِ جنوں میں اتنی بھی فرصت نہیں ظفرؔ
پھیلیں جو اک ذرا مرے دیوانہ پن کہ پانو
बरहमन के पाँव – बहादुर शहाह ज़फ़र
१
गर नाज़ से वो सहन में रक्खे चमन के पांव
चूमे ज़मीं पे गिर के गुल उस गुलबदन के पाँव
२
वहशत को मेरे देख के जो भूले चौक्ढी
एक जुस्त मैं शिकस्त हों चारों हरन के पाँव
३
अए इश्क़ क्या सलाह है तेरी बता मुझे
लूं शेख़ के क़दम के पढूं बरहमन के पाँव
४
इतना न आह ओ नाला से अपने बुला उसे
अए दिल नहीं हैं गुंबद-ए चर्ख़-ए कोहन के पांव
५
शिरीं को फिर न हो हवस-ए सुर्ख़ी-ए कफ़क
रंगिन करे लहु से अगर कोहकन के पाँव
६
यां तक है शौक़-ए दश्त नवर्दी के दूं निकाल
मैं अपने बाद-ए मर्ग भी बाहर कफ़न के पाँव
७
शैतां को सोंपे अपनी अगर ख़िद्मत-ए वुज़ू
धो धो पिये वो ज़ाहेद-ए पुर मक्र-ओ-फ़न के पांव
८
क्यूंकर निकल सके दिल-ए वहशी के फंस गए
फ़न्दे में उस के ज़ुल्फ़-ए शिकन दर शिकन के पांव
९
दश्त-ए जूनूं में इतनी भी फ़ुर्सत नहीं ज़फ़र
फैलें जो एक ज़रा मेरे दीवाना-पन के पांव
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. bahaadur shaah zafar (1775-1862) became titular/nominal emperor of India in 1837. He was a scholar of faarsi and arabi and started composing at an early age. zauq and after zauq’s death in 1854, Ghalib became his ustaad. zafar used to hold frequent mushaa’era in the Red Fort. This Ghazal, in the same zamin as Ghalib’s ‘‘kaa’be meN kyuN dabaa’eN na ham barhaman kay paaNv’’, is dated by kalidas gupta raza, 1853. I have no way to date zafar’s Ghazal, but there appears to be much overlap in phrases and thoughts. I assume that zafar wrote his Ghazal inspired by Ghalib’s Ghazal and I link it to both ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’ and ‘Ghalib peshrau ham asr’.
1
gar1 naaz2 se voh sahn3 meN rakkhe chaman ke paaNv
choomay4 zamiiN peh gir kay gul5 uss gulbadan6 ke paaNv 1.if 2.coquettish style 3.yard 4.kiss 5.rose 6.rose-bodied
The beloved is described as ‘gulbadan’-rose bodied. If she were to step into the garden in her coquettish style, roses would shed their petals to fall to the ground to kiss her feet.
2
vahshat1 ko maeray dekh kay jo bhoolay chaukRi2
ek just3 meN shikasta4 hoN chaaroN haran5 kay paaNv 1.madness, passion, fear 2.leap/run with all four legs in the air 3.leap 4.break 5.deer
The lover wanders the wilderness distraught with passion. Typically, he encounters deer in his wandering. If the deer were to see him in his fearful passionate madness it would forget its skill of leaping and in its first leap would break all four legs.
3
aye ishq kya salaah1 hai teri bataa mujhay
looN shaiKh ke qadam2 keh paRuN barhaman ke paaNv 1.advice, suggestion 2.qadam lena is a phrase meaning touch feet
The poet/lover yearning for a sign of reciprocity from the beloved wants to pray. He wants to use a holy man as an intermediary who would bless him and hopefully make his prayer effective. He assumes that Love (personfied) would know who is the most effective. Thus, O Love, tell me, should I touch the shaiKh’s feet or should bow low at the brahman’s feet.
4
itna nah aah1 o naalah2 se apnay bula usay
aye dil nahiN haiN guNbad3-e charKh4-e kohan5 ke paaNv 1.sigh 2.wailing 3.dome 4.wheel 5.ancient
The ‘guNbad-e charKh-e kohan’ – the dome of the ancient wheel is the sky. It is common practice to pray/appeal to the sky. That is what the distraught lover has been doing. Thus, do not insist on calling the sky with you sighs and wailing. It cannot come to your help, it has no feet i.e., it rolls impotently.
5
shiiriiN1 ko phir na ho havas2-e surKhi3-e kafak4
raNgiiN karay lahu5 se agar kohkan6 ke paaNv 1.shiiriin of the shiiriiN-farhaad legend 2.greed, desire 3.redness 4.palm (hands) and sole (feet) 5.blood 6.another name of farhaad
In poetic tradition deep red colour of henna is considered beautiful and the colour deepens if the blood of the lover is mixed in with henna paste. Thus, if shiiriin had used farhaad’s blood to mix with henna paste, then would not have any desire for more redness of her palms or soles i.e., they would be a deep red already.
6
yaaN tak hai shauq1-e dasht-navardi2 keh duuN nikaal
maiN apnay baad3-e marg4 bhi baahar5 kafan6 ke paaNv 1.desire 2.desert wandering 3.after 4.death 5.outside 6.burial shroud
The lover wanders the desert like the legendary majnuN looking for his laila. That is considered the epitome of the sincerity of love. The poet/lover is so fond/proud of his desert-wandering that even after death he would poke his feet out of the burial shroud. Said Ghalib …
allah-ray1 zauq2-e dasht-navardi3 keh baad-e marg4
hiltay haiN Khud-ba-Khud5 meray andar kafan6 ke paaNv
7
shaitaaN ko soNp’e1 apni agar Khidmat2-e vuzoo3
dho-dho piy’e voh zaahid4-e pur-makr-o-fun5 ke paaNv 1.entrust, make responsible for 2.service, duties 3.ritual washing/ablutions before namaaz 4.preacher 5.full of hypocricy and deception
If the devil is entrusted with the duties of performing vuzoo, then he would was he feet of the preacher and drink that water. This is an expression meaning he would admire/respect and try to emulate/copy the preacher who is full of hypocricy and deception to the point that he can give the devil a lesson or two.
8
kyuNkar1 nikal sakay dil-e vahshi2 keh phaNs3 gaye
phanday4 meN uss kay zulf5-e shikan-dar-shikan6 ke paaNv 1.why, how 2.wild 3.tangled, caught 4.noose 5.hair 6.curl within curl, curl after curl
How could the wild heart have freed itself when my feet got caught/tangled in the beloved’s curly hair – a rather strange image if taken literally.
9
dasht1-e junooN2 meN itni bhi fursat3 nahiN zafar4
phaileN5 jo ek zara meray diivaana-pan6 ke paaNv 1.desert, wilderness 2.madness, passion 3.leisure, time 4.pen-name of the poet 5.paaNv phailaana – an expression meaning lie down spreading the legs out 5.madness
The poet/lover is wandering, running around in the desert like a madman. He does not have time to lie down and spread out his legs. There does not appear to be much more than saying that he is mad with passion.
bahaadur shaah zafar (1775-1862) became titular/nominal emperor of India in 1837. He was a scholar of faarsi and arabi and started composing at an early age. zauq and after zauq’s death in 1854, Ghalib became his ustaad. zafar used to hold frequent mushaa’era in the Red Fort. This Ghazal, in the same zamin as Ghalib’s ‘‘kaa’be meN kyuN dabaa’eN na ham barhaman kay paaNv’’, is dated by kalidas gupta raza, 1853. I have no way to date zafar’s Ghazal, but there appears to be much overlap in phrases and thoughts. I assume that zafar wrote his Ghazal inspired by Ghalib’s Ghazal and I link it to both ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’ and ‘Ghalib peshrau ham asr’.
1
gar1 naaz2 se voh sahn3 meN rakkhe chaman ke paaNv
choomay4 zamiiN peh gir kay gul5 uss gulbadan6 ke paaNv
1.if 2.coquettish style 3.yard 4.kiss 5.rose 6.rose-bodied
The beloved is described as ‘gulbadan’-rose bodied. If she were to step into the garden in her coquettish style, roses would shed their petals to fall to the ground to kiss her feet.
2
vahshat1 ko maeray dekh kay jo bhoolay chaukRi2
ek just3 meN shikasta4 hoN chaaroN haran5 kay paaNv
1.madness, passion, fear 2.leap/run with all four legs in the air 3.leap 4.break 5.deer
The lover wanders the wilderness distraught with passion. Typically, he encounters deer in his wandering. If the deer were to see him in his fearful passionate madness it would forget its skill of leaping and in its first leap would break all four legs.
3
aye ishq kya salaah1 hai teri bataa mujhay
looN shaiKh ke qadam2 keh paRuN barhaman ke paaNv
1.advice, suggestion 2.qadam lena is a phrase meaning touch feet
The poet/lover yearning for a sign of reciprocity from the beloved wants to pray. He wants to use a holy man as an intermediary who would bless him and hopefully make his prayer effective. He assumes that Love (personfied) would know who is the most effective. Thus, O Love, tell me, should I touch the shaiKh’s feet or should bow low at the brahman’s feet.
4
itna nah aah1 o naalah2 se apnay bula usay
aye dil nahiN haiN guNbad3-e charKh4-e kohan5 ke paaNv
1.sigh 2.wailing 3.dome 4.wheel 5.ancient
The ‘guNbad-e charKh-e kohan’ – the dome of the ancient wheel is the sky. It is common practice to pray/appeal to the sky. That is what the distraught lover has been doing. Thus, do not insist on calling the sky with you sighs and wailing. It cannot come to your help, it has no feet i.e., it rolls impotently.
5
shiiriiN1 ko phir na ho havas2-e surKhi3-e kafak4
raNgiiN karay lahu5 se agar kohkan6 ke paaNv
1.shiiriin of the shiiriiN-farhaad legend 2.greed, desire 3.redness 4.palm (hands) and sole (feet) 5.blood 6.another name of farhaad
In poetic tradition deep red colour of henna is considered beautiful and the colour deepens if the blood of the lover is mixed in with henna paste. Thus, if shiiriin had used farhaad’s blood to mix with henna paste, then would not have any desire for more redness of her palms or soles i.e., they would be a deep red already.
6
yaaN tak hai shauq1-e dasht-navardi2 keh duuN nikaal
maiN apnay baad3-e marg4 bhi baahar5 kafan6 ke paaNv
1.desire 2.desert wandering 3.after 4.death 5.outside 6.burial shroud
The lover wanders the desert like the legendary majnuN looking for his laila. That is considered the epitome of the sincerity of love. The poet/lover is so fond/proud of his desert-wandering that even after death he would poke his feet out of the burial shroud. Said Ghalib …
allah-ray1 zauq2-e dasht-navardi3 keh baad-e marg4
hiltay haiN Khud-ba-Khud5 meray andar kafan6 ke paaNv
7
shaitaaN ko soNp’e1 apni agar Khidmat2-e vuzoo3
dho-dho piy’e voh zaahid4-e pur-makr-o-fun5 ke paaNv
1.entrust, make responsible for 2.service, duties 3.ritual washing/ablutions before namaaz 4.preacher 5.full of hypocricy and deception
If the devil is entrusted with the duties of performing vuzoo, then he would was he feet of the preacher and drink that water. This is an expression meaning he would admire/respect and try to emulate/copy the preacher who is full of hypocricy and deception to the point that he can give the devil a lesson or two.
8
kyuNkar1 nikal sakay dil-e vahshi2 keh phaNs3 gaye
phanday4 meN uss kay zulf5-e shikan-dar-shikan6 ke paaNv
1.why, how 2.wild 3.tangled, caught 4.noose 5.hair 6.curl within curl, curl after curl
How could the wild heart have freed itself when my feet got caught/tangled in the beloved’s curly hair – a rather strange image if taken literally.
9
dasht1-e junooN2 meN itni bhi fursat3 nahiN zafar4
phaileN5 jo ek zara meray diivaana-pan6 ke paaNv
1.desert, wilderness 2.madness, passion 3.leisure, time 4.pen-name of the poet 5.paaNv phailaana – an expression meaning lie down spreading the legs out 5.madness
The poet/lover is wandering, running around in the desert like a madman. He does not have time to lie down and spread out his legs. There does not appear to be much more than saying that he is mad with passion.
