Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. raghupati sahay firaq gorakhpuri (1896-1982) was a great scholar. He took and passed the civil service exam but refused to serve under the British, working instead for the Congress party. He taught English at the University of Allahabad.
1
nigaah-e-naaz¹ ne parde uThaaye haiN kya kya
hijaab² ahl-e-mohabbat³ ko aaye haiN kya kya 1.coquettish/mischievous/loving glance 2.used here as bashfulness
3.lovers
The beloved has revealed herself in many playful and teasing ways but her lovers have never been able to understand/see her because of their bashfulness. This could be god revealing himself and his creatures unable to see him.
2
jahaaN meN thi bas ek afvaah¹ tere jalvoN² ki
charaaGh-e dair-o-haram³ jhilmilaaye haiN kya kya 1.rumour 2.manifestations, beauty 3.temple and mosque
Based just on a rumour of your manifestations, so many lamps in temples and mosques were lit up. In the first she’r firaq created an anticipation of a sufiyaana diabtribe, but seems to have turned rational and is making fun of how we turn to reverent belief based only on rumours/hearsay. But of course this applies to the beloved too. On rumours of her presence, all the lovers pray/make offerings hoping for a sight of her.
3
do-chaar¹ barq-e-tajalli² se rahne vaaloN ne
fareb³ narm-nigaahi⁴ ke khaaye haiN kya kya 1.aaNkheN do-chaar hona, come face to face 2.flash of lightning as in what moosa saw on Mt. tuur 3.deception 4.soft/weak sight, soft/kind look
Those who claimed to have seen divine light/revelation proved to have been deceived by their weak sight! But then, look at how the meaning changes if this is a soft/kind look of the beloved. Those who have seen it have been deceived, thinking that she loves them.
4
diloN pe karte hue aaj aati-jaati¹ choT²
teri nigaah³ ne pahlu-bachaaye⁴ haiN kya kya 1.an expression meaning – casually/effortlessly 2.wound 3.glance 4.an expression meaning – avoid blame
The beloved casts her glance and without any effort wounds her lovers while at the same time avoiding any blame.
5
nisaar¹ nargis²-e mai-guN³ ke aaj paimaane⁴
laboN⁵ tak aate hue thartharaaye⁶ haiN kya kya 1.offer oneself in tribute 2.narcissus, used mataphorically for eyes 3.wine coloured 4.cups 5.lips 6.trembled
The poet/lover/patron of the tavern is so taken by the rose-coloured eyes of the saaqi that every time he picks up the goblet to drink his hand trembles as it reaches his mouth/lips.
6
vo ek zaraa si jhalak¹ barq²-e kam-nigaahi³ ki
jigar⁴ ke zaKhm-e-nihaaN⁵ muskuraaye haiN kya kya 1.glimpse 2.flash of lightning 3.stolen/sidelong glances 4.liver/heart 5.hidden wounds
The poet/lover has been wounded before. The hidden wounds in his heart are somewhat healed. But then he catches a glimpse of her flashing eyes with their sidelong glances and his wounds open up again (the mouth of the wound opens up ‘smiling’). The additional implication is that the wounds of the heart are happy that are being opened up/hurt again again.
7
charaaGh-e tuur¹ jale aaina-dar-aaiina
hijaab² barq³-e adaa⁴ ne uThaaye haiN kya kya 1.mountain top where moosa saw divine flash of lightning 2.veil 3.flash of lightning 4.style, pose, posture
The beloved is looking at herself in mirror after mirror with such style that lightning flashes are reflected in them, like the divine flash on tuur.
8
ba-qadr¹-e zauq²-e nazar³ diid-e-husn⁴ kya ho magar
nigaah-e-shauq⁵ meN jalve⁶ samaaye⁷ haiN kya kya   1.equal in amount 2.desire 3.eyes 4.sight of beauty/beloved 5.eyes of desire/poet/lover 6.faces 7.stored, fitted into
The poet/lover has never had a chance to see the beloved in proportion to his desire to see. But stored in his eyes/memory are pictures of her one after the other.
9
kahiN charaaGh, kahiN gul, kahiN dil-e-barbaad
Khiraam-e-naaz¹ ne fitne² uThaaye haiN kya kya 1.playful/coquettish style of walking 2.mischief
The beloved walks with a playful/teasing gait. Wherever she walks there are lovers with offerings of prayer lamps, flowers and/or wounded hearts. She has raised mischief step after step.
10
taGhaaful¹ aur baRhaa us Ghazaal²-e r’aana³ ka
fusun-e-Gham⁴ ne bhi jaadu jagaaye haiN kya kya 1.forgetfulness, ignoring 2.doe, symbolic of the beloved 3.glorious 4.enchantment of love
The beloved always forgets or feigns forgetfulness and ignores the poet/lover. Normally, you would think that the enchantment of love (the lover’s offering) would cause her to pay more attention. But no, the enchantment of love has been magical, it has caused her forgetfulness to increase, possibly implying that it is feigned forgetfulness, which increases in response to the offering of love.
11
hazaar fitna¹-e bedaar Khwaab-e-raNgiN meN
chaman meN Ghuncha-e-gul² raNg laaye haiN kya kya 1.mischief 2.unopened flower buds 3.raNg laana also means making mischief
The unopened buds are asleep and dreaming. They have a thousand mischiefs dreamt up and ready. When they open, their colourful display is so gorgeous that it appears like a thousand mischiefs … titillating the heart of the poet/lover.
12
tere Khuloos¹-e nihaaN² ka to aah kya kahna
sulook³ uchaTTe⁴ bhi dil meN samaaye⁵ haiN kya kya 1.kind consideration 2.hidden 3.behaviour, treatment 4.half-hearted 5.stored
The beloved has “hidden” kindness/consideration for the poet/lover. So her behaviour towards him is half-hearted. But his love is such that he stores and treasures even these half-hearted kindnesses.
13
nazar bachaa ke tere ishva-haa¹-e pinhaaN² ne
diloN meN dard-e-mohabbat uThaaye haiN kya kya 1.plural of ishva, coquettish acts 2.hidden
The beloved does her mischief in carefully hidden coquettish ways. It is these that raise myriad hopes in love-struck hearts.
14
payaam¹-e husn², payaam-e junuN³, payaam-e-fana⁴
teri nigah⁵ ne fasaane⁶ sunaaye haiN kya kya   1.message/story of 2.beauty 3.passion 4.death, annihilation 5.glance 6.stories
The beloved can tell many stories just with her eyes … stories of beauty, passionate love or annihilation (when she is angry).
15
tamaam husn ke jalve¹ tamaam mahroomi²
bharam³ nigaah ne apne gaNvaaye haiN kya kya   1.manifestation, display 2.deprivation 3.presumption, deception
A full display of her beauty, yet the poet/lover is deprived of her love/company. Her glance has misled him and many of his presumptions have come to nought.
16
firaaq raah-e-vafaa¹ meN subuk-ravi² teri
baRe-baRauN ke qadam Dagmagaaye³ haiN kya kya  1.path of love 2.fleet footedness, speed, ease 3.stumbled
The path of love is the path of writing verse. firaaq, the poet, has been fleet footed … has done well when the mighty have stumbled.