For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
دریا حباب میں ۔ پنڈت امرناتھ ساحرؔ دہلوی
۱
ہے سوزِ عشق دل میں کہ اخگر ہے تاب میں
طوفاں ہے چشمِ تر میں کہ دریا حباب میں
۲
حُسنِ ازل عیاں ہے رُخِ آفتاب میں
خورشید جیسے عکس فگن روئے آب میں
۳
مُہرِ سکوت لب پہ لگی پیچ و تاب میں
صُورت سکون کی ہے عیاں اِضطراب میں
۴
وہمِ نظر جہاں میں رہا جلوۂ حیات
اِک بحر موجزن نظر آیا سراب میں
۵
وہ نغمہ سازِ دل کی صدائے شکست ہے
در پردہ گونج جس کی ہے تارِ رباب میں
۶
تھا حسنِ بے مثال پہ کتنا اُنہیں غرور
تمثال آئینہ نے دکھا دی جواب میں
۷
جامِ مئے الست سے تھا رنگِ بیخودی
حُسنِ ازل ہے ذوقِ خودی سے حجاب میں
۸
جلوے میری نگاہ میں ہیں کیفِ مست ہوں
بیداریوں کے نقش نمایاں ہیں خواب میں
۹
تاکا وہ دل جو طالبِ دیدار تھا ترا
ایک برقِ طور تھی نگہِ انتخاب میں
۱۰
جملہ نقوشِ آب کی ہے آب اصلیت
بادِ غرور نقشِ فنا ہے حباب میں
۱۱
غم آشنا ازل سے ہیں ہم کافرانِ عشق
رہنے دو خیر سے ہمیں حالِ خراب میں
۱۲
رندانِ بادہ نوش کی روحِ رواں ہے وہ
ام الخبایث آئی جو ام الکتاب میں
۱۳
ساحر غریقِ رحمتِ پروردگار ہے
لے ڈوبی بیخودی اُسے جامِ شراب میں
दर्या हबाब में – पंडित अमरनाथ साहिर देहलवी
१
है सोज़-ए इश्क़ दिल में के अख़्गर है ताब में
तूफ़ां है चश्म-ए तर में के दर्या हबाब में
२
हुस्न-ए अज़ल अयां है रुख़-ए आफ़्ताब में
ख़ुर्शीद जैसे अक्स फ़िगन रू-ए आब में
३
मोहर-ए सुकूत लब पे लगी पेच ओ ताब में
सूरत सुकून कि है अयां इज़्तेराब में
४
वहम-ए नज़र जहां में रहा जल्वा-ए हयात
एक बहर मौज-ज़न नज़र आया सराब में
५
वो नग़्मा साज़-ए दिल की सदा-ए शिकस्त है
दर-पर्दा गूंज जिस की है तार-ए रबाब में
६
था हुस्न-ए बेमिसाल पे कितना उन्हें ग़ुरूर
तिम्साल आईने ने दिखा दी जवाब में
७
जाम-ए मय-ए अलस्त से था रंग-ए बेख़ुदी
हुस्न-ए अज़ल है ज़ौक़-ए ख़ुदी से हिजाब में
८
जल्वे मेरी निगाह में हैं कैफ़-ए मस्त हूं
बेदारियौं के नक़्श नुमायां हैं ख़्वाब में
९
ताका वो दिल जो तालब-ए दीदार था तेरा
एक बर्क़-ए तूर थी निगह-ए इंतख़ाब में
१०
जुम्ला नुक़ूश-ए आब कि है आब अस्लियत
बाद-ए ग़ुरूर नक़्श-ए फ़ना है हबाब में
११
ग़म-आश्ना अज़ल से हैं हम काफ़रान-ए इश्क़
रहने दो ख़ैर से हमें हाल-ए ख़राब में
१२
रिन्दान-ए बादा-नोश कि रूह-ए रवां है वो
उम्म-उल-ख़बा’एस आई जो उम्म-उल-किताब में
१३
साहिर ग़रीक़-ए रहमत-ए परवरदिगार है
ले डूबी बेख़ुदी उसे जाम-ए शराब में
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit amarnath sahir dehlavi (1863-1962) was deeply affected by the cultural degeneration following the 1857 war. He turned to themes of mysticism in his poetry. He was a scholar of sanskrit, arabi and faarsi. This is one of a series of Ghazal styled after Ghalib’s ‘saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN’.
1
hai soz1-e ishq2 dil meN keh aKhgar3 hai taab4 meN
toofaN hai chashm5-e tar6 meN keh darya7 habaab8 meN 1.fire, passion 2.love 3.flame, fire, ashes 4.heat 5.eye 6.wet, tearful 7.sea 8.bubble
The heart burns with the passion of love like a fire burning everything to ashes. There is a storm in the tearful eye like a rive flowing out of a bubble. There is probably meant to be a parallelism between the two misra … the heart is like a bubble with fire rising from it and the eye is like a bubble with raining storm coming from it. Both are expressions of the passion of love (of the divine).
2
husn-e-azal1 ayaaN2 hai ruKh3-e aaftaab4 meN
Khurshiid5 jaise aks-figan6 ruu7-e aab8 meN 1.eteranl beauty, god 2.manifest 3.face 4.sun 5.sun 6.casting/dropping reflection/image 7.face 8.water
The parallelism here is that eternal beauty (god) is reflected in the sun just like the sun is reflected in water. The sun is a pale manifestation of the real glory of god just like the reflection in water is a pale manifestation of the sun’s brilliance. Another parallelism is that you cannot directly look at the sun, but can see its reflection. Much like you cannot see god but only its manifestation as the cosmos.
3
mohr1-e sukoot2 lab3 pe lagi pech-o-taab4 meN
soorat5 sukoon6 ki hai ayaaN7 izteraab8 meN 1.seal 2.silence 3.lips 4.restlessness 5.picture, image 6.tranquility 7.manifest, appearing 8.restlessness
The poet/lover is restless for union with the beloved. But his lips have been sealed with the stamp of silence. Because of that even in restlessness he presents an image of tranquility and peace.
4
vahm1-e nazar2 jahaaN3 meN raha jalva-e-hayaat4
ek bahr5 mauj-zan6 nazar aaya saraab7 meN 1.illusion 2.eyes, sight 3.world 4.splendour/beauty/manifestation of life 5.ocean 6.making waves 7.mirage
In a mirage you can see an illusion of an ocean making waves. Just like that the beauty and the pleasures of this material life are nothing but an illusion.
5
vo naGhma1, saaz2-e dil ki sadaa3-e shikast4 hai
dar-parda5 goonj6 jis ki hai taar7-e rabaab8 meN 1.song 2.musical instrument, lute 3.sound 4.breaking, defeat 5.behind the veil 6.echo 7.string 8.stringed musical instrument similar to a sarod
Hidden behind the veil of the echo of the string of the rabaab is really the song/sound of a breaking heart (of the musical instrument of the heart). There is a parallelism between the two misra. Among music lovers the plucking of strings is considered painful for the musical instrument and the sadness of this experience manifests itself as music. The broken heart of the poet/lover manifests itself as a song/Ghazal.
6
tha husn1-e be-misaal2 pe kitna unheN Ghuroor3
timsaal4 aaiine ne dikha dii javaab5 meN 1.beauty 2.without equal, peerless 3.pride 4.example 5.answer
Oh, how proud she was of her unequaled beauty. In answer the mirror showed her an example/equal. Another way of saying that the only one equal to her in beauty is her reflection. No one else. This could be about ‘husn-e-azal’-divine beauty. That beauty is reflected in the mirror of creation.
7
jaam1-e mai2-e alast3 se tha raNg4-e beKhudi5
husn-e-azal6 hai zauq7-e Khudi8 se hijaab9 meN 1.cup 2.wine (of divine love) 3.am I not (see notes below) 4.style 5.trance 6.eternal beauty, divinity 7.wish, desire 8.self, identity, uniqueness 9.veil
This has reference to an aayat of the qur’aan – 7:172. It is written that at the time of creation god gathered all proto-creatures and asked “alastu be rabb-e kum” – “am I not your lord”. It is generally considered that that is the time when creatures and creator were closest to each other. Once they were actually created, the distance between them increased. Thus, the poet says, when I had the cup of wine (divine love) at the time of creation (when god said … alastu …), I was in a trance of intoxication (with love). Now eternal beauty/divinity is hidden behind a veil to preserve its uniqueness.
8
jalve1 meri nigaah2 meN haiN kaif3-e mast4 huN
bedaariyauN5 ke naqsh6 numaayaaN7 haiN Khwaab8 meN 1.pictures, visions 2.sight 3.contentment, comfort 4.intoxication 5.wakefulness 6.sketches, marks 7.emerging, prominent 8.dream, sleep
The poet/sufi/devotee has (divine) visions/glories in his sight. As a result of this he is intoxicated with the love of the divine and quite content. His life (life on earth) is like a dream. But because he has awareness of divine visions (possible union with the great spirit) it is as if he is awake to that possibility.
9
taaka1 vo dil jo taalib2-e diidaar3 tha tera
ek barq4-e tuur5 thi nigah6-e inteKhaab7 meN 1.look intently, stare, search 2.seeker 3.vision 4.lightning 5.mount tuur, Sinai peak 6.sight, eyes 7.selection, choice
‘barq-e tuur’ – flash of lightning that moosa is supposed to have seen on mount tuur is symbolic of divine manifestation. The poet/devotee had selected/desired to see that manifestation. That is why his eyes kept looking intently, kept searching for that sight.
10
jumla1 nuqoosh2-e aab3 ki hai aab3 asliyaat4
baad5-e Ghuroor6 naqsh2-e fanaa7 hai habaab8 meN 1.total 2.marks, sketches 3.water 4.reality 5.air 6.hubris 7.annihilation 8.bubble
All creation is like marks/sketches/bubbles on water. They will get washed away or they burst. They are not permanent. Their reality is like water – shapeless. Life is like a bubble and the bubble is full of air of hubris/ego. When the bubble bursts and ego is let go, then it achieves ‘fanaa’ – annihilation – it loses its identity and merges with the divine spirit.
11
Gham-aashna1 azal2 se haiN hum kaafiraan3-e ishq4
rahne do Khair5 se hameN haal6-e Kharaab7 meN 1.familiar with pain (of universal love) 2.beginning, eternity 3.non-believers (in conventional rituals/faith) 4.(universal) love 5.safety 6.condition 7.intoxication
The poet/sufi and other devotees like him are kaafir – non-believers in conventional faith. They believe in universal love – love of the divine. They have been familiar with this right from the beginning. He says, leave us alone, let us be in our state of intoxication/trance.
12
rindaan1-e baada-nosh2 ki rooh-e-ravaaN3 hai vo
umm-ul-Khabaaes4 aaii jo umm-ul-kitaab5 meN 1.intoxicated, drunk 2.wine drinkers 3.moving spirit, motivating force 4.mother of deprivation (wine) 5.mother of books (holy books)
The poet sarcastically refers to the wine of universal/divine love as umm-ul-Khabaaes, because conventional wine is referred to as that. All holy books refer to (conventional) wine as a source of depravity. But here, by a sleight of hand the poet/devotee uses it to mean wine of universal love. For us, drunkards who drink this wine (of universal love), it is the moving spirit. This may also be a dig at holy books which claim exclusivity of faith rather than universality of the human spirit.
13
saahir1 Ghariiq2-e rahmat3-e parvardigaar4 hai
le Doobi beKhudi5 use jaam6-e sharaab meN 1.pen-name of the poet 2.drowned in, overwhelmed by 3.benevolence 4.god 5.trance, intoxication 6.cup
saahir, the poet/devotee/sufi is overwhelmed by the generosity/benevolence of god because his trance drowns him the wine of universal love.
panDit amarnath sahir dehlavi (1863-1962) was deeply affected by the cultural degeneration following the 1857 war. He turned to themes of mysticism in his poetry. He was a scholar of sanskrit, arabi and faarsi. This is one of a series of Ghazal styled after Ghalib’s ‘saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN’.
1
hai soz1-e ishq2 dil meN keh aKhgar3 hai taab4 meN
toofaN hai chashm5-e tar6 meN keh darya7 habaab8 meN
1.fire, passion 2.love 3.flame, fire, ashes 4.heat 5.eye 6.wet, tearful 7.sea 8.bubble
The heart burns with the passion of love like a fire burning everything to ashes. There is a storm in the tearful eye like a rive flowing out of a bubble. There is probably meant to be a parallelism between the two misra … the heart is like a bubble with fire rising from it and the eye is like a bubble with raining storm coming from it. Both are expressions of the passion of love (of the divine).
2
husn-e-azal1 ayaaN2 hai ruKh3-e aaftaab4 meN
Khurshiid5 jaise aks-figan6 ruu7-e aab8 meN
1.eteranl beauty, god 2.manifest 3.face 4.sun 5.sun 6.casting/dropping reflection/image 7.face 8.water
The parallelism here is that eternal beauty (god) is reflected in the sun just like the sun is reflected in water. The sun is a pale manifestation of the real glory of god just like the reflection in water is a pale manifestation of the sun’s brilliance. Another parallelism is that you cannot directly look at the sun, but can see its reflection. Much like you cannot see god but only its manifestation as the cosmos.
3
mohr1-e sukoot2 lab3 pe lagi pech-o-taab4 meN
soorat5 sukoon6 ki hai ayaaN7 izteraab8 meN
1.seal 2.silence 3.lips 4.restlessness 5.picture, image 6.tranquility 7.manifest, appearing 8.restlessness
The poet/lover is restless for union with the beloved. But his lips have been sealed with the stamp of silence. Because of that even in restlessness he presents an image of tranquility and peace.
4
vahm1-e nazar2 jahaaN3 meN raha jalva-e-hayaat4
ek bahr5 mauj-zan6 nazar aaya saraab7 meN
1.illusion 2.eyes, sight 3.world 4.splendour/beauty/manifestation of life 5.ocean 6.making waves 7.mirage
In a mirage you can see an illusion of an ocean making waves. Just like that the beauty and the pleasures of this material life are nothing but an illusion.
5
vo naGhma1, saaz2-e dil ki sadaa3-e shikast4 hai
dar-parda5 goonj6 jis ki hai taar7-e rabaab8 meN
1.song 2.musical instrument, lute 3.sound 4.breaking, defeat 5.behind the veil 6.echo 7.string 8.stringed musical instrument similar to a sarod
Hidden behind the veil of the echo of the string of the rabaab is really the song/sound of a breaking heart (of the musical instrument of the heart). There is a parallelism between the two misra. Among music lovers the plucking of strings is considered painful for the musical instrument and the sadness of this experience manifests itself as music. The broken heart of the poet/lover manifests itself as a song/Ghazal.
6
tha husn1-e be-misaal2 pe kitna unheN Ghuroor3
timsaal4 aaiine ne dikha dii javaab5 meN
1.beauty 2.without equal, peerless 3.pride 4.example 5.answer
Oh, how proud she was of her unequaled beauty. In answer the mirror showed her an example/equal. Another way of saying that the only one equal to her in beauty is her reflection. No one else. This could be about ‘husn-e-azal’-divine beauty. That beauty is reflected in the mirror of creation.
7
jaam1-e mai2-e alast3 se tha raNg4-e beKhudi5
husn-e-azal6 hai zauq7-e Khudi8 se hijaab9 meN
1.cup 2.wine (of divine love) 3.am I not (see notes below) 4.style 5.trance 6.eternal beauty, divinity 7.wish, desire 8.self, identity, uniqueness 9.veil
This has reference to an aayat of the qur’aan – 7:172. It is written that at the time of creation god gathered all proto-creatures and asked “alastu be rabb-e kum” – “am I not your lord”. It is generally considered that that is the time when creatures and creator were closest to each other. Once they were actually created, the distance between them increased. Thus, the poet says, when I had the cup of wine (divine love) at the time of creation (when god said … alastu …), I was in a trance of intoxication (with love). Now eternal beauty/divinity is hidden behind a veil to preserve its uniqueness.
8
jalve1 meri nigaah2 meN haiN kaif3-e mast4 huN
bedaariyauN5 ke naqsh6 numaayaaN7 haiN Khwaab8 meN
1.pictures, visions 2.sight 3.contentment, comfort 4.intoxication 5.wakefulness 6.sketches, marks 7.emerging, prominent 8.dream, sleep
The poet/sufi/devotee has (divine) visions/glories in his sight. As a result of this he is intoxicated with the love of the divine and quite content. His life (life on earth) is like a dream. But because he has awareness of divine visions (possible union with the great spirit) it is as if he is awake to that possibility.
9
taaka1 vo dil jo taalib2-e diidaar3 tha tera
ek barq4-e tuur5 thi nigah6-e inteKhaab7 meN
1.look intently, stare, search 2.seeker 3.vision 4.lightning 5.mount tuur, Sinai peak 6.sight, eyes 7.selection, choice
‘barq-e tuur’ – flash of lightning that moosa is supposed to have seen on mount tuur is symbolic of divine manifestation. The poet/devotee had selected/desired to see that manifestation. That is why his eyes kept looking intently, kept searching for that sight.
10
jumla1 nuqoosh2-e aab3 ki hai aab3 asliyaat4
baad5-e Ghuroor6 naqsh2-e fanaa7 hai habaab8 meN
1.total 2.marks, sketches 3.water 4.reality 5.air 6.hubris 7.annihilation 8.bubble
All creation is like marks/sketches/bubbles on water. They will get washed away or they burst. They are not permanent. Their reality is like water – shapeless. Life is like a bubble and the bubble is full of air of hubris/ego. When the bubble bursts and ego is let go, then it achieves ‘fanaa’ – annihilation – it loses its identity and merges with the divine spirit.
11
Gham-aashna1 azal2 se haiN hum kaafiraan3-e ishq4
rahne do Khair5 se hameN haal6-e Kharaab7 meN
1.familiar with pain (of universal love) 2.beginning, eternity 3.non-believers (in conventional rituals/faith) 4.(universal) love 5.safety 6.condition 7.intoxication
The poet/sufi and other devotees like him are kaafir – non-believers in conventional faith. They believe in universal love – love of the divine. They have been familiar with this right from the beginning. He says, leave us alone, let us be in our state of intoxication/trance.
12
rindaan1-e baada-nosh2 ki rooh-e-ravaaN3 hai vo
umm-ul-Khabaaes4 aaii jo umm-ul-kitaab5 meN
1.intoxicated, drunk 2.wine drinkers 3.moving spirit, motivating force 4.mother of deprivation (wine) 5.mother of books (holy books)
The poet sarcastically refers to the wine of universal/divine love as umm-ul-Khabaaes, because conventional wine is referred to as that. All holy books refer to (conventional) wine as a source of depravity. But here, by a sleight of hand the poet/devotee uses it to mean wine of universal love. For us, drunkards who drink this wine (of universal love), it is the moving spirit. This may also be a dig at holy books which claim exclusivity of faith rather than universality of the human spirit.
13
saahir1 Ghariiq2-e rahmat3-e parvardigaar4 hai
le Doobi beKhudi5 use jaam6-e sharaab meN
1.pen-name of the poet 2.drowned in, overwhelmed by 3.benevolence 4.god 5.trance, intoxication 6.cup
saahir, the poet/devotee/sufi is overwhelmed by the generosity/benevolence of god because his trance drowns him the wine of universal love.
