mustafa KhaaN shefta (1809-1869) contemporary and close friend of Ghalib.  Nawab of jahaaNgirabad and bulandshahr.  He was framed and sentenced to seven years imprisonment after 1857.  His sentence was commuted but he lost his property and pension.  Much of his work is reported to have been lost in 1857.  His historical notes of poets and their compositions of the time ‘gulshan-e be-Khaar’ is quite valuable.  This Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib’s, “tark-e vafa ka gumaaN nahiN”.  There is one more of shefta, two each of momin and aazurda in the same zamin.  It was probably composed for a tarhaii mushaa’era but probably not at the Red Fort, because I could not find one by zafar or zauq.
1
dil ka gila¹ falak² ki shikaa’et³ yahaaN nahiN
vo mehrbaaN⁴ nahiN to koi mehrbaaN nahiN

1.grumble 2.sky, fate 3. complaint 4.kind, benevolent

The poet/lover feels that he has not received his due.  The standard trope is to blame fate.  Here he says, I am not grumbling about my heart/love or complaining of fate.  If she (the beloved) is not kind then nothing else will be kind i.e., all his misfortune is because the beloved does not reciprocate his love.
2
ham aaj tak chhupaate haiN yaaroN se raaz¹-e ishq
haalaaNke² dushmanoN³ se ye qissa⁴ nihaaN⁵ nahiN

1.secret 2.even though 3.enemies, rivals 4.story 5.hidden

To this day the poet/lover hides the secret of love from friends, even though it is not hidden from his rivals.
3
zebaa¹ nahiN hai dost² se karnaa mu’aamla³
kuchh varna⁴ naaz⁵ jaan⁶ ke badle giraaN⁷ nahiN

1.befitting, proper 2.friend, beloved 3.trade, deal 4.otherwise 5.coquetry 6.life 7.expensive

It is not appropriate to trade/deal with the beloved.  Otherwise giving up life in exchange for her coquetry is not so expensive … it is not a bad deal.
4
ham zumra¹-e raqiib² meN mil kar vahaaN gaye
jab shauq³ rahnumaa⁴ ho koi paasbaaN⁵ nahiN

1.group 2.rivals 3.desire, love 4.guide 5.guard, attendant

The poet/lover has mingled with a group of rivals to visit the beloved (or more likely, the beloved’s street).  This is obviously a risky move.  But when love guides/urges him, he is willing to take the risk and go with them even though he has no one to guard him.
5
aashufta¹ misl²-e baad³ huuN betaab⁴ misl²-e barq⁵
kyuNkar⁶ mo’iin-e-charKh⁷ teri shoKhiyaaN⁸ nahiN

1.mad, distracted, scattered 2.like, similar to 3.wind 4.restless 5.lightning 6.why 7.helper of the sky, god 8.mischief, playfulness

Normally, “mo’iin-e-charKh” would be used for god, but here he is elevating the beloved to a high status and referring to her as “mo’iin-e-charKh”.  This thought is carried over from the first she’r in which he says, I don’t grumble about the sky/fate.  I am looking to the beloved to be kind to me.  Thus, I wander like the wind and am restless like lightning.  Why then, O beloved, do I not have your playfulness.
6
ham aap par nisaar¹ kareN kaa’enaat² ko
par kya kareN bisaat³ meN juz⁴ nim-jaaN⁵ nahiN

1.sacrificial offering 2.cosmos, universe 3.domain 4.except for 5.half-alive, half-dead

The poet/lover is so distressed that he is half dead.  He would be happy to make an offering of the whole universe to the beloved if he could.  He says … but what can I do, I have nothing within my domain/control except my half dead self.
7
saamaan¹-e vajd² fitna³-e mahshar⁴ ko de diyaa
vo Khaak⁵ par hamaari jo daaman-kashaaN⁶ nahiN

1.means, provisions 2.(sufiyaana) trance/ecstacy 3.mischief 4.doomsday 5.dust 6.throw/drag hem of the robe

The poet/lover is dead and turned to dust.  The beloved is still young and desirable and he still desires her.  But she does not so much as walk over his dust (does not drag the hem of her robe over his grave, i.e., does not walk/come there).  If things were better he would have gone into a trance of ecstacy/vajd.  But he has given away his capability to get into trance to the “fitna-e mahshar”.  The phrase ‘fitna-e mahshar’ literally meaning the tumult of doomsday is also used to describe the beloved.
8
kyuN haiN nadiim¹-e dost² sifaarish³ meN Ghair⁴ ki
kya ham ko un se rasm-o-rah⁵-e armuGhaaN⁶ nahiN

1.friend, confidant 2.beloved 3.recommendation, pleading on behalf of 4.rival 5.traditions and customs 6.giving gifts

Why are the intimate friends of the beloved pleading to her on behalf of the rival?  Don’t I have any claims?  Have I not maintained the custom of gift-giving with them, have I not given them gifts?
9
ek haal-e-Khush¹ meN bhuul gaye kaa’enaat² ko
ab ham vahaaN haiN mutrib³ o saaqi⁴ jahaaN nahiN

1.state if happiness/contentment 2.universe 3.singer 4.wine server, tavern owner

The poet/sufi is in a state of happiness/contentment that makes him feel that he does not need anything.  He has forgotten the world and is now at a place where there is no need for song and wine.
10
kis kis pe rashk¹ kijiye kis kis ko roiye
kis din vo jalva² aafat³-e sad-KhaanumaaN⁴ nahiN

1.envy 2.face, beauty, manifestation i.e., beloved 3.trouble, calamity 4.hundred households

On what day does the beauty of the beloved not spell trouble for a hundred households i.e., it causes trouble every day and in every household.  How many can you cry over and how many luck few can you be envious of.  There are too many to deal with.
11
kyuN ye hujoom¹-e shor-o-shaGhab² hai nushoor³ meN
aisaa to sheftaa hameN Khwaab-e-giraaN⁴ nahiN

1.crowd 2.noise and disturbance 3.resurrection, raising the dead back to life for judgement 4.deep sleep

It is the day of judgement.  The dead are being raised and called to account.  The poet/lover observes an unusual crowd, disturbance and noise.  The unstated reason for this is that the beloved is out there and all her lover/victims are jostling to bear testimony about the torture that they were subjected to.  Here the poet feigns unawareness of the reason for the crowd and muses … I should not be in such deep sleep as to not know what is going on.