For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
گلبانگِ نوشانوش ہے ساقی ۔ جوشؔ ملیح آبادی
۱
اُٹھا ساغر کہ بیداری وبالِ ہوش ہے ساقی
زمانہ تیغ در دست و کفن بر دوش ہے ساقی
۲
ترے آزاد مشرب روزہ خواروں کی تمنّا میں
ہلالِ عید اِک کُھلتا ہوا آغوش ہے ساقی
۳
زمانہ رقص میں ہے بج رہی ہے وقت کی چھاگل
چمن میں آج وہ گلبانگِ نوشانوش ہے ساقی
۴
پسینہ آ گیا ہے خلد میں حوروں کے ماتھے پر
حسینوں کی جوانی آج یوں گل پوش ہے ساقی
۵
اگر اِک بوند ٹپکا دوں تو لَو دینے لگے دنیا
مرے ساغر میں ایسا بادۂ سرجوش ہے ساقی
۶
زمیں کے آبگینے کو کہیں ٹھوکر نہ لگ جائے
تیرے رِندوں کو مستی میں بھی اِتنا ہوش ہے ساقی
۷
اُٹھا لے جامِ زر اِس کو پِلا جامِ صفالی میں
کہ یہ کونین کا ٹھکرانے والا جوشؔ ہے ساقی
गुलबांग-ए नोशा-नोश है साक़ी – जोश मलीहाबादी
१
उठा साग़र के बेदारी वबाल-ए होश है साक़ी
ज़माना तेग़ दर दस्त ओ कफ़न बर दोश है साक़ी
२
तेरे आज़ाद मश्रब रोज़ा-ख़्वारों की तमन्ना में
हिलाल-ए ईद एक खुलता हुआ आग़ोश है साक़ी
३
ज़माना रक़्स में है बज रही है वक़्त की छागल
चमन में आज वो गुलबांग-ए नोशा-नोश है साक़ी
४
पसीना आ गया है ख़ुल्द में हूरों के माथे पर
हसीनों की जवानी आज यूँ गुलपोश है साक़ी
५
अगर एक बूँद टपका दूँ तो लौ देने लगे दुनिया
मेरे साग़र में ऐसा बादा-ए सरजोश है साक़ी
६
ज़मीं के आबगीने को कहीं ठोकर न लग जाए
तेरे रिंदों को मस्ती में भी इतना होश है साक़ी
७
उठा ले जाम-ए ज़र इस को पिला जाम-ए सफ़ाली में
के ये कौनैन का ठुकराने वाला जोश है साक़ी
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is called shaa’er-e inqelaab, poet of change/revolution. He is very secular and nationalistic in his writings and rebels against orthodoxy. His range of language and vocabulary is simply amazing. He has written extensively about the beauty of dawn. His collection of nazm/Ghazal and rubaaii about the beauty of dawn can be accessed both under the poet’s name and from the Theme Index, ‘jalva-e sahr’. This is one of several Ghazal ham-radeef Ghazal that josh wrote. It is linked to other Ghazal of the same radeef on the Refrain Index page.
1
uThaa saaGhar1 keh bedaari2 vabaal3-e hosh4 hai saaqi
zamaana5 teGh6 dar-dast7 o kafan8 bar-dosh9 hai saaqi 1.cup (of wine) 2.wakefulness, knowledge 3.curse 4.consciousness, awareness 5.times, era, world 6.sword 7.in hand 8.burial shroud 9.on the shoulder
The second misra suggests that the world stands sword in hand teGh bar-dast ready to kill and even provide a burial shroud kafan that it carries on its shoulder bar-dosh. Why this is so, is not clear but the poet wants to get away from this awareness and asks the saaqi (cupbearer) to raise/give a cup of wine because wakefulness bedaari has become a curse vabaal.
2
ter’e aazaad1 mashrab2 rozaa-KhwaaroN3 ki tamannaa4 meN,
hilaal5-e eid ek khultaa huaa aaGhosh6 hai saaqi 1.free 2.belief system 3.those who do not observe rozaa-opposite of rozaa-daar 4.yearning 5.crescent moon 6.embrace
The tavern’s free-spirited (aazaad mashrab) patrons are also rozaa-Khwaar i.e., they are not bound by narrow rituals of orthodoxy. For them the crescent moon hilaal-e eid appears like unfolding/blossoming into an embrace i.e., even if they are unorthodox, they are embraced by nature/divinity.
3
zamaanaa1 raqs2 meN hai baj rahi hai vaqt ki chhaagal3
chaman meN aaj vo gulbaaNg4-e noshaa-nosh5 hai saaqi 1.the times, world 2.dance 3.tambourine 4.ecstatic cry 5.one drink after another, heavy drinking
Time dances to the beat of its own tambourine chhaagal, while the garden resounds with gulbaaNg-e noshaa-nosh, a call for more drinking and revelry- a celebration of spring, liberalism and resistance to orthodoxy.
4
pasinaa aa gayaa hai Khuld1 meN huuroN2 ke maathe3 par
hasiinoN4 ki javaani aaj yuN gulposh5 hai saaqi 1.paradise 2.angels, nymphs 3.forehead, brow 4.beauties 5.adorned in flowers
The poet sees beauties in the prime of their youth adorned in flowers. He imagines nymphs/houris in heaven looking down in awe/jealousy and breaking out into a sweat.
5
agar1 ek buund2 Tapkaa3 duuN to lau4 dene lage duniyaa
mer’e saaGhar5 meN aisaa baada6-e sarjosh7 hai saaqi 1.if 2.drop 3.drip down 4.flame 5.cup 6.wine 7.the best part, cream of the cream
If a single drop drips down to the ground, it will set fire to the earth, such is the potency of the wine in my cup. This could be about his words in his verse.
6
zamiiN ke aabgiine1 ko kahiN Thokar2 na lag jaaye
ter’e rindoN3 ko masti4 meN bhi itnaa hosh5 hai saaqi 1.crystal, fragile 2.kick, blow 3.wine lovers 4.intoxication 5.awareness, senses, sobriety
The wine lovers – rind – are alert enough in their intoxication that they avoid kicking and shattering the earth’s fragile glass – aabgina. What does the fragile glass of the earth symbolize. Could it be the sensibilities/sensitivities of the deprived. It is up to us to fill in the gap.
7
uThaa le jaam1-e zar2 iss ko pilaa jaam1-e safaali3 meN
keh yeh kaunain4 kaa Thukraane5 vaalaa josh6 hai saaqi 1.cup 2.gold 3.clay 4.both worlds, here and hereafter 5.kick away, reject 6.pen-name
Take away this golden cup jaam-e zar; give him wine in one of clay jaam-e safaali, for this josh (the poet) rejects both worlds kaunain i.e., he rejects pomp and glory represented by the gold cup and doesn’t care much for rituals either.
josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is called shaa’er-e inqelaab, poet of change/revolution. He is very secular and nationalistic in his writings and rebels against orthodoxy. His range of language and vocabulary is simply amazing. He has written extensively about the beauty of dawn. His collection of nazm/Ghazal and rubaaii about the beauty of dawn can be accessed both under the poet’s name and from the Theme Index, ‘jalva-e sahr’. This is one of several Ghazal ham-radeef Ghazal that josh wrote. It is linked to other Ghazal of the same radeef on the Refrain Index page.
1
uThaa saaGhar1 keh bedaari2 vabaal3-e hosh4 hai saaqi
zamaana5 teGh6 dar-dast7 o kafan8 bar-dosh9 hai saaqi
1.cup (of wine) 2.wakefulness, knowledge 3.curse 4.consciousness, awareness 5.times, era, world 6.sword 7.in hand 8.burial shroud 9.on the shoulder
The second misra suggests that the world stands sword in hand teGh bar-dast ready to kill and even provide a burial shroud kafan that it carries on its shoulder bar-dosh. Why this is so, is not clear but the poet wants to get away from this awareness and asks the saaqi (cupbearer) to raise/give a cup of wine because wakefulness bedaari has become a curse vabaal.
2
ter’e aazaad1 mashrab2 rozaa-KhwaaroN3 ki tamannaa4 meN,
hilaal5-e eid ek khultaa huaa aaGhosh6 hai saaqi
1.free 2.belief system 3.those who do not observe rozaa-opposite of rozaa-daar 4.yearning 5.crescent moon 6.embrace
The tavern’s free-spirited (aazaad mashrab) patrons are also rozaa-Khwaar i.e., they are not bound by narrow rituals of orthodoxy. For them the crescent moon hilaal-e eid appears like unfolding/blossoming into an embrace i.e., even if they are unorthodox, they are embraced by nature/divinity.
3
zamaanaa1 raqs2 meN hai baj rahi hai vaqt ki chhaagal3
chaman meN aaj vo gulbaaNg4-e noshaa-nosh5 hai saaqi
1.the times, world 2.dance 3.tambourine 4.ecstatic cry 5.one drink after another, heavy drinking
Time dances to the beat of its own tambourine chhaagal, while the garden resounds with gulbaaNg-e noshaa-nosh, a call for more drinking and revelry- a celebration of spring, liberalism and resistance to orthodoxy.
4
pasinaa aa gayaa hai Khuld1 meN huuroN2 ke maathe3 par
hasiinoN4 ki javaani aaj yuN gulposh5 hai saaqi
1.paradise 2.angels, nymphs 3.forehead, brow 4.beauties 5.adorned in flowers
The poet sees beauties in the prime of their youth adorned in flowers. He imagines nymphs/houris in heaven looking down in awe/jealousy and breaking out into a sweat.
5
agar1 ek buund2 Tapkaa3 duuN to lau4 dene lage duniyaa
mer’e saaGhar5 meN aisaa baada6-e sarjosh7 hai saaqi
1.if 2.drop 3.drip down 4.flame 5.cup 6.wine 7.the best part, cream of the cream
If a single drop drips down to the ground, it will set fire to the earth, such is the potency of the wine in my cup. This could be about his words in his verse.
6
zamiiN ke aabgiine1 ko kahiN Thokar2 na lag jaaye
ter’e rindoN3 ko masti4 meN bhi itnaa hosh5 hai saaqi
1.crystal, fragile 2.kick, blow 3.wine lovers 4.intoxication 5.awareness, senses, sobriety
The wine lovers – rind – are alert enough in their intoxication that they avoid kicking and shattering the earth’s fragile glass – aabgina. What does the fragile glass of the earth symbolize. Could it be the sensibilities/sensitivities of the deprived. It is up to us to fill in the gap.
7
uThaa le jaam1-e zar2 iss ko pilaa jaam1-e safaali3 meN
keh yeh kaunain4 kaa Thukraane5 vaalaa josh6 hai saaqi
1.cup 2.gold 3.clay 4.both worlds, here and hereafter 5.kick away, reject 6.pen-name
Take away this golden cup jaam-e zar; give him wine in one of clay jaam-e safaali, for this josh (the poet) rejects both worlds kaunain i.e., he rejects pomp and glory represented by the gold cup and doesn’t care much for rituals either.
