Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. jagan nath aazaad (1918-2004), born in miyaaNvaali (now in pakistan) was the son of another great poet, tilok chand mahroom. He has written with much passion about hindu-muslim and India-pakistan accord. He also composed tributes and several Ghazal in the style of Ghalib. He lived in lahore for a few months after partition before migrating to India. This Ghazal is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
zindagi hai tamaam¹ soz-o-gudaaz²
aye Gham³-e dost⁴ teri umr-daraaz⁵     1.all, entire 2.fire and melting, intense passion 3.sorrow, pain (of love) 4.friend, beloved 5.long-life, may you live long
Life is entirely pain and passion; O pain of sorrow of the indifference of the beloved, may you live long. soz o gudaaz (burning and melting) symbolize inner emotional turmoil, intense longing, and poetic suffering. The poet offers a blessing, ironically or sincerely, on the sorrow itself, acknowledging that it has become a defining, even cherished, companion in life.
2
dard-mandi¹ kaa daur² Khatm huaa
miT³ chal’e dahr⁴ se rusuum⁵-e niyaaz⁶         1.compassion 2.age, time 3.erased, vanished 4.world 5.customs, traditions 6.reverence, devotion
The age of compassion has ended; all customs of care and reverence have vanished from the world. A lament on the loss of gentleness and heartfelt connection in modern times.
3
ishq aur ishq ki haqiiqat¹ ko
Khaak² samjhe ye ‘aql-e sho’badaa-baaz³        1.reality, truth 2.an expression meaning – useless, how can this be 3.trickster
How can a trickster/intellect understand the reality of love and the truth of love? Here
‘aql-e shubdaabaaz, the rational mind that performs tricks or illusions (akin to a charlatan or magician). The poet contrasts divine, transcendental love (ishq) with calculating intellect, suggesting that true love defies logical explanation and must be felt, not reasoned.
4
aye nasheman mujhe fareb na de
jaa chuki ab to hasrat-e parvaaz    1.nest, home 2.deception 3.longing 4.flight
O (dreams of) home/nest, don’t deceive me anymore; don’t give me false hope; the longing to fly has already left me. The will to rise above confines of life has faded, expressing emotional resignation or spiritual fatigue.
5
haa’e¹ kyaa shai² hai misra’³-e Ghaalib
maiN huN apni shikast⁴ ki aavaaz    1.exclamation-ah 2.thing 3.one line of a sh’er 4.breaking, defeat
The second misra in this sh’er is borrowed directly from Ghalib. It is a plaintive declaration of defeat – I am the sound/open declaration of my own defeat/destruction. This misra has touched jagan naath aazaad to the core. The poet identifies with the beauty and melancholy in Ghalib’s verse and sees himself as the embodiment of loss or existential defeat. Ah, what a thing is this line by Ghalib – I am the very voice/sound of my own defeat.
6
dasht¹ meN aa ke ab ye aalam² hai
apnaa ghar hai maqaam³-e duur-o-daraaz⁴    1.wilderness 2.condition, state 3.place 4.far and distant
This could be a reflection of the theme of an archetypical lover like majnuN wandering the desert and considering it his new home. Thus, ever since I’ve come into the wilderness, my condition is such that home lies in distant, far-off lands. This could mean that he has distanced himself from home or that he misses it. This she’r could also be personal. The poet did not want to leave his home-lahore and continued to live in pakistan for several months after partition/independence, before deciding to migrate to India. He considers his new life as one in the wilderness; in exile; missing his home.