Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. raghupati sahay firaq gorakhpuri (1896-1982) pre-eminent urdu shaa’er, scholar of farsi and sanskrit. Was nominated to Indian Civil Service but chose to participate in the freedom movement. After independence he chose an academic career, teaching English at Allahabad University. firaq composed four Ghazal (already posted on urdushahkar) in the style of mir taqi mir and five in the style of Ghalib. He composed this Ghazal specially for a dedicated ‘Ghalib Number’, Feb 1969 issue of ‘aaj kal’, a monthly magazine. There are at least four others in the same style which will be posted soon.
1
ahl-e-eemaaN¹ ka saraasiima² o hairaaN³ hona
kufr⁴-e ushshaaq⁵ ka vo ruu-kash⁶-e eemaaN⁷ hona 1.people of faith, orthodoxy 2.worried, fearful 3.puzzled, confused 4.transgression, unorthodoxy 5.lovers 6.confront, criticize 7.orthodoxy, conventions
‘Lovers’ are symbolic of unorthodox people who reject conventions. They can also symbolize sufiyaana universalism. Thus, lovers and their unorthodox transgressions confront orthodoxy and this causes them to get worried and fearful.
2
sar-ba-sar¹ jism² ke imkaan³ meN hai jaaN⁴ hona
rag⁵-e hasti⁶ ko na aaya abhi larzaaN⁷ hona    1.head to head, complete, total 2.body 3.possibility 4.soul, divine 5.vein 6.life, existence 7.throbbing
It is entirely possible for the body to acquire a soul, become divine. But the problem is that jugular vein has not yet learnt throbbing. A throbbing vein is a sign of life, intensity and passion. If humans become passionate (about universal love) only then will they aquire a soul.
3
raaz¹-e sar-basta² hai sheeraaza³-e dil ki tarkeeb⁴
ba-yak⁵ andaaz⁶ use yakja⁷ o pareshaaN⁸ hona 1.secret 2.closed, hidden 3.book-binding, used for arranging/organizing (as arranging the pages of a book for binding) 4.trick, design 5.simultaneous 6.style, way, method 7.gathered, collected 8.scattered, disorganized
This is the hidden secret of the arrangement of the trick/design of the heart. It has to be simultaneously cool/collected and scattered/confused i.e. the heart has to deal with all emotions/situations simultaneously.
4
vo gunahgaar¹-e mohabbat huN maiN vaa’ez² ke mujhe
qibla³-e deeN⁴ to kabhi kaa’ba⁵-e eemaaN⁶ hona     1.sinner 2.preacher 3.direction pointer 4.faith 5.focus 6.faith
‘qibla’ is towards the kaa’ba. This is the direction in which muslims offer their prayers. The term ‘qibla’ is often used to mean direction. Similarly, “k’aaba” is used to mean focus/centre. I am that kind of sinner of (universal) love, O, vaa’ez, that I sometimes become the direction pointing towards (universalist) faith and at other times the centre of that faith. The implication is that the vaa’ez himself, with narrow minded orthodoxy, misleads.
5
baat ye hai ke maiN naashaad¹ bhi huN, shaad² bhi huN
uqda³-e ishq⁴ ko dushvaar⁵ na aasaaN⁶ hona     1.unhappy 2. happy 3.knot, puzzle, mystery 4.love 5.difficult 6.easy
The mystery of love is neither difficult nor easy (to solve). It is just that (because of love) I am sometimes happy and sometimes not.
6
hum to darmaaN¹ ko bhi dard bana lete haiN
yuN to aye dard mubarak² tujhe darmaaN hona    1.remedy, cure 2.felicitation
The ‘hum’ here are the lovers. True love values ‘dard’/pain even more than its cure because ‘dard’ is here to stay, while relief is temporary. Also ‘dard’ is a necessary part of love, therefore, to be treasured. Thus, if we are offered a remedy, we convert it to pain. Thus, felicitations to pain because it itself has become a remedy (of the sorrow of the lover).
7
dil-e sozaaN¹ shab²-e Gham paikar³-e be-Khabari⁴ hai
na shabistaaN⁵ na ise shama’-e shabistaaN hona 1.burning, passionate 2.night of 3.embodiment 4.trance 5.bed-chamber, refuge, haven
During the night of pain of separation, the passionate heart becomes the embodiment of trance – losing oneself (in the sufiyaana sense becoming one with the universal spirit). shanistaaN and shama’e shabistaaN are symbolic of refuge and pleasure. But this heart is totally absorbed in passion.
8
zarra¹ apna bhi hai Khurshid²-e qayaamat³ laikin
mujhe manzoor⁴ nahiN chaak⁵ garebaaN⁶ hona     1.grain (of dust), particle 2.sun 3.doomsday, intense 4.acceptable 5.torn 6.collar
The poet refers to himself as a grain of dust following the convention that humans are made of clay. Even this lowly grain of dust shines intensely like the sun (qayaamat also is used to mean intensity) with the passion of (universal) love. But I don’t want to go about like a mad passionate lover with a torn collar (which is more symbolic of a conventional, romantic lover).
9
kis tarah¹ ishq ki mushkil koii aasaan kare
jis ke aasaaN ko bhi aaya nahiN aasaaN hona 1.means, method
The task of (universal) love is not an easy task even at its easiest level. How can anyone make it easy. This is a direct line from Ghalib’s ‘baske dushvaar hai har kaam ka aasaaN hona’.
10
dahr¹ meN jaa ke kahaaN kiijiye insaaN ki talaash²
aadmi ko bhi to aaya nahiN insaaN hona     1.world 2.seach
Where can I go in this world to look for a human with human qualities. ‘Man’ has not yet learned how to be human. This of course is a direct derivative of Ghalib’s ‘aadmi ko bhi mayassar nahiN insaaN hona’.
11
naz’a¹ meN daad²-e vafa³ mil gayii biimaaroN ko
sar-ba-sar⁴ husn⁵ ka taaKheer⁶ pashemaaN⁷ hona    1.last breath, moment of death 2.praise 3.fidelity 4.head to head, entirely 5.beauty, beloved 6.delay, finally, at last 7.regret, repentence
‘biimaar’ is used here to mean love-sick lovers. It is customary that visiting a dying person is essential. The beloved has finally arrived at the moment of death. Lovers have finally received recognition for their fidelity. This “finality” is entirely because of delayed penitence of the beloved. This is an echo of Ghalib’s she’r …
kii mere qatl ke baa’d us ne jafaa se taubah
haa’e us zuud-pashemaaN ka pashemaaN honaa
12
tujhe dekha bhi to is tarah ke dekha bhi nahiN
tera sar-ta-ba-qadam¹ ishva²-e pinhaaN³ hona      1.head to toe, embodiment 2.teasing, coquetry 3.hidden
We get only short glimpses of you, as if we have never really seen you. You are hidden mischief personified from head to toe. Thus, the beloved plays coquettish hide and seek with lovers. In much the same way, god appears in fleeting manifestations.
13
kitni be-laag¹ lagaavat² nigah-e-naaz³ ki thi
yuN mili jaise use dard na darmaaN⁴ hona    1.uninterested, casual 2.attraction, love 3.coquettish/loving glance 4.cure, remedy
The beloved cast a coquettish glance at him which appeared totally casual, fleeting as if it did not want to have anything to do with either inducing the pain of love in the poet/lover or of healing it.
14
juNg aur zulm¹ ko duniya meN kiya na-mumkin²
aadmi seekh gaya aaj se insaaN hona   1.oppression 2.impossible
This can be interpreted either as a sarcastic or a conditional statement. Conditional , if we can banish war and oppression … or sarcastically we have banished war and oppression … from today, man has learnt to become human.
15
daftar¹-e raaz²-e mohabbat tha malaal³-e dil par
vo sukoot⁴-e nigah-e-naaz⁵ ka pursaaN⁶ hona    1.accounting, listing, book 2.secret, reason 3.sorrow 4.silence, stillness 5.beloved’s glance 6.inquiring after, asking about (health and well-being)
The beloved has cast a silent glance at the poet/lover as if asking about his well-being. He is elated. Such glances write the list of reasons why he loves her. The list gets written on the sorrowful heart.
16
meri sau baat meN ek baat ka ban-na bhi mahaal¹
us ki har baat meN sau baat ka imkaaN² hona     1.difficult 2.possibility
When the beloved talks, there are a hundred possible interpretations in what she says/means. Thus, her promise to reciprocate his love cannot be believed. If he tells her a hundred things (makes a hundred requests) even one of them being fulfilled is difficult. The meaning can also be stretched to apply to orthodoxy … they speak in twisted language which can mean anything and is undependable.
17
yaaN suKhan-saaz¹ bhi ho jaate haiN aksar² aajiz³
log aasaan samajhte haiN suKhan-daaN⁴ hona    1.crafters of verse, poets 2.often 3.tired, weak, defeated
Here even poets often are defeated. People think it is easy to compose verse.
18
bazm¹-e rindaaN² meN mujhe hazrat-e vaa’ez³ bhi mile
baavar⁴ aaya mujhe hazrat ka bhi insaaN hona     1.gathering, group 2.revelers, wine enjoyers 3.preacher 4.understood, revealed
I met/saw the preacher among the revelers/wine drinkers (at the tavern). It dawned on me that after all this great person might also be human.
19
rashk¹-e sad² lutf³ o karam⁴ hai ye naya raNg⁵-e sitam⁶
kuchh hamiiN jaan sake tera pashemaaN⁷ hona     1.envy 2.hundred 3.favours 4.kindnesses 5.style 6.cruelty 7.regret, repentence
The beloved is showing repentence that she has neglected/been cruel to the poet/lover. But he can understand/know that this all a show, that it is a new style of oppression. This style of oppression is the envy of a thousand favours and kindnesses i.e. her penitence is such a successful disguise that even Favour and Kindness are envious of it.
20
aur hai shaan¹ meri vaadi²-e vahshat³ ka firaq⁴
ise zindaaN⁵ na biyaabaaN⁶ na gulistaaN hona    1.dignity 2.valley 3.trance, madness 4.pen-name of poet, also means separtation (from the beloved)
The poet/lover is mad/passionate and in a trance with the intensity of (universal) love. He is separated from the beloved (or god) and is wandering in the valley of firaq/separation. The dignity of this valley is something else … it does not want to be anything like a prison/confinement or wilderness or garden i.e. his pain of separation is different from conventional pain/pleasure.