Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. syed aashiq husain seemab akbarabadi (1880-1951) was a scholar of farsi and arabi in addition to urdu. A progressive poet of secular outlook who wrote nazm of socialist themes as well odes to krishn and buddh. He also did a poetic urdu translation of the whole qur’aan. His secular credentials are impeccable. He along with his contemporary hasrat mohani, participated in the freedom struggle and composed a collection of devotional poems to krishn, which was published as a book called ‘krishn geet’. This Ghazal is linked to ham-radeef Ghazal on the Refrain Index page.
1
teri aye chaaragar¹ hairat² baja³ maa’loom hoti hai
kahiiN sab ko mohabbat ki dava⁴ maa’loom hoti hai    1.healer 2.astonishment, puzzlement 3.appropriate, understandable 4.remedy
The poet/lover is on his death bed, sick of the pain of love. A healer has been called. He is puzzled – does not know what the disease is and does not know how to cure it. Hence, O healer, your astonishment is understandable – because not everyone knows the remedy of love.
2
taRap¹ jaata huN maiN, kaaNTa² ulajhta³ hai jo daaman⁴ se
mujhe is meN mohabbat ki ada⁵ maa’loom hoti hai    1.writhe in pain 2.thorn 3.snags 4.hem of the garment 5.style, gesture
In classical urdu poetry daaman pakaRna is symbolic of appealing and begging. The lover is often depicted as holding the hem of the garment of the beloved begging her to reciprocate his love. Of course, he is rejected and such episodes leave painful memories in his mind. Whenever a thorn snags his garment he is reminded of that and writhes in pain. The snagging of the hem of the garment appears to him to be a gesture of love, like his own.
3
ma’aal¹-e afriinish² hai lahad³ ki aaKhri manzil⁴
yahii to ibteda⁵ ki inteha⁶ maa’loom hoti hai    1.end, result 2.creation 3.grave 4.stage in the journey to the destination 5.beginning 6.end
manzil does not always mean destination. Sometimes it is used to mean a stage in the journey towards the destination. Thus, the result of being born on earth/being created, is the grave and it is the last stage of the journey to the destination. It is this that appears to be the end of the beginning. The implication is that life in this world is only the beginning. The grave is the ‘end of the beginning’. From there the journey to the spiritual world will continue. The final destination of creation is the grave. The end of all beginnings, it seems, is here. The poet speaks of life’s inevitable conclusion — death — as both the end and culmination of existence.
4
zamaana¹ aaj maanuus²-e bukaa³ hai dekhta huN maiN
Khudaa’ii⁴ aaj maayuus⁵-e vafaa⁶ maa’loom hoti hai     1.world 2.familiar, intimate 3.mourning 4.divinity 5.disappointed 6.fidelity, steadfastness of faith
The poet looks around and sees everyone (familiar with, habituated to) weeping. This implies that they are constantly doing this … perhaps even implying that they are ungrateful for the divine gifts they have been granted. Weeping/lamenting instead of exercising sabr and shukr. Because of this, divinity is disappointed in their faith … they are not steadfast enough, do not see that they are being put through a test, do not believe in the rewards of afterlife. Perhaps this is reading too much between the lines, but that is what I get.
5
maiN aye siimaab¹, tark²-e ishq par aamaada³ tha lekin
nigaah⁴-e husn⁵ phir himmat-faza⁶ maa’loom hoti hai     1.pen-name 2.giving up 3.willing, ready 4.glance 5.beauty, beloved 6.courage-inducing
O siimaab, I was ready to give up on love – but then a glance of the beloved once again filled me with courage i.e., the poet/lover is not quite ready to give up.