Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. buddh prakash gupta jauhar deobandi (1912-xxxx), saharanpur, UP. Family background of agriculture, grain dealership and money lending. Finished high school locally, probably in urdu. There was a strong tradition of monthly mushaa’era in sahaaranpur. Participated in the audience and later as a shaa’er. Continued family business and kept working on urdu. Granted an honorary PhD by aligaRh university, on his work related to non-muslim shu’ara. This Ghazal is linked to Ghalib’s ‘shooKhi-e tahriir ka’ under Ghalib naqsh-e qadam, on the Theme page.
1
maah-e-kaamil¹ aek partau² hai teri tanviir³ ka
husn⁴-e yousuf⁵ aek Khaaka⁶ hai teri tasviir ka    1.complete/full moon 2.reflection 3.brilliance, glory 4.beauty 5.Joseph 6.outline, sketch
The full moon is but a faint reflection of your glory. The legendary beauty of yousuf is nothing but an outline/stetch of your picture. Joseph/yousuf is reputed to have been an extremely good looking man and is used often as a symbol of the epitome of beauty. This she’r could apply both to the romantic and divine beloved.
2
kyuN nah ho aalam¹ meN shohrah² phir meri taqdiir³ ka
jab keh diivaana huN taeray husn⁴-e aalamgiir⁵ ka    1.world 2.fame 3.fate 4.beauty 5.world conquering
The beloved’s beauty is described as ‘world conquering’. Because the poet/lover is madly/passionately in love with this beauty he has acquired a reputation. Why should my fame not spread all over the world, he proudly asks.
3
yak-qalam¹ rahmat² badal³ degi malaa’ek⁴ ka likha
hashr⁵ meN daftar⁶ khulega jab meri taqsiir⁷ ka    1.in one moment 2.kindness, benevolence 3.change 4.angels 5.doomsday, day of judgement 6.accounting, list 7.sins, transgressions
It is believed that there are two angels who sit one of each shoulder of every person and they write down an account of all the good and bad that every person does. This account is presented on judgement day. The poet believes that the benevolence of the divine will change these accounts in one stroke and that he will be forgiven. It is implied that this will happen because he sincerely begs forgiveness.
4
aur kab tak zulm¹ hoNge meray jism²-e zaar³ par
miT chuka hai zarra-zarra⁴ tak to is taamiir⁵ ka    1.cruelty, torture 2.body 3.weak, sorrowful, pained 4.every particle 5.make, build
How much longer will my weak body be tortured. Every particle of clay that went into building this frail body has already been erased. The poet uses the legend that humans were made of clay and water and expresses his desire to leave this material existence.
5
jab m’auzin¹ nay azaaN² di vasl³ ki shab⁴ sub’h-dam⁵
halaq⁶-e murGh⁷-e dil peh Khanjar phir gaya takbiir⁸ ka     1.one who gives the call for namaaz 2.the call for namaaz 3.union 4.night 5.at the time of dawn 6.throat 7.bird 8.the first sounds/phrase in the azaan … allaahu akbar
The poet/lover has magically managed a get-together with the beloved. They have spent all night together and the poet is fearful that she will depart at the crack of dawn. He wishes that the night would never end, and suddenly he hears the m’auzin give the call … allaahu akbar. It is as if a knife has been run across the throat of the bird that is his heart.
6
baKhsh¹ di hai zindagi mujh ko nigaah²-e naaz³ ne
taa⁴ qayaamat⁵ dam-bharayga⁶ dil tumhaaray tiir ka 1.granted 2.glance 3.coquetry 4.until 5.doomsday 6.trust, swear by, draw power from
The coquettish glance of the beloved shoots arrows through the heart of the lover and he dies. Here the poet claims that this arrow has granted him (eternal) life. Until doomsday now his heart (which has been pierced by the arrow) will sing praises of and draw life from your arrow.
7
beRiyaaN¹ mannat² ki pahni haiN laRakpan meN bahut
hai azal³ say shauq⁴ paauN ko meray zanjiir⁵ ka    1.shackles 2.prayer often accompanied with penance 3.beginning 4.desire, wish 5.chain
This is probably about a ritual when prayers are offered along with symbolic shackles on feet to represent penance. It appears that the poet in childhood/boyhood went through this ritual many times and that gave hime the taste/desire for chains from the beginning. This second set of chains are those that the beloved would put around him.
8
zinda-e-jaaved¹ ho jaata hai piitay hi bashar²
yeh to hai aab-e-baqa³ paani teri shamshiir⁴ ka    1.living forever, immortal 2.man 3.water/nectar of life/immortality 4.sword
‘shamshiir ka paani’ is probably water used to wet the sword as it is sharpened. The beloved does this and cuts the throat of the poet/lover. This ‘shamshiir ka paani’ is the nectar of immortality for him. After this he becomes immortal.
9
apni barbaadi¹ ka baais² maiN unheN kyuNkar³ kahooN
yeh to tha likkha hua jauhar⁴ meri taqdiir⁵ ka    1.destruction, annihilation 2.basis, reason 3.how, why 4.pen-name of the poet 5.fate
In the first misra ‘unheN’ refers to the beloved. One poetic convention is to blame the beloved for all the suffering and madness that the poet/lover goes through. Here the poet says, how can I call her the reason for my suffering. O jauhar, it was written in my fate.