Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. munshi raghunath siNgh haajir dehlavi (1884-1922). Both father and grandfather were poets and scholars of urdu and faarsi. He started composing at the age of 13-14. His father died in 1906 and he moved to bhopal for work and returned to dehli in 1910 to re-start his family practice, establishing a clinic named ‘daar-ul-shifa’. He died in 1922 before he could publish his diivaan, but his son collected his papers and published it. His brother, kaviraj raghunandan singh saahir wrote the preface. In addition to his diivan, there is a collection of his Ghazal called, ‘Ghalib aur haajir’, all composed in the zamin of Ghalib. This Ghazal, composed in the zamin of ‘saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN’, is particularly long – about 60 ash’aar. They are posted in 6 segments for easy reading and listening and linked to that category under the icon ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’, on the Theme page.
1
chehray ka raNg surKh¹ hua hai itaab² meN
aaya hai inqelaab³ jahaan⁴-e shabaab⁵ meN    1.red 2.angry 3.revolution 4.world of 5.youth
The beloved is angry and her face is red. It feels like there is going to be revolutionary change in the world; that it is going to turn upside down.
2
laakhoN hi naam uss ne likhay haiN kitaab meN
aye dil teri vafa¹ hai vahaaN kis hisaab² meN    1.fidelity, true to promise 2.reckoning, count
Here the ‘uss’ refers to the beloved. She has thousand of names (of lovers/admirers) in her book. O heart, why do you think that your fidelity counts.
3
afsos¹ ab tak aap ne vaapas nahiN kya
dil aap ko diya tha kabhi izteraab² meN     1.alas 2.agitation
Alas, you have not yet returned the heart that I had given to you in my agitation.
4
ho jaatay haiN voh aur bhi aamaada¹-e sitam²
karta huN unn se arz³ jab ulfat⁴ kay baab⁵ meN    1.inclined to, prepared for 2.cruelty 3.request, petition 4.love 5.theme
She becomes even more inclined towards anger/cruelty whenever I make any petitions/requests related to (in the theme of) love.
5
tum ne hamaaray peechay pilaa’ii hai kya usay
buu-e raqeeb¹ aati hai jaam²-e sharaab meN    1.rival 2.cup
The lover is notoriously jealous, always looking for clues of the beloved’s infidelity. She serves his some wine in a cup and he smells the rivals breath on the cup and protests … have you served him wine behind my back.
6
aisa nah ho keh phooT¹ paRe aek dam² kahiiN
darya ka josh³ hai meri chashm⁴-e pur-aab⁵ meN    1.burst 2.in a minute, suddenly 3.passion, boil 4.eye 5.full of water, tearful
The lover is passionate/agitated/on a boil. He is fearful that his tearful eye may burst at any moment and let out a flood of tears. His eyes have the passion/agitation of a sea.
7
ab tak kasak¹ se uss ki haiN bechain² jaan o dil
jo dard uss ne ham ko diya tha shabaab³ meN    1.pangs of pain 2.restless 3.youth
The beloved had been cruel/unjust/ to the lover in his youth. He still is restless because of the pangs of pain from that time.
8
dekha jo ek nigaah¹ to dil Khaak² ho gaya
taasiir³-e barq⁴ hai teri chashm⁵-e itaab⁶ meN    1.glance 2.ashes 3.effect 4.lightning 5.eye 6.anger
The beloved gave him one glance of anger which was enough to reduce his heart to ashes. He says – your look of anger has the same effect as a lightning strike.
9
deti hai sab ko bazm¹ meN yaksaaN² payaam³-e ishq
kya shooKhiyaaN⁴ haiN is nig’h⁵-e be-hijaab⁶ meN    1.gathering 2.same 3.message 4.playfulness, mischief 5.glance 6.unveiled, bold, shameless
There is a gathering with the beloved at the centre and many admirers all around her. Her bold/mischievous eyes give the same message of love to everyone. She keeps them all hanging in the hope that she will reciprocate their love, but in reality she is just playing them all.