Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mirza taqi beg maa’el dehlavi (1850-1931) has a large corpus with quite a few of his Ghazal composed in the style of Ghalib. He started composing at the age of 14 and it is reported that he met with Ghalib several times but did not seek or receive any tutoring. Perhaps he considered that presumptuous because he was too young and Ghalib was in his final years. He moved to jaipur in 1875 and lived there until his passing. His work, scattered among many friends was collected and published as his ‘kulliyaat’ – complete works – in three volumes, under the sponsorship of the rajasthan sahitya academy. This Ghazal is linked to other ham-radeef Ghazaliyaat on the Refrain Index page.
1
jahaaN¹ meN voh karega inqelaab² aahista aahista
keh hai gardish³ meN chashm⁴-e niim-Khwaab⁵ aahista aahista    1.world 2.change 3.movement 4.eye 5.half-asleep, dreamy
Who is voh in the first misra. It is the chashm-e niim Khwaab in the second misra. The dreamy eye (of the beloved) is going to turn this world upside down because it is moving and searching for prey. Unfortunately, this is not a progressive inqelaab but the same old lover-beloved story.
2
chaman par chhaa raha hai jo sahaab¹ aahista aahista
na piita ho koii gul-ruu² sharaab aahista aahista     1.cloud 2.rose-faced
Spring clouds are the harbinger of rejuvenation, celebration and of love and merriment (including wine drinking). In the first misra the word jo implies a speculation of the reason why … the reason why a cloud is slowly spreading over the garden is that perhaps some rose-cheeked one is drinking wine slowly.
3
piyuN kyuNkar¹ na aye saaqi sharaab aahista aahista
keh aata hai voh sar-mast²-e shabaab³ aahista aahista     1.why not 2.stone drunk 3.youth
The beloved is described not just as mast-e shabaab but as sar-mast-e shabaab stone drunk in confidence about the beauty of her youth. She is coming or maybe just walking by slowly and gracefuly. Why should I not similarly slowly sip wine, O saaqi.
4
khuleN-ge¹ jauhar²-e husn³ o shabaab⁴ aahista aahista
uThega parda⁵-e sharm⁶ o hijaab⁷ aahista aahista    1.will be revealed 2.qualities 3.beauty 4.youth 5.veil, curtain 6.shyness, coyness 7.hiding
Perhaps the poet/lover is consoling himself, asking himself to be a little more patient. The qualities of the beauty of the beloved’s youth will be revealed gradually. The curtain of shyness and desire to hide will be lifted slowly.
5
tarashshuh¹ abr-e-rahmat² ki rahay kyuNkar³ na turbat⁴ par
piya kartay thay ham aksar⁵ sharaab aahista aahista    1.drizzle 2.benevolent cloud 3.why not 4.grave 5.often
Why should there not be a constant light drizzle on my grave, after all I used to often drink wine slowly. Thus, the association of wine drinking and spring rains continues after death.
6
Khuda-jaan’e¹ salaah²-e qatl³ kis ki hai keh dushman⁴ se
voh baateN kar rah’e haiN pur-itaab⁵ aahista aahista    1.god knows 2.advice, suggestion 3.killing 4.rival 5.full of anger
The beloved is whispering with the rival. Even though it is a conspiratorial whisper, it is evident that she is full of anger. The poet/lover speculates – god knows whose suggestion it is to kill – the poet does not say who the victim might be, but it is implied that he expects to be killed.
7
sabaat¹ itna bhi duniya ko kahaaN milta na aata gar²
koii sarmaaya³-e husn⁴ o shabaab⁵ aahista aahista    1.stability, permanence 2.if 3.treasure 4.beauty 5.youth
The poet characterizes the beloved as sarmaaya-e husn o shabaab the treasure of beauty and youth. If this sarmaaya had not come aahista aahista then there would not have been any stability in the world. I thought that the convention was that the beloved caused instability and tumult. Here he says that the arrival of the beloved gives stability to the world.
8
yeh haalat¹ thi shab²-e Gham³ meN keh utne zor⁴ se barsi⁵
kaha jitna keh aye chashm⁶-e pur-aab⁷ aahista aahista     1.condition 2.night of 3.sorrow (of separation) 4.intensity 5.fell as in rainfall 6.eye 7.watery, teary
Such was the condition during the night of separation, as much as I asked the teary eyes to go slow, the shed tears with even more intensity.
9
nigaaheN¹ be-mahaaba² paR rahiiN haiN dast³ o baazu⁴ par
na Khanjar⁵ pher⁶, rashk-e-aaftaab⁷ aahista aahista    1.eyes 2.unhesitating, fearless 3.hands 4.arms 5.knife 6.turn back 7.envy of the sun, beloved
The beloved is rashk-e aaftaab because of her brilliance. She has rolled up her sleeves and is getting ready to cut the throat of the lover. He can see her arms like he has never been able to see before. Perhaps he senses a possibility that the beloved is changing her mind and is turning the knife away. He begs her not to do that, because this way he can fearlessly look at her arms. There can be more gory scenarios like the sharp vs dull edge of the knife. Let us not go there.
10
mila karta hai rutba¹ rafta-rafta² Khaak³ hi ho kar
khula⁴ karti hai shaan⁵-e buu-turaab⁶ aahista aahista    1.status, respect 2.slowly 3.dust 4.opens up-gets revealed, is understood 5.glory 6.a name of ali ibn-e abu taalib
The poet seems to be a devotee of ali, just like Ghalib himself. Khaak ho kar can mean after death and disintegration into dust. Thus, a respectable status is achieved slowly, perhaps after being reduced to dust. Only after death will we be able to understand the glory of ali. Perhaps it is implied that only on the day of judgment will it be understood.