Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mirza asadullah KhaaN Ghalib (1797-1869). I dare not write any introduction. On more than one occasion Ghalib has warned his readers that he needs no introduction or even address. I humbly comply. I found this to be a particularly difficult Ghazal with abstruse and far-fetched similes, but rewarding if you take the time to work through it. Ghalib de-selected all except two ash’aar in the final version of his divaan. What is presented here is the original complete version in the original order. According to chronology in kalidas gupta raza’s compilation this was composed in 1816 when Ghalib was 19 years old!
1
shooKhi¹-e mizraab²-e jaulaaN³ aab-yaar⁴-e naGhma hai
barg-rez⁵-e naaKhun-e mutrib⁶ bahaar⁷-e naGhma hai     1.mischief 2.plectrum, finger pluck for stringed musical instruments 3.running, moving 4.watering, nurturing 5.scattering leaves 6.singer, musician 7.spring
The mischief of the running/moving finger pluck/plectrum/mizraab is the ‘waterer’ of song. The leaf-scattering of the fingernail of the musician is the spring time of music. Leaf scattering is also like the fall – pat-jhaR – which is followed by spring. Thus, pain (pat-jhaR or striking strings of the instrument) are a necessary part of creating joy (naGhma/Ghazal/spring).
2
kis se aye Ghaflat¹ tujhe ta’biir²-e aagaahi³ mile
gosh-haa⁴ siimaabii⁵ o dil be-qaraar⁶-e naGhma hai    1.heedlessness, uncaring 2.interpretation, explanation 3.awareness 4.ears 5.mercury-like, restless 6.eager, restless
This is addressed to the poet’s own Ghaflat, heedlessness which is personfied here. O, Ghaflat, how can you or who will explain/teach you the meaning of awareness. Your ears are restless (like a bubble of mercury) and your heart is all too eager and desirous of song/Ghazal. Is the poet addressing himself … you will always be forgetful/uncaring of the outside, material world because you are restless to compose and composing is its own reward for you.
3
saaz¹-e a’ish²-e be-dili³ hai Khaana-viiraanii⁴ mujhe
sa’iyl⁵ yaaN kuuk⁶-e sadaa⁷-e aabshaar⁸-e naGhma hai    1.making, building 2.comfort, pleasure 3.dejection, sorrow, losing heart 4.desolation of the heart 5.flood 6.call/note of the cuckoo 7.sound 8.waterfall
Most people would consider “Khaana viiraani – desolation of the heart” to be a disastor. But to the poet this is the making/formation of the pleasure of “be-dili”. This is because in the intensity of love he has lost his heart. Intensity of love of what? The beloved, god or of composing verse! The flood “sa’iyl” is concerning for most people. But ‘yaaN’ meaning ‘here’, for the poet, it is the cascading musical sound of the waterfall i.e. the sound of his Ghazal. He is prepared to go through the pain of Khaana-viiraani and/or sa’iyl to write.
4
suNbulii-KhwaaN¹ hai ba zauq²-e taar³-e gesu⁴-e daraaz⁵
naalah⁶-e zanjiir-e majnuN rishta-daar⁷-e naGhma hai     1.singer of raag suNbulii 2.taste, desire 3.dark 4.hair 5.long 6.wailing, crying 7.relation, relative
suNbulii is the name of a raagini and suNbulii-Khwaani is its singing. suNbul is also a fragrant plant which is often used as a metaphor for the beloved’s long hair. Thus, the cry/wail/painful sound of the chains of majnuN is ‘suNbulii-Khwaani’ i.e. singing the raagini suNbulii, because of the taste/desire for the long, dark hair of the beloved. That is why it has a relationship with song/naGhma.
5
shooKhi¹-e faryaad² se hai parda-e-zaNbuur³ gul
kisvat⁴-e iijaad⁵-e bulbul Khaar-Khaar⁶-e naGhma hai     1.mischief 2.complaint, protest 3.web of the wasp, latticed/perforated veil, musical note 4.dress 5.invention 6.thorns, thorny
It is because of the mischief of the complaining cry that the rose has become a ‘parda-e-zaNbuur’ i.e. its bosom (petal) has been rent in so many places that it looks like a perforated veil. The bulbul creates, with its cry/wail/sad sound a thorny (painful, sad) naGhma/song. It is the mischief of this cry that tears the heart of the rose and it becomes like a dress/latticed veil.
6
nashsha-haa¹ shaadaab-raNg² o saaz-haa³ mast-e tarab⁴
shiisha⁵-e mai⁶ sarv⁷-e sabz⁸-e juu-e-baar⁹-e naGhma¹⁰ hai     1.intoxications (pluralized) 2.verdant 3.musical notes 4.intoxicating song 5.cup 6.wine 7.cypress 8.green 9.rippling river 10.song, Ghazal
In urdu poetic convention the wine cup/bottle is likened to the graceful, tall and slender cypress. Intoxications are verdant and colourful and musical notes are intoxicating. The glass of wine is like the fresh green cypress by the bubbling river with its ripples and musical sounds. It is a beautiful overlay of the imagery of sounds, greenery, colour and intoxication.
7
ham-nashiiN¹ mat kah² ke barham³ kar na bazm⁴-e a’ish⁵-e dost⁶
vaaN to mere naale⁷ ko bhii etebaar⁸-e naGhma hai     1.friend 2.say 3.disrupt, confuse 4.gathering 5.pleasure 6.friend, beloved 7.wails, cries 8.trustworthy, respected
The poet/lover has been admonished by a friend to be quiet and not disrupt the party of the beloved with his wailing. The poet/lover responds – O, my friend, do not ask me not to disrupt/confuse the party of the beloved. There my wails carry the trust/esteem of song. In other words, the beloved is pleased to hear my wails (perhaps because they prove her grip over lovers).
8
Ghaflat¹ istedaad²-e zauq³ o mudduaa-Ghaafil⁴ asad⁵
paNba⁶-e gosh⁷-e hariifaaN⁸ puud-o-taar⁹-e naGhma hai     1.heedlessness, not caring 2.preparation, readiness 3.taste, skill 4.not caring for objective/reward 5.Ghalib’s earlier taKhallus/pen-name 6.wick, cotton ball 7.ears 8.rivals 9.warp and woof, basics of music
Heedlessness (not caring for reward) is a necessary preparation and skill for ‘zauq’ i.e. good taste, discriminating skill, O, asad, you are muddua-Ghaafil i.e. uncaring for end result/reward. For the ears of the rivals the the warp and woof of song/Ghazal is like a cotton ball stuck in the ears i.e. they cannot hear/appreciate it.