Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit brij mohan dattatreya kaifi (1866-1955) was recognized as a scholar of arabi, faarsi, sanskrit and urdu. He was a great lover of urdu and wrote a short history of the evolution of the language. He wrote with much poignancy about communal harmony that existed before the souring of relationships. This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s “Ghalib sariir-e Khaama navaa-e sarosh hai”. In addition, kaifi’s tribute to Ghalib is also worth visiting (https://urdushahkar.org/mirza-ghalib-brij-mohan-kaifi/).
1
jis ko Khabar¹ nahiN use josh-o-Kharosh² hai
jo paa gayaa vo raaz³, vo gum⁴ hai Khamosh hai     1.awareness, knowledge 2.boisterous and noisy 3.secret 4.lost (in thought)
He who does not know is disruptive, boisterous and loud. It could also mean he who does not know, loudly demands to know/see. He who knows/understands the secret (of vahdat-ul-vujood, universal love, one-ness of god and the cosmos), remains deep in thought and quiet (he cannot describe it, each one has to discover the secret on their own).
2
hai ek shor¹-e bulbul o saut²-e shagufta-gul³
ye suur⁴-e aafiyat⁵ hai vo yaasiin⁶-e hosh⁷ hai     1.sound, song 2.sound, chiTakna – gentle sound with the petal unfurls 3.blossoming rose 4.horn, bugle, announcement 5.well being 6.chapter in qur’aan 7.awareness, knowledge (spiritual)
In urdu poetic tradition the bulbul and the rose are symbols of love. The bulbul sings songs of love and the rose blossoms and spreads fragrance for it. ‘yaasiin’ the chapter of the qur’aan is generally considered to be the heart/essence of the qur’aanic message. The song/love of the bulbul and the rose is the same (that of universal love). It is the trumpet of happiness and the essence of spiritual awareness.
3
aaii thi shakl¹ dil ke jo aaiine meN nazar²
band aaNkh us se aur zabaaN bhi Khamosh hai    1.face, image, vision 2.see
The face that he had seen in the mirror of his heart – the mirror of the heart is usually the conscience and the poet/devotee probably is talking about a divine image. He is in such awe of this that he cannot open his eyes to see the material world nor he can he talk about/describe this vision. Of course, the image/vision can also be the beloved, a vision of the future or a conception of verse.
4
ye haal¹ ho ke aap² meN aalam³ ko dekh le
gar⁴ dil meN tere ishq ki kasrat⁵ ka josh⁶ hai     1.condition 2.used here to mean-‘self’ as in apne aap meN 3.world, cosmos 4.if 5.plentitude, abundance 6.fervour, passion
If you have an abundance of passion of (universal) love in your heart then your state/condition will be such that you will be able to see the whole cosmos in yourselves i.e. you will the whole in the part. This reminds me of Ghalib’s … ishrat-e qatra hai darya meN fana ho jaana or …
qatre meN dajla dikhaai na de aur juzv meN kul
khel laRkoN ka hua diida-e biina na hua
5
kab hai kamaal¹-e ishq pe haavi² Gham-e firaaq³
ek ek zarra⁴ qais⁵ ko mahmil⁶ ba-dosh⁷ hai     1.perfection 2.triumphant 3.separation (from the beloved) 4.particle, grain (of sand) 5.another name of majnun 6.palanquin/howda for camel 7.on its back
qais/majnuN wanders the desert looking for laila who rides in a camel howda/mahmil, behind a curtain. But his love is perfect/spiritual and cannot be overcome by the pain of separation. The intensity of his love enables him to see a ‘mahmil’ on the back of every grain of sand.
6
vaarafta¹-e havaa²-e tarab³ yaad rakh ise
jo dard ki khaTak⁴ hai naveed⁵-e sarosh⁶ hai     1.enamoured of, wandering in search of 2.used here to mean ambience, atomosphere 3.pleasure, luxury 4.prick – as in pin prick, knock (at the door) 5.good news, tidings 6.angel
You, who are enamoured of a life of comfort and luxury, know that the pain/sorrow knocking at your door is good tidings that the angel brings. This could either mean – this is your chance to help those in pain/need or that pain itself is to be valued highly and embraced, comfort/luxury is not.
7
barq¹-e jamaal² naafi³-e maa-o-shumaa⁴ hui
kya zikr⁵-e sham’a⁶-e tuur⁷ keh vo bhi Khamosh hai     1.lightning flash 2.glory 3.denier, negation 4.I and you 5.mention, talk of 6.lamp, light 7.mount tuur, Sinai peak
This refers to the story of Moses going up on mount tuur asking/insisting to see god. He sees/experiences a flash of lightning and faints. The mountain itself is reduced to ashes. Here the poet suggests that that divinity refused to manifest itself because it wanted to deny that there was any difference between ‘me and you’-‘creator and created’. The poet seems to suggest – why go to the mountain to ask to see god. god is within you. There is no difference between the creator and created. Even the flash of lightning on mount tuur is now extinguished.
8
kya hai tera huduus¹-o-qidam² ham to haiN vahaaN
hasti³ jahaaN adam⁴ ke liye Khwaab-nosh⁵ hai     1.bringing into existence, creating 2.arrival 3.life, existence 4.non-existence 5.drunk on dreams, yearning for
Why talk about creation and arrival into the material world, when we are a place where, our life yearns for non-existence i.e. union with the great spirit.
9
ushshaaq¹ jaama² pahne haiN taslim³-e ishq⁴ ka
dastaar⁵-o-jubba⁶ shaiKh ka haaN pardaa-posh⁷ hai     1.lovers 2.garments 3.acceptance 4.love 5.cap, turban 6.robes 7.hiding behind a veil
True lovers don’t have to wear garments of acceptance of love to show their sincerity. If they do, it is like the shaiKh/preacher in robes and turban as if he is hiding his real intent behind a veil i.e. there is much hypocrisy in the display of sanctity.
10
tere jahaaN¹ se mahfil²-e rindaaN³ judaa⁴ hai shaiKh
har ek muGhbacha⁵ yahaaN kausar⁶-farosh⁷ hai     1.world 2.gathering 3.revelers, patrons of the tavern 4.different 5.apprentice wine-maker 6.river in heaven flowing with wine 7.selling, offering
O, shaiKh, the gathering of revelers in a tavern is very different from your world. Every wine maker here offers divine wine of heaven to every one (as opposed to your world, which is exclusive). This reminds me jigar muradabadi-
ye hai maikada yahaaN rind haiN, yahaaN sab ka saaqi imaam hai
ye haram nahiN hai aye shaiKh jee, yahaaN paarsaaii haraam hai
11
saaqi ki ek nazar¹ hi hameN mast kar gaii
kis ko suraahi-o-Khum-o-saaGhar² ka hosh³ hai     1.glance 2.pot-barrel-flask-cup-goblet (of wine) 3.awareness, thoughts
One glance of the saaqi was enough to inebriate us. Who is thinking of flasks and cups of wine.
12
amrit¹ ke jhaale² murkiyaaN³ laa-taqnatuu⁴ ki haiN
is bazm⁵ meN ye mashGhala⁶-e naao-nosh⁷ hai   1.nectar, immortality 2.shower 3.musical notes, verse, ash’aar 4.do not lose hope 5.gathering 6.past-time, celebration 7.eating and drinking
Here probably the “is bazm” – this gathering, refers to the musaa’era. The expression “laa-tuqnatuu” is a fragement of a qur’aanic verse which says do not lose hope in god’s benevolence. Thus, in this mushaa’era, the musical notes or ash’aar are like a shower of life-giving nectar, giving us hope in the generosity of god. Such is the celebration of this gathering.
13
kaifi¹ ye ahl²-e dahr³ se kah⁴ do pukaar⁵ kar
is bazm⁶ meN vo aaye keh jo sarfarosh⁷ hai     1.pen-name of the poet 2.people of 3.world 4.say, proclaim 5.loudly 6.gathering 7.willing to offer their head/lay down their lives
O, kaifi, proclaim loudly to the people of the world that only those who are willing to lay down their lives are welcome in this gathering.