Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit amarnath sahir dehlavi (1863-1962) was deeply affected by the cultural degeneration following the 1857 war. He turned to themes of mysticism in his poetry. He was a scholar of sanskrit, arabi and faarsi. This is combined Ghazal from two different sources, with some duplication in a couple of ash’aar styled after Ghalib’s ‘aisa kahaaN se laauN keh tujh sa kaheN jise’.
1
rusvaa¹-e ishq hai tera shaidaa² kaheN jise
ushshaaq³ meN misaal⁴ hai rusvaa¹ kaheN jise   1.disgraced, dishonored 2.admirer 3.suitors, lovers 4.example
The shaa’er is talking about himself and the she’r can be interpreted at the conventional and mystical levels. Conventionally, the poet/suitor who is known as an admirer of the beloved has been rejected by her. Among fellow suitors he is used as an example of a disgraced suitor. At the mystical level, the shaa’er is a devotee of god. He has not been able to meet the high standards of divine devotion and considers himself a failure and is disgraced. He is pointed to as an example of incomplete/insincere devotion.
2
madd-e-nazar¹ hai naqsh²-e savaida³ kaheN jise
ek be-Khudi⁴ hai zauq⁵-e tamaasha⁶ kaheN jise 1.before the eyes, focus of attention 2.picture, image 3.black spot in the heart (see notes) 4.trance 5.taste, desire 6.sighting, looking at
The shaa’er/devotee has such a strong desire to see the beloved/god that he is in a trance – forgotten everything else. The focus of his attention is the black spot of the heart i.e. intensity of devotion – in urdu poetic tradition it is considered that there is a dark spot in the heart that is symbolic of pain/love/devotion.
3
ahl-e-nazar¹ haiN mahv²-e tamaasha³-e ruu⁴-e yaar⁵
hai parda-daar husn⁶-e Khud-aaraa⁷ kaheN jise    1.people of discriminating sight, those who can see 2.engrossed in 3.display, manifestation 4.face, reflection 5.friend, beloved, god 6.beauty 7.self-beautifying
god is its own creator, creator of its own beauty, he it is ‘husn-e Khud-aaraa’. But the beauty/glory/face of god is reflected in all creation. Those who can see are engrossed in looking at this reflection, while god itself is hidden/veiled.
4
hai manzil¹-e fana² meN mera hamsafar³ vo daaGh⁴
raushan⁵ charaaGh-e guNbad-e-miina⁶ kaheN jise    1.destination 2.annihilation, non-existence, merger with god 3.fellow seeker 4.wound, scar (of love) 5.bright 6.azure dome, sky
The goal/destination of the shaa’er/sufi is annihilation of the self and its merger with the great spirit. He has a wound in his heart because of the intensity of his desire and that scar is his friend in the journey of life, constantly with him. It is as bright as the lamp of the azure sky i.e. the sun.
5
seena chaman hai Ghuncha¹-e dil hai shagufta-gul²
teri nigaah³ hai chaman-aara⁴ kaheN jise     1.unopened bud 2.rose in full bloom 3.glance 4.arranging/beautifying the garden
It is god’s glance that creates and beautifies the ‘chaman’ which can be the whole cosmos or the shaa’er’s bosom – seena. In his bosom, his heart is like an unopened bud but blooms fully when god glances at him.
6
hijraaN-nasiib¹ dil ko hai kya Gham ke ishq meN
furqat² ki ek raat hai, duniya kaheN jise    1.fate of being exiled from home 2.separation
Another variation of this she’r from a different source follows. Human beings belong with god, they are one with god. So, when they are in this world it is as if they are exiled from home. But it is not great sorrow, because after all, for true lovers (of god) this world is but a night of separation. They will be reunited soon enough.
7
Gham-parvariida¹ hai dil-e shoriidagaan²-e ishq
furqat³ ki ek raat hai duniya kaheN jise    1.nurtured by sorrow 2.mad, passionate 3.separation
This is a slightly different version from a different source. Those who are mad with the passion of love (of god) are nurtured with pain/sorrow. But this world is like one night of separation and they will re-united with the great spirit soon.
8
dam¹ karti hai jo qaalib-e-Khaaki² meN rooh-e-ilm³
faiz-e-nasiim⁴ hai dam¹-e eesa⁵ kaheN jise    1.breath 2.body of clay 3.spirit of knowledge, divine spirit 4.benevolence of the morning/spring breeze 5.Jesus
It is legendary that one of the miracles of Jesus was to cure the sick by blowing on them. The morning breeze in spring is similarly benevolent bringing things to life, making flowers bloom. All this is similar to the other legend – god made aadam out of clay and blew his spirit into the body of clay, which brought it to life and gave it a soul.
9
pindaar¹ tiira-shab², jasad³ aiman⁴, nafas⁵ kaleem⁶
dil tuur⁷, jaan⁸ barq⁹-e tajalla¹⁰ kaheN jise    1.hubris, arrogance 2.dark night 3.body 4.wilderness surrounding mount tuur 5.breath 6.moosa, Moses, sound, word 7.mount tuur where moses went asking to see god 8.life, soul 9.lightning 10.brilliance, enlightenment
I am a little shaky in this interpretation and would gratefully consider any help. The she’r revolves around the story that moosa went up mount tuur and asked to see god. A manifestation of god appeared as a lightning strike and moosa fainted. The poet seems to draw parallelisms. Arrogance is like a dark night (that is removed by barq-e tajalla. Also, is there an implication that moosa was arrogant when he asked to see god). The body like the wilderness around mount tuur and the heart is like tuur itself and is enlightened by the glory of god and the soul is like lightning/brilliance/enlightenment/knowledge/barq-e tajalla. ‘kaleem’ means spoken word and is another name of moosa. Thus, ‘nafas’ is life/breath blown into the human body like the word of god.
10
parda hai husn¹ o ishq meN vasl² o hijaab³ ka
yusuf⁴ hai be-naqaab⁵ zulaiKha⁶ kaheN jise    1.beauty 2.union 3.veil 4.Joseph 5.unveiled, revealed 6.wife of slave owner who bought Joseph
I am shaky on this interpretation also and would appreciate any help. This she’r has reference to another Biblical/qur’aanic legend. Joseph/yusuf was a very good looking man who ended up being slave to a rich merchant whose wife zulaiKha fell deeply in love with him. He stayed away from her and from temptation. Thus husn-ishq in the first misra could mean zulaiKha-yusuf and/or human being-god. In all cases there is a veil/lack of knowledge between us and the pair (husn-ishq or yusuf-zulaiKha). Here again I am on thin ice interpreting this. If you are able to unveil/reveal yusuf you see that there is no difference between him and zulaiKha i.e. between god and human. But then Ghalib also said …
asl-e shahud o shaahed o mash’hood ek hai
hairaaN huN phir mushaaheda hai kis hisaab meN
Please see ‘Khissat sharaab meN’ for interpretation.
11
koii haram¹ se dair² se mansoob³ hai koii
ek rah gaya huN maiN keh tumhaara kaheN jise 1.mosque 2.temple 3.associated, connected
Another variation of this she’r from a different source follows. Some are associated with the mosque, others with the temple. I am the only one left who can be called yours, O god.
12
mansoob¹ kufr² dair³ se eemaaN⁴ haram⁵ se hai
ek rah gaya huN maiN keh tumhaara kaheN jise 1.associated, related 2.non-belief 3.temple 4.belief 5.mosque
This is a slightly different version from a different source. They associate non-belief with the temple and belief with the mosque. I don’t want to be a part of this madness. I am the only one left who can be called yours, O god.
13
hum Ghair-mo’tabar¹ sahi aur Ghair² mo’tabar³
kahna baja⁴ hai aap ka jaisa kaheN jise    1.not believable, not credible 2.other, rival 3.trustworthy 4.appropriate, acceptable
I may not be trustworthy, the rival may be. You have every right to say whatever you want to say to anyone. I accept it, and go my own way. This may be said in the same spirit as ‘koii haram se dair se mansoob hai koii’. Also there is a nice play with words like Ghair-mo’tabar and Ghair mo’tabar.
14
sahir¹ nafas² vo daam³ hai jis meN keh hai asiir⁴
mauj⁵-e dam⁶-e Khayaal⁷ keh anqa⁸ kaheN jise    1.pen-name of poet 2.breath, life 3.net, web, trap 4.imprisoned, trapped 5.wave 6.strength, breath, life 7.imagination, illusion, thought 8.legendary bird (please see notes below)
‘anqa’ is a legendary bird which no one can see or has ever seen. Ghalib uses this to say …
aagahi daam-e shuniidan jis qadar chaahe bichhaaye
mudd’ua anqa hai apne aalam-e taqriir ka
Please see ‘shooKhi-e tahriir ka’ for interpretation.
Thus, O sahir, life in this world is a trap in which is caught the strong wave of illusion/maaya which can be called an ‘anqa’.