Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. syed aashiq husain seemab akbarabadi (1880-1951) was a scholar of farsi and arabi in addition to urdu. A progressive poet of secular outlook who wrote nazm of socialist themes as well odes to krishn and buddh. He also did a poetic urdu translation of the whole qur’aan. His secular credentials are impeccable. He along with his contemporary hasrat mohani, participated in the freedom struggle and composed a collection of devotional poems to krishn, which was published as a book called ‘krishn geet’. This Ghazal is linked to ‘mehmaaN kiye hue’ in ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’. This Ghazal is highly political.
1
baiTha huN chaak¹ jeb-o-garebaaN² kiye hue
haNgaama³-e bahaar⁴ ka samaaN⁵ kiye hue     1.rip apart 2.shirt front and collar 3.time 4.spring 5.arrangements, means
Spring is a time of renewal of love. In poetic convention lovers get particularly distressed during spring because the beloved does not reciprocate their love. It is the time of spring and the poet has made all the arrangements. He is waiting with his shirt front and collar ripped apart like majnuN, the ideal lover. This Ghazal is loaded with political interpretations which become much more clear in subsequent ash’aar. In the light of what is coming, the political angle of this she’r is that the arrival of spring is independence and the the lover (participant in the freedom movement) has gone mad with the intensity of his emotions.
2
huN apne bas¹ meN aalam²-e imkaaN³ kiye hue
apni Khudi⁴ ko apna nigahbaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.control 2.world 3.possibilities 4.self-respect, self-reliance 5.guardian, steward
The poet proudly declares that he has made his self-reliance his steward/guardian. He does not rely on anyone else. By doing this, he has brought a whole new world of possibilities within his control/domain. Thus, people are preparing to govern themselves and throw the colonial power out.
3
aye dost¹ ab to aa, keh zamaaNe² guzar³ gaye
jalvoN⁴ se anjuman⁵ meN charaaghaaN⁶ kiye hue    1.friend, beloved 2.ages 3.passed, gone by 4.appearance, presence 5.gathering 6.lighting, brilliance
There was a time when the gathering would light up just by the presence of the beloved. It has been ages since she has come. He appeals to her to come now so that he may be able to light up gatherings again, just with her appearance. Here the ‘dost’ could be independence.
4
hasti¹ hai ek junoon²-e tabaahi³ ki muntazir⁴
sahra⁵ ki vus’atoN⁶ ko garebaaN⁷ kiye hue   1.existence, life 2.passion, madness 3.destruction 4.waiting, anticipating 5.desert 6.expanse 7.shirt front, collar
Here ‘tabaahi-destruction’ could mean the destruction of the old order and ‘sahra ki vus’at’ is the expanse/vastness of the desert, with the desert not implying a barren place but an expansive place of possibilities/vision. Thus, life is an intense passion, waiting for the destruction of the old order. The vastness of the desert is now life’s garment.
5
Khush huN keh aa raha hai naya daur¹-e inqilaab²
zarroN³ ko Ghairat⁴-e mah⁵-e taabaaN⁶ kiye hue     1.age, times, period 2.change, revolution 3.grains of dust 4.envy 5.moon 6.bright
The poet is happy that an age of change/revolution is coming. What kind of change … that kind of change that will make grains of dust so bright that they will become the envy of the full moon i.e., deprived people will regain their dignity. This could well be a political statement about the independence movement.
6
maujoN¹ ko sayl² bann’e ka deta hua sabaq³
qatroN⁴ ko fart⁵-e josh⁶ se toofaaN⁷ kiye hue    1.waves 2.flood 3.lessons 4.drops 5.abundance, plenty 6.enthusiasm, passion 7.storm
This appears to be a continuation the previous she’r. The time of change/revolution is coming, giving waves/ripples lessons in how to become a flood giving drops and abundance of passion/enthusiasm so they become a storm.
7
sayyaad¹ phir hai ahl-e-chaman² ki talaash³ meN
dashna⁴ hijaab⁵-e daam⁶ meN pinhaaN⁷ kiye hue     1.hunter, bird-catcher 2.residents of the garden 3.search 4.knife 5.veil 6.web 7.hide
The ‘sayyaad’ is the quintessential figure of cruelty in urdu poetry. He catches birds in a web and puts them in a cage separating lovers from beloveds … rose and bulbul. Sometimes the ‘sayyaad’ is the flower picker. Here is he is on the lookout for residents of the garden i.e., birds with his dagger hidden behind the curtain of his web. It appears that he will trap birds in his web and slit their throat with his dagger. This could well be a veiled description of the colonizer and people struggling for independence.
8
saaz¹-e bahaar² hai naye unvaan³ o raNg⁴ se
apni KhamoshiyoN ko Ghazal-KhwaaN⁵ kiye hue     1.musical instrument 2.spring 3.theme 4.style 5.Ghazal singing/reciting
The musical instrument of spring is bird song. It has a new theme and a new style. Its silence has become a Ghazal reciter. I am not sure what this signifies, other than seeing that there a few other ash’aar with a political theme, this might be one too and the speaking in ‘silence’ could be about censorship during the independence movement. It might help to remember that the poet was an active participant. Thus, poets are writing reciting their Ghazal in veiled terms, which this Ghazal illustrates.
9
gulchhiiN¹ khaRe hue ravishoN² par haiN saf-ba-saf³
andesha⁴-haa⁵-e taNgi⁶-e daamaaN⁷ kiye hue     1.flower picker 2.pathway 3.line by line 4.trepidation, fear 5.pluralization of andesha 6.narrowness, limited capacity 7.hem of the garment
The flower picker comes to the garden to pick off roses and collects them in the hem of their garment. There are many flower pickers, lined up along all garden paths. They are all fearful that the capacity of the hem of their garment is not enough to contain all the flowers they are going to pick. Once, again I turn to a political angle in interpreting this. Flower pickers are the police. People are being arrested and put in jail and jails don’t have enough capacity to hold all of them.
10
hai fitrat¹-e chaman² ba-har³ andaaz⁴ mutma’in⁵
nazm⁶-e jadeed⁷ sub’h bahaaraaN kiye hue    1.nature, disposition, mood 2.garden 3.in every 4.way, style 5.satisfied, happy 6.order, administration, governance 7.new
The disposition/mood of the garden/homeland is satisfied in every way that the new order coming in will bring the dawn of spring.
11
ehsaas¹ laazimi² tha keh sadiyaaN³ guzar⁴ gaiiN
shiraaza⁵-e hayaat⁶ pareshaaN⁷ kiye hue    1.sentiment, emotion 2.inevitable 3.centuries 4.passed, gone by 4.binding, thread holding things together 6.life 7.scattered, disorganized
The feeling of being – mutma’in/satisfied is carried over from the previous she’r. Thus, it was inevitable that the feeling of satisfaction/happiness would come with the dawn of spring because it has been a long time that life has been disorganized (without a focus/goal under colonial rule).
12
ab koh¹ o dasht² o baaGh³ o daman⁴ aa’eNge nazar⁵
raNg aur buu ko daulat⁶-e daamaaN⁷ kiye hue     1.hills 2.jungles, wilderness 3.gardens 4.valleys 5.appear, seen 6.wealth, possession 7.hem of the garment
Hills, jungles, gardens and valleys are all features of the homeland. To hold something in the hem of the garment is to possess it. Thus homeland will be seen owning ‘raNg o buu’ – the pleasant aspects of life.
13
ab aashiyaaN¹ meN aa’eNge sub ahl²-e aashiyaaN
saamaan³-e jashn⁴-e Ghaarat⁵-e zindaaN⁶ kiye hue     1.nest, home 2.people of 3.means, abilities, arrangements 4.celebration 5.destruction 6.prison
Now the people of the homeland, will return home, making arrangements for the destruction of the prison.
14
raNg o navaa¹ o amn² o sukoon³ o shaguft⁴ ka
gulzaar⁵ aur bahaar⁶ se paimaaN⁷ kiye hue     1.sound 2.peace 3.tranquility 4.bloom, blossom, happiness 5.garden 6.spring 7.agreement, promise
Here ‘gulzaar-garden’ is the homeland and ‘navaa-sound’ is bird-song, cheer. Thus, there is an agreement between the garden and spring that there will be colour (of flowers), sound (singing of birds), peace, tranquility and blossoming/happiness coming.
15
alqissah¹ inqilaab² ke parde³ meN hai Khuda
azm⁴-e nishaat-mandi⁵-e insaaN kiye hue     1.to make a long story short, in summary 2.revolution, change 3.veil 4.resolve 5.happiness, pleasure
In short, hidden/veiled behind the revolution is god promising happiness for all.
16
seemaab¹ ahd-e-gul² ki hai tajdeed³, aur maiN
baiTha huN chaak⁴ jeb-o-garebaaN⁵ kiye hue    1.pen-name of the poet 2.time of blossoms, spring 3.renewal 4.ripped, torn 5.shirt front and collar
Here ‘chaak garebaaN’ is used to portray the intensity of passion of love. O seemab, it is time of the renewal of spring and I am waiting with intense passion.