Khat ke javaab m’eN-21-32 – munshii devii prashaad sahar badaayunii
21
bak-bak ke chaaTi’e nah mera maGhz shaiKh jii
yeh ‘arz hai janaab-e faziilat ma’aab m’eN
22
hot’e haiN naazukii se pasiin’e m’eN Gharq voh
muddat ke baad haiN kabhii aa’e jo Khwaab m’eN
23
donoN kaa kar chukaa huN maiN sau baar tajrubah
hai lutf se bhii lutf sivaa kuchh ‘itaab m’eN
24
hogaa visaal band’e se us but kaa yaa nahiiN
yeh faal dekhnaa hai Khudaa kii kitaab m’eN
25
ruu-e sabiih-e yaar m’eN Khaal ek bhii nahiiN
nuqtah kahiiN nahiiN hai tamaam is kitaab m’eN
26
chehr’e se yaar ke hai ‘ayaaN surKhii-e sharaab
hai aaftaab jalvah-numaa aaftaab m’eN
27
chaltii hai saath saath maiN jaataa huuN jis jagah
fauj-e Gham-o-alam mer’e har dam rikaab m’eN
28
har dam nayaa savaal hamaaraa hai yaar se
kyuNkar nah phir sukuut kar’e voh javaab m’eN
29
donoN ko be-sabaatii m’eN tashbiih-e taam hai
tajniis hai hayaat kii lafz-e habaab m’eN
30
mahruum Khuld m’eN ho sharaab-e tahuur se
duniyaa m’eN jo keh ‘aib lagaa’e sharaab m’eN
31
mauquuf shurb-e ma’e pe hai saaqii hamaarii ziist
kashtii-e ‘umr chaltii hai mauj-e sharaab m’eN
32
diivaaN m’eN vasf-e zulf hai aye sahar sar-ba-sar
mazmuuN haiN pechdaar hamaarii kitaab m’eN

munshi devi prashaad sahar badayuni (1840-1902) – poet, writer, calligrapher and educator.  I am guessing that most of his education was at home, and that he completed his matriculation from a formal school.  He worked for the colonial governm’eNt in the departm’eNt of education and rose to be a sub-inspector of schools, working in dehli and lakhnow.  In addition to his diivan, he wrote book length discourses on logic, rhetoric, legal procedures, linguistics and the art of calligraphy.  This is a long Ghazal in the zamiin of Ghalib‘s saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN.  Because it is long, I have posted it in three parts.  All three parts are linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
21
bak-bak ke chaaTi’e nah mera maGhz shaiKh jii
yeh ‘arz hai janaab-e faziilat ma’aab m’eN

maGhz chaaTna to lick brains is an expression meaning to annoy someone.  The shaiKh keeps talking nonsense and annoys the poet.  He is probably preaching him about wine and the poet is no mood to listen.  The descriptor faziilat ma’aab – endowed with eminence – for the shaiKh is used as an obvious sarcasm.  “Stop eating my brain”, is what I ask of you, O eminent shaiKh.
22
hot’e haiN naazukii se pasiin’e m’eN Gharq voh
muddat ke baad haiN kabhii aa’e jo Khwaab m’eN

This is about the beloved.  She has appeared in the poet/lover’s dream after a long time muddat.  Because is show delicate naazuk she is drenched Gharq in sweat.  Is that because she had to make some physical effort to appear or is it because she is bashful – it is not clear to me.
23
donoN kaa kar chukaa huN maiN sau baar tajrubah
hai lutf se bhii lutf sivaa kuchh ‘itaab m’eN

Once again the poet shows his facility in word play.  In the second misra the word lutf means favour/kindness first and the second time it means pleasure.  I have experienced tajrubah both, he declares, there is greater sivaa pleasure in the beloved’s anger ‘itaab than in her favours.
24
hogaa visaal band’e se us but kaa yaa nahiiN
yeh faal dekhnaa hai Khudaa kii kitaab m’eN

This wordplay is very interesting.  The word but literally means “idol” and is also used for the beloved because she is beautiful and is idolized/worshipped.  faal dekhna is a ritual practice to try and interpret randomly selected passages of a holy scripture to see if they predict the future/fate of the person.  Khudaa ki kitaab is generally understood to mean the qur’aan.  Idol worship – but-parastii is forbidden in the qur’aan.  He wants to look up a passage in the qur’aan to see if it predicts his possible union with his but – beloved.
25
ruu-e sabiih-e yaar m’eN Khaal ek bhii nahiiN
nuqtah kahiiN nahiiN hai tamaam is kitaab m’eN

This sh’er also has interesting word play.  In urdu poetic literature kitaabi chehra is considered beautiful.  The beloved has a fair and bright face ruu-e sabiih.  There is not a single mole or point on it (maybe the poet considers a mole/black spot to be a blemish).  Her beautifully sculpted face is like a book with exquisite calligraphy.  The interesting thing is that the whole tamaam book does not have a single dot.
26
chehr’e se yaar ke hai ‘ayaaN surKhii-e sharaab
hai aaftaab jalvah-numaa aaftaab m’eN

On the face chehr’e pe of the beloved yaar is evident/manifest ‘ayaaN the redness of wine surKhi-e sharaab.  In the second misra the symbolism of the aaftaab as a bright wine-cup (glowing beauty) is used.  The redness of wine is like a glowing sun aaftaab and it is displayed jalva-numaa in the glowing face – aaftaab – of the beloved.
27
chaltii hai saath-saath maiN jaataa huuN jis jagah
fauj-e Gham-o-alam mer’e har dam rikaab m’eN

It goes side by side with me, wherever I go.  The army fauj of pain and sorrow Gham-o-alam is always har dam in my stirrups – accompanying me/attending to me.  Stirrup implies a horse and juxtaposition of a horse with fauj is noteworthy.  Also, Gham-o-alam one on each side of the horse, in each stirrup is an interesting word play.
28
har dam nayaa savaal hamaaraa hai yaar se
kyuNkar nah phir sukuut kar’e voh javaab m’eN

Every moment har dam I have a new question/new demand nayaa savaal of the beloved.  Why then kyuNkar na phir would she not remain silent in reply.  Remaining silent in reply are interesting opposites.
29
donoN ko be-sabaatii m’eN tashbiih-e taam hai
tajniis hai hayaat kii lafz-e habaab m’eN

It should be remembered that the poet was an expert in rhetoric and wrote a treatise on it.  He draws upon his expertise to point to the resemblence tajniis between the written words (in urdu) habaab and hayaat and their complete analogy in meaning tashbiih-e taam because of the impermanence be-sabaati of both.
30
mahruum Khuld m’eN ho sharaab-e tahuur se
duniyaa m’eN jo keh ‘aib lagaa’e sharaab m’eN

The poet seems to be pronouncing a curse on those who have criticised ‘aib lagaana wine in this life.  May they be deprived mahruum in heaven Khuld of sharaab-e tahuur – the purifying drink of paradise.
31
mauquuf shurb-e ma’e pe hai saaqii hamaarii ziist
kashtii-e ‘umr chaltii hai mauj-e sharaab m’eN

O saaqi, my life ziist depends on mauquuf on the drinking of wine shurb-e ma’e.  The boat of life kashtii-e ‘umr sails on waves of wine mauj-e sharaab.
32
diivaaN m’eN vasf-e zulf hai aye sahar sar-ba-sar
mazmuuN haiN pechdaar hamaarii kitaab m’eN

O sahar, my diivaan is end-to-end sar-ba-sar a praise of the curly hair of the beloved.  In my book all themes are curled pechdaar meaning convoluted in the sense of one leading to another on a curved path.