Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mirza mohammed taqi beg maa’el dehlavi (1850-1931). He moved to jaipur, rajasthan, in 1879 looking for patronage and found employment with the local rajah along with a number of cohorts. The extensive collection of his work was posthumously published in three volumes by the rajasthan urdu academy. The biographical note in this collection mentions that he met with Ghalib several times but there is no record that he received any formal instruction/correction of his verse. There may be a bit of confusion, because there were two maa’el dehlavi contemporaneously. This is one of four Ghazal that he composed in the style of Ghalib’s saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN; all four are linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
barsoN¹ piya hai ham ne to ahd²-e shabaab³ meN
tauba⁴ ka Khoon roz mila kar sharaab meN    1.for years 2.times, period, age 3.youth 4.repentence
During the days of youth, the poet has indulged in drinking wine and repented it many times – every day. And every day he has ‘killed’ his penitence. Penitence has bled on being killed. He has mixed this blood in wine and drank it every day.
2
jis dar¹ pe sar paTakti hai Khusro² ki aabru³
hasrat⁴ ho kohkan⁵ ki vahaan kis hisaab⁶ meN   1.door 2.husband of shirin in the shirin-farhaad legend 3.dignity 4.longing 5.stone mason, sculptor, another name of farhaad 6.accounting
The shirin-farhaad legend … shirin was married to king Khusro (against her will). farhaad, a sculptor, was hired to carve statuary for the palace. shirin and farhaad fell in love with each other. The king tried to dissuade her, to no avail. Thus, Khusro’s dignity beat its head at the door of shirin. Finally, he agreed to divorce shirin and let her marry farhaad on the condition that he dig a channel across the mountain and bring a river of milk to the palace. farhaad set about digging a channel and almost succeeded. Khusro caused a rumour to spread that shirin had killed herself. When farhaad heard it, he killed himself with his own pickaxe. Thus, even his yearning could not win shirin for him. Both the lovers lost out. The implication is that this will happen to all lovers.
3
baiTha huN anjuman¹ meN par itna nahiN hai hosh²
vo be-hijaab³ baiThe haiN ya haiN hijaab⁴ meN     1.gathering 2.awareness, sobriety 3.unveiled 4.veiled
The poet/lover is sitting in the gathering of the beloved but is so drunk (either with wine or with thoughts of her beauty) that he is in a trance totally unaware if she is sitting unveiled or veiled.
4
ek shai¹ hai kaa’enaat² meN vaa’ez³ sharaab-e naab⁴
ek chiiz maikada⁵ hai jahaan-e-Kharaab⁶ meN   1.thing, substance 2.cosmos, universe 3.preacher 4.pure, strong 5.tavern 6.sinful world, material world
The word ‘ek’ here is used not just to mean ‘one’ but something unique, all by itself. Thus, O preacher, in this universe, pure wine is a unique substance. The tavern too, is unique in this world.
5
dil ki lagii¹ ko us ne bujhaaya hai laakh baar
dozaKh² samaa’e³ kya meri chashm⁴-e pur-aab⁵ meN    1.(the fire that) started in my heart 2.hellfire 3.fill 4.eyes 5.full of water/tears
aaNkh meN samaana is an expression that is used here to mean appear important to my eyes. There has been a fire (of love) burning in the heart of the poet. His tearful eyes have put this fire out many times. How then can his eyes consider mere hellfire to be fiercer i.e., the fire of love is worse than hellfire.
6
kahte haiN Doobne ka ham us se bhi maajra¹
jo kar saka na tafriqa² aab³ o saraab⁴ meN   1.predicament, circumstances 2.differentiation 3.water 4.mirage
Travellers in the desert cannot differentiate between water and mirage. These travellers are lovers like majnuN and the poet/lover himself. I tell even those people the story of drowning (in the ocean of love).
7
tum aur aa ke do mujhe taskiiN¹, Khuda ki shaan²
taasiir³ dekhta huN ajab⁴ izteraab⁵ meN    1.comfort 2.praise be to god 3.effect 4.amazing 5.restlessness
I am not sure but the imagery probably of the poet/lover on his death bed. As is customary, the beloved has come to comfort him in his last moments. He says … you, and coming here to comfort me, praise be to god that I see such an amazing effect of my restlessness.
8
vaa’ez¹ jo ham se milte rahoge to dekhna
Doobi hui ye resh²-e muqaddas³ sharaab meN    1.preacher 2.fibre, hair 3.holy, sanctified
‘resh-e muqaddas’ is a sarcastic expression for the long beard of the preacher. Thus, O preacher, be careful/watch out; if you keep meeting me often you will soon see your long beard drowned in/dipping in/coloured with wine.
9
zaalim¹ ke kholne meN shab²-e vasl³ kaT gaii
kis ne girah⁴ lagaaii thi band⁵-e naqaab⁶ meN    1.torturer, tormentor 2.night of 3.union 4.knot 5.ties 6.veil
More usually poetic tradition talks about band-e qaba … ties that tie the robe. In this case the veil is tied with ties and the knots are very difficult to unravel. It is the night of union and the beloved has come to meet the poet/lover. Instead of being able to enjoy her company, he ends up spending the whole night trying to untie the knots of her veil. There is a hint of jealousy … in wondering who might have tied these knots he is implying that it might have been the rival.
10
aye maut¹ tere aate hi mar jaa’eN kis tarah
aTka² hua hai dam³ abhi Khat⁴ ke javaab⁵ meN     1.death, angel of death 2.stuck 3.breath 4.letter 5.answer
The poet/lover has sent a letter to the beloved and either she has not answered and he is waiting for her answer, or she has answered and he is waiting for her to do what she has written/promised that she will do. Thus, it the angel to death arrives to take his last breath away, how can be possible die … because his breath is still stuck in the answer to his letter.
11
maa’el¹ ki maGhfarat² meN raha ab kalaam³ kya
de dii hai us ne jaan yad⁴-e buu-turaab⁵ meN    1.pen-name of the poet 2.salvation, forgiveness 3.speech 4.hand 5.another name of ali ibn-e abi-taalib, the son-in-law of mohammed and revered religious figure
This she’r is a sudden turn from all the other ash’aar of the Ghazal and is a prayer/tribute. What is the need to talk about/discuss the salvation of maa’el. He has given his life in the hands of ali (who will intercede on his behalf and get him forgiven).