Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. buddh prakash gupta jauhar deobandi (1912-xxxx), saharanpur, UP. Family background of agriculture, grain dealership and money lending. Finished high school locally, probably in urdu. There was a strong tradition of monthly mushaa’era in sahaaranpur. Participated in the audience and later as a shaa’er. Continued family business and kept working on urdu. Granted an honorary PhD by aligaRh university, on his work related to non-muslim shu’ara. This Ghazal is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
yuN mer’e ghar meN aa’e haiN uss gulbadan¹ ke paaNv
sahra² meN jaisay aa’eN bahaar³-e chaman ke paaNv   1.rose-bodied, beloved 2.desert 3.spring, flowers, blooms
The beloved has arrived to the abode of the poet/lover. He thinks that this is such an unusual and celebratory event that it is like spring flowers blooming in the desert.
2
saabit¹ nahiN rah’e kisi ahl²-e suKhan³ ke paaNv
ukhRay hu’e haiN iss liye ab ilm⁴ o fun⁵ ke paaNv   1.intact, steadfast 2.people of 3.words, poetry 4.knowledge 5.art
‘ahl-e suKhan’ are poets. ‘saabit qadam’ is equivalent to ‘paaNv saabit rahna’. Thus, poets have not been steadfast in their path towards their goal (they may have succumbed to the powerful or to the demands of common trends). That is why the feet of knowledge and art are unsteady (ukhRay hue haiN). This is a reflection on the current level of poetic compositions.
3
hai nashsha¹-e shabaab² meN vo mast³ iss qadar⁴
jamt’e nahiN zamiin par uss siim-tan⁵ ke paaNv   1.intoxication 2.youth 3.intoxicated, proud 4.so much 5.silver-bodied, fair
The beloved is referred to as ‘silver-bodied’ or ‘siim-tan’. She is so intoxicated with the vigour/beauty of her youth that her feet do not touch the ground.
4
jalva¹ butoN² ka dekhna manzoor³ hai agar
hoNg’e pakaRn’e shaiKh tujhe barhaman ke paaNv  1.beauty, glory 2.idols, beauties 3.desirous
This is a nice pun on ‘but’, which are associated with the temple and also is a word used for beautiful women or for the beloved. Thus, if the shaiKh wants to see the beauty/glory of the idols/beautiful women, he will have to touch the feet of the brahman in supplication in order to be permitted to enter the temple and see idols.
5
siin’e meN ishratoN¹ ke liye ab jagah kahaaN
phail’e hu’e haiN chaar suu² ranj-o-mehan³ ke paaNv   1.joy, pleasure 2.directions 3.pain and sorrow
The poet/lover has had disappointments after disappointments in love. The ‘footprints of pain and sorrow are spread in all four directions’ in his heart. There is no room left for joy.
6
mahroom¹ rahta phir na voh shiiriiN² ke vasl³ se
siin’e peh hot’e Khusro⁴ ke jo kohkan⁵ ke paaNv   1.deprived 2.of shiiriiN-farhaad legend 3.union 4.king Khusro, husband of shiiriin 5.sculptor, stone mason – profession and another name for farhaad
This has reference to the legend of shiiriiN-farhaad. farhaad was hired as a sculptor in Khusro’s palace. He falls in love with shiiriin and she reciprocates his love. He pesters Khusro to divorce his wife and let him marry her. To get rid of him Khusro sets an impossible task – dig a channel through the mountain and make a river of milk flow for shiiriin’s bath. farhaad ends up killing himself with his own pickaxe and upon hearing this news shiiriin too kills herself. Here the poet says that if farhaad had his feet planted on the chest of Khusro he would not have been deprived of union with shiiriin. To have feet planted on the chest means to defeat someone in a contest.
7
uss ko ata¹ hui hai jahaaN² meN hayaat³-e Khizr⁴
choom’e⁵ haiN jis ne ishq meN daar-o-rasan⁶ ke paaNv   1.granted, bestowed 2.world 3.life 4.legendary man who discovered and drank the nectar of immortality 5.kissed 6.hanging platform and rope
Khizr is a legendary old man mentioned in ancient texts. He wandered all over the world, discovered the nectar of immortality and drank it. Thus ‘hayaat-e Khizr’ is immortality. Kissing the feet of ‘daar o rasan’ means to stand steadfast and defiant in the face of oppression to the point of accepting death by hanging. Thus, those who are defiant and steadfast of principle, in the face of death. achieve immortality.
8
uqba¹ ko jab chala tha sikandar² jahaan³ se
baahir kafan⁴ ke haath th’e andar kafan ke paaNv   1.next world, hereafter 2.Alexander 3.world 4.burial shroud
Alexander and his campaign of world conquest is used as symbolic of the futility of acquiring earthly power and wealth. ‘kafan ke baahir haath rahna’ implies that he was leaving this world empty handed. ‘kafan ke andar paaNv rahna’ implies that his wander lust was done. Thus, when sikandar left this world for the next, he went empty handed and his feet were bound inside his burial shroud.
9
meri tabaahiyoN¹ se hai ranjoor² iss qadar³
pakR’e hu’e zamiin hai charKh⁴-e kohan⁵ ke paaNv   1.ruination 2.sorrowful 3.so much 4.sky 5.ancient
It is generally considered that fate/sky brings down all kinds of calamities and ruination of lovers. ‘paaNv pakaRna’ is an expression used to mean to plead/beg for mercy. The poet uses the image of the horizon to imply that the earth is holding the feet of the sky and begging it for mercy on behalf of the poet/lover on whom the sky/fate has brought down such ruination that the earth is feels pity of him. Thus, even the earth is affected by the troubles of the poet/lover.
10
ahl¹-e vatan² ka Khoon jo piit’e rah’e haiN kal
piit’e haiN aaj dho ke voh mer’e vatan ke paaNv   1.people of 2.homeland
‘paaNv dho ke piina’ is an expression used to mean to humbly accept/acknowledge the high status of someone of something. Thus, those who used to drink the blood of the people of the homeland, today humbly accept that superiority of my country. This perhaps is about the British colonizers who had to accept the freedom of India.
11
shaam¹-e alam² thi yeh meri nabzoN³ ki kaifiyyat⁴
jaise subuk-Kharaam⁵ ho jauhar⁶ dulhan ke paaNv    1.night of 2.sorrow 3.nerves 4.condition 5.stepping lightly/gingerly/carefully 6.pen-name
The imagery is that of a bride stepping very carefully into her bridal chamber on her wedding night. During his night of sorrows, the poets nerves are on edge just like that of a bride on her wedding night.