Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mirza asadullah KhaaN Ghalib (1797-1869). I dare not write any introduction. On more than one occasion Ghalib has warned his readers that he needs no introduction or even address. I humbly comply. Also see the many Ghazal composed in this bahr/zamin by well known and not so well known poets over the years. kalidas gupta raza dates this Ghazal to 1821, when Ghalib was 24 years old and shows such keen awareness of his legacy.
1
husn¹ Ghamze² ki kashaakash³ se chhuTa mere b’aad
baare⁴ aaraam se haiN ahl⁵-e jafaa⁶ mere b’aad    1.beauty, beloved 2.flirtatious glances, winking 3.struggle 4.at last, finally 5.people of 6.cruelty
The poet/lover is dead and is writing about what is happening after his death. Now that he is gone, the beloved need not be bothered about the struggle/effort of casting flirtatious glances because there is none left that is worth aiming them at. “People of cruelty” i.e. cruel people are the horde of beauties – all of them. They can rest comfortably, now that he is gone.
2
mansab¹-e sheftagi² ke koi qaabil³ nah rahaa
hui m’aazuuli⁴-e andaaz⁵ o adaa⁶ mere b’aad    1.status, office 2.frenzy, madness 3.able, deserving 4.dismiss, cancel 5.style 6.grace
There was none that was deserving of the office of frenzy/madness of love after me. So Style and Grace have been dismissed from their positions.
3
sham’a bujhti hai to us meN se dhuaaN uThtaa hai
sho’la¹-e ishq² siyah-posh³ hua mere b’aad     1.flame 2.passion, love 3.black-robed
When the lamp is put out, smoke rises. The flame of passion put on a black robe after me. ‘Black robe’ is put on as a sign of mourning. Thus passion itself is mourning at the poet/lover’s death.
4
KhuuN hai dil Khaak meN ahvaal¹-e butaaN² par yaa’ni
un ke naaKhun hue mohtaaj³-e hinaa⁴ mere b’aad     1.condition, well being 2.idols, beloved 3.deprived 4.henna, mehndi
What condition the beloved has been reduced to. Her nails have been deprived of henna after the passing of the poet/lover. But even from under the dust, he is contemplating her condition and his heart turns to blood. Why are the nails of the beloved deprived of henna … because she used to dig her nails into his heart and the colour of blood is what gave them the colour of henna. She can no longer do that, but his heart still bleeds for her.
5
dar-Khur¹-e ’arz² nahiN jauhar³-e bedaad⁴ ko jaa⁵
nigah⁶-e naaz⁷ hai surme⁸ se Khafaa⁹ mere b’aad     1.deserving of 2.expression 3.excellence, skill 4.tyranny, cruelty 5.place 6.glance 7.style, coquetry 8.collyrium 9.displeased, annoyed
The beloved used her coquettish glances to wound her lover(s). He died as a result of these wounds. Now that he is dead there is no place left that is deserving of the expression of cruelty. Her coquettish glance no longer needs it and is displeased with collyrium because it was so effective in killing her (favourite) lover.
6
hai junuuN¹ ahl²-e junuuN ke liye aaGhosh³-e vidaa’⁴
chaak⁵ hotaa hai garebaaN⁶ se judaa⁷ mere b’aad     1.frenzy of passion 2.people of 3.lap, embrace 4.farewell 5.tear (personified tear of the shirt opening) 6.collar, shirt opening 7.separation, taking leave
Tear (personified) is taking leave of the collar after the death of the poet/lover. The intensity of passion itself becomes the embrace of farewell for people of passion. The poet/lover considers himself a “real” (last) person of passion. Once he is dead, that tradition is lost. Therefore, there is no longer any need for lovers to tear open their shirts in madness.
7
kaun hotaa hai harif¹-e mai²-e mard-afgan³-e ’ishq
hai mukarrar⁴ lab⁵-e saaqi meN salaa⁶ mere b’aad     1.equal to, withstand against 2.wine 3.man-felling, 4.repeated 5.lips 6.call, cry
faiz ahmed faiz used this she’r as a part of his own very powerful nazm. Who can withstand the man-felling power of the wine of passion. No one, not even I could withstand it and died because of it. After my death, on the lips of the saaqi was the call again and again asking for someone to come forward (but no one did).
8
Gham se martaa huuN keh itna nahiN duniya meN koi
keh kare taa’ziyat¹-e mehr² o vafaa³ mere b’aad    1.lament, mourn, console 2.love, consideration 3.faith, fidelity
The poet/lover is dying of grief that there is no one in this world who will console Love and Fidelity after his death. Love and Fidelity will mourn the passing of their foremost exponent. But there is no one who will be able to console them, because no one can offer more love and fidelity that the poet/lover did.
9
thi nigah meri nihaaN¹-Khaanah²-e dil ki naqqaab³
be-Khatar⁴ jiite⁵ haiN arbaab⁶-e riyaa⁷ mere b’aad    1.hidden 2.house/chamber of 3.one who can make a naqab, breach a wall 4.fearlessly 5.live 6.lords/friends of 7.hypocrisy
After the death of the poet, hypocrites will be able to live fearlessly because it was his sight that could breach the walls of the hidden chamber of their hearts (and see through to their innermost thoughts).
10
tha maiN guldastah-e ahbaab¹ ki bandish² ki giyaah³
mutafarriq⁴ hue mere rufaqaa⁵ mere b’aad 1.friends 2.tie 3.grass rope 4.separated, different 5.friends
The poet was the tie that could bind his friends together in a bouquet. But after him they went their separate ways.
11
aaye hai bekasi¹-e ishq pe rona Ghaalib
kis ke ghar jaayegaa sailaab²-e balaa³ mere b’aad  1.helplessness 2.flood 3.calamities
The poet was the favourite (perhaps only) target of the calamities wrought by Passion/Love. Now that he is dead, Passion/Love is utterly helpless/confused … whose house will the flood of calamities go to now. This implies that this flood has no other place to visit, or it might also be that the poet/lover is wondering which of his fellow poets will now the target.