Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mirza taqi beg maa’el dehlavi (1850-1931) has a large corpus with quite a few of his Ghazal composed in the style of Ghalib. He started composing at the age of 14 and it is reported that he met with Ghalib several times but did not seek or receive any tutoring. Perhaps he considered that presumptuous because he was too young and Ghalib was in his final years. He moved to jaipur in 1875 and lived there until his passing. His work, scattered among many friends was collected and published as his ‘kulliyaat’ – complete works – in three volumes, under the sponsorship of the rajasthan sahitya academy. This is one of several Ghazal composed in the zamiin of Ghalib’s ‘hai mukarrar lab-e saaqi meN salaa mer’e baad’ is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
kaun uThaa’ega ter’e lutf¹-e jafa² mer’e baad
kaun dekh’ega yeh andaaz-o-ada³ mer’e baad 1.pleasure, delight 2.cruelty 3.style and grace
Who will endure your delightful cruelties after me? Who will admire your style and grace after me? Said amir minaaii …
kaun uThaayega tumhaari ye jafa mere b’aad
yaad aa’egi bahut meri vafa mere b’aad
2
na hua rahbar¹-e raah²-e fana³ mer’e baad
miT gaya jaada⁴-e tasliim-o-raza⁵ mer’e baad     1.guide 2.path 3.annihilation 4.path 5.submission and acceptance
No guide remained on the path of annihilation after me. The path of submission and acceptance vanished after me. ‘fana-annihilation’ here is the erasure of the self and merging into the divine spirit – the epitome of mystic sufi’ism. ‘tasliim o raza’ is submission to the divine and accepting its will/decree. Said amiir minaaii …
aadat to amiir achchhi hai faryaad o dua ki
par sheva-e tasliim o raza aur hi kuchh hai
3
qabr¹ par aa’e meri faateha² paRhne ke liye
aap ka mujh pe yeh ehsaan³ hua mer’e baad 1.grave 2.prayer for salvation of the deceased 3.favour
You came to my grave to recite prayers. This was your favor upon me after my passing. The beloved has performed the required ritual and washed her hands of any sincere feelings. Said haidar ali aatish …
qabr par faateha ko aa’e voh shooKh aye aatish
nek taufiiq de uss but ko Khuda mere baad
4
hum ko to aa’ii hai jaaNbaazi¹-e parvaana² pasand
Ghair³ se bazm⁴ meN voh kahne lagaa mer’e baad    1.putting life at stake 2.moth 3.other, rival 4.gathering
I liked the devotion of the moth as it risked its life circling the lamp, the beloved said that to the rival at the gathering, after my passing i.e., the beloved liked the way the poet/lover sacrificed his life in love of her. I think the implication is that she is boasting rather than inviting the rival to do the same.
5
dasht¹-e pur-Khaar² ko ab dil meN uThaa kar rakh luN
kaun aa’ega bhala aabla-paa³ mer’e baad 1.desert 2.full of thorns 3.blistered feet
Let me lift the thorny desert into my heart now, for who will tread here with blistered feet after me? This recalls the legend of majnuN, who wandered the desert looking for laila until his feet developed blisters which were poked by sharp thorns and resulted in bleeding. The poet/lover had inherited the legacy of majnuN but now there is not going to be another one like him, hence there is no use any more for the thorny desert. Said mohammed taqi KhaaN havas …
tez rakhiyo sar-e har-Khaar ko aye dasht-e junooN
shaa’ed aa jaaye koii aabla-paa mere b’aad
… and bahaadur shaah zafar …
Khaar-e sahra-e junooN yuN hi agar tez rahe
koii aayega nahiN aabla-paa mere b’aad
… and aaGha jaan aish dehlavi …
Khaar sahra ke ye phir chheR kareNge kis se
mujh sa kaun aayega yahaaN aabla-paa mere baad
6
nik’hat¹-e zulf² ka mushtaaq³ na paaya koii
Khaak uRaatai hai meri baad-e-saba⁴ mer’e baad 1.fragrance 2.locks, hair 3.desirous, demanding 4.morning breeze
There was no one who desired the fragrance of your locks anymore. The morning breeze now blows and scatters my dust, after me. When the poet/lover was alive, he mourned the night of separation all night long and the morning breeze blew the fragrance of the beloved’s lock to him. But now that he is dead, there is no one waiting for this fragrance. Blowing dust is a sign of sorrow and despair. Thus, the morning breeze too is frustrated and sorrowful so it blows the dead poet/lover’s dust all around.
7
yeh to mumkin¹ hi nahiN yuN hi rah’e Ghair² se rabt³
raNg laa’egi⁴ magar meri dua mer’e baad  1.possible 2.other, rival 3.connection, relationship 4.raNg laana-to bear fruit, bring result
It is not possible the beloved will maintain ties with the rival. My prayers will bear fruit after me. The poet/lover is hopeful that his prayers will be answered, at least after death. The effect of his prayers will be that the beloved will break off relationship with the rival.
8
yaad karte haiN bahut mujh ko sitam¹ to dekho
koii iijaad² jo kart’e haiN jafaa³ mer’e baad 1,cruelty – used here to mean irony 2.invent 3.torture
The beloved remembers me a lot, whenever she invents a new way of torture; look at this irony. The implication is that the beloved designed ever new ways of torture for her lovers and always tried them on the poet/lover because he was the only one who would bear such torture and remain loyal. Now she remembers him only she invents a new torture … such irony.
9
na mujhe bazm¹ se iss tarah² nikaalo dekho
raNg laa’egi³ meri aah-e-rasaa⁴ mer’e baad     1.gathering 2.like this 3.have an effect, cause problems 4.far reaching sigh
Do not throw me out of the gathering in this way. My heartfelt sigh will affect you after me. The poet warns against being thrown out of the beloved’s gathering. His sorrowful sighs will reach heaven and retribution is likely to descend on the beloved. It is just possible that this is addressed to the rival or to the ‘darbaan-gatekeeper’ who is doing the dirty work and not to the beloved.
10
aur hi kuchh nazar¹ aa’ega jahaaN² ka aalam³
sab badal⁴ jaa’egi duniya ki havaa⁵ mer’e baad 1.appear 2.world 3.condition, state, character 4.change 5.atmosphere, ambience, trends
The world’s state will appear entirely different. The tastes/trends of the world will change after me. Perhaps the poet means the world of poetry. The trend and quality of composition will change (for the worse) after he is gone.
11
jaan deta na agar ishq ka dam to bharta¹
koi itna bhi na duniya meN hua² mer’e baad     1.ishq ka dam bharna-to claim falling in love 2.existed, lived
I concede that they would not lay down their lives, but at least they could claim to have loved. There was none like that after me. The poet underscores his unique role in being true to love and laying down his life, asserting his unmatched value.
12
bal¹ nikal jaa’eNge jitne haiN mer’e dam² ke saath
siidhi ho jaa’egi yeh zulf³-e do-taa⁴ mer’e baad     1.curls 2.breath 3.hair 4.double stranded, twisted, curled
All the curls will unravel with my final breath. Even the twisted locks will straighten after me. Curled locks are sign of great beauty. The beloved has them. But after the poet/lover is gone she will not be able to keep them curled. It is the power of his love that keeps them curled and the power of his ash’aar that sings of their beauty. Without him, none of this will happen.
13
nazar aaya na zamaane meN jo mujh saa koi
yaad karte haiN mujhe ahl-e vafaa mer’e baad 1.appear, seen 2.world 3.people of loyalty i.e., people who appreciate fidelity in love
None like me appeared in the world. The loyal ones remember me after my time. The poet/lover was the last true/steadfast lover who left legendary memories behind.
14
aa hi nikaloge kabhi qabr¹ pe chalte-phirt’e²
kar hi jaa’egi asar³ meri dua mer’e baad    1.grave 2.casual stroll 3.effect
On a casual stroll some day, you will chance upon my grave. My prayers will certainly have an effect after me. The ‘you’ is the beloved.
15
she’r to kya koi paRhta keh chaman¹ meN maa’el²
kabhi bulbul na hua naGhma-saraa³ mer’e baad 1.garden 2.pen-name 3.singing songs/Ghazal
Leave aside composing/reciting a verse, O maa’el, even the nightingale did not sing any songs in the garden after me. The poet mourns the silence left in the garden of poetry; there is no shaa’er like him, and no mutrib that can put his Ghazal to music, because the nightingale does not consider other Ghazal to meet its standards.