Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit amarnath sahir dehlavi (1863-1962) was deeply affected by the cultural degeneration following the 1857 war. He turned to themes of mysticism in his poetry. He was a scholar of sanskrit, arabi and faarsi. This is one of a series of Ghazal, by many different shu’ara, styled after Ghalib’s, ‘dete haiN baada zarf-e qadah Khwaar dekh kar’ and is linked to ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’ as well as to ‘Ghalib-kashmiri panDit’. Note that there is a slight difference in the qaafiya – ‘ar’ vs ‘aar’. This Ghazal is deeply mystical.
1
tujh ko aye noor¹-e tajalli² jalva³ paikar⁴ dekh kar
dil hai mast⁵-e jalva³ andar aur baahir dekh kar     1.light 2.brilliance 3.manifestation 4.image, form 5.intoxicated
The divine spirit is ‘noor-e tajalli’. It has manifested itself as a form – the form of the heart of the poet/devotee. The devotee goes into an intoxicating trance by looking at this manifestation both inside and outside his heart i.e., everything around him is a manifestation of the divine.
2
naaz¹ par hai auj² meN apna muqaddar³ dekh kar
dil ka aaiina teri suurat dikha kar dekh kar     1.pride, coquetry, self-regarding 2.climax 3.fate
The heart of the poet/devotee is delighted/proud in regarding the climax of its own fate. Because the mirror of his heart shows him the divine spirit and reflects his own divine spirit when he looks into it.
3
dil ko hairaani¹ hai aaine meN jauhar² dekh kar
jaan³ ko itiminaan⁴ hai jalva⁵ dikha kar dekh har   1.amazement 2.quality, capacity 3.soul 4.satisfaction, tranquility 5.manifestation
This appears to be a continuation of thought from the previous she’r, in which the heart is proud of its good fortune at being able to reflect as well as perceive the manifestation of the divine. Here the heart is amazed at seeing this capacity in its own mirror (reflection as well as the capacity to reflect). But the soul is tranquil as it can reflect and see the divine.
4
hai mera qalb¹-e musaffa² jalva-gaah³-e noor⁴-e zaat⁵
aks⁶-e husn⁷-e soorat o mu’aani⁸ dikha kar dekh kar   1.heart 2.clean, pure 3.place of manifestation 4.light 5.divine being 6.reflection 7.beauty 8.meaning, essence
The poet/mystic’s heart is pure and clean. It is the place where the divine spirit is manifested because it has seen the reflection of the beauty of appearance and the essential qualities of the divine.
5
hai foroGh¹-e jaaN² se husn³ o ishq⁴ ka raaz-o-niyaaz⁵
shirk⁶-e Ghairat⁷ gum⁸ hua jalva⁹ dikha kar dekh kar    1.brilliance, burning, passion 2.soul 3.beauty, divine beloved 4.lover, devotee 5.intimate conversation 6.inclusion, addition 7.bashfulness, aloofness 8.lost, disappear 9.manifestation
The passion of the soul was such that it resulted in an intimate conversation between the devotee and the divine beloved. There was even a manifestation of the divine and as the devotee saw it and could reflect it all signs of aloofness between the devotee and divine disappeared.
6
husn¹ par hai naaz² tum ko hum ko dil³ par naaz² hai
mol⁴ hota hai har ek shai⁵ ka dikha kar dekh kar     1.beauty 2.pride 3.heart, love 4.valuation 5.thing, substance
The divine is proud of its beauty/glory. The lover/devotee is proud of their devotion. The valuation of everything happens only after seeing it. I am not sure if he is setting up a competition between the divine and the devotee or simply insisting that he has a right to see the divine.
7
apni apni vaz’a¹ ke paaband² haiN mastoor³ o mast⁴
apne apne paauN phailaane meN chaadar dekh kar   1.position, nature, character 2.bound by 3.veiled, concealed 4.intoxicated (with love/devotion)
Both the veiled divine and the intoxicated devotee are bound by their respective nature. ‘chaadar dekh ke paauN phailaana’ is an expression that means ‘doing something in proportion to capability’ – like zarf-e qadah-Khwaar dekh kar.
8
baRh gaya josh¹-e junuuN² meN is qadar³ zauq⁴-e Khalish⁵
KhuN ragoN⁶ meN dauRta⁷ hai nok⁸-e nashtar⁹ dekh kar    1.enthusiasm, intensity 2.passion 3.so much 4.taste, desire 5.pain 6.veins 7.runs 8.point 9.knife
urdu poetic tradition has it that the beloved comes at the poet/lover with her knife drawn. He likes that and his heart throbs more and blood gushes through his veins because the desire for pain increases with his passion.
9
zaat¹-e baari² hai aliim³ o Ghaib-daan⁴ o aib-posh⁵
shaan⁶-e rahmat⁷ dekh apna daaman⁸-e tar⁹ dekh kar   1.being, person 2.god 3.all knowing 4.grantor of anonymity 5.veiler of shortcomings 6.grandeur 7.kindness, god 8.hem of the robe 9.wet (with tears of repentence)
The divine being who is all knowing grants you anonymity and veils your transgressions if you repent sincerely. Look at the tears of repentence collected in the hem of your apron and consider that grandeur of divine kindness.
10
haiN sifaati¹ saat parde jalva-gaah²-e noor³-e zaat⁴
aql⁵ hairaaN⁶ hai tilasm⁷-e haft-paikar⁸ dekh kar    1.attributes, facets of nature 2.place of manifestation 3.brilliance 4.divine being 5.mind 6.amazed 7.echantment 8.seven beauties, seven images
It is commonly believed that there are seven veils/curtains between us and the divine. The shaa’er calls these seven curtains, one for each attribute. Thus, behind these attributes is the manifestation of the brilliance of the divine being. The mind remains amazed at the seven images. It is not clear whether the seven images are behind the curtains of the seven attributes or the seven images themselves form the seven curtains. Incidentally, there is a faarsi romantic epic by nizaami ganjvi. I don’t think that there is any relationship of this she’r with the epic.
11
vaahema¹ aur haafeza², mutaKhayyula³ aur imtiaaz⁴
hairati⁵ haiN guNbad⁶-e irfaaN⁷ ko be-dar⁸ dekh kar    1.scepticism 2.memory 3.imagintation, creativity 4.discriminating choice (between good and bad) 5.puzzled 6.dome, sky 7.mystic knowledged, gnosticism 8.doorless
The domain of mysticism/gnosticism is open to all. There is no door, no restrition. This leaves scepticism, memory, creativity and refined thinking all puzzled. Thus, the poet/mystic implies that there is no great knowledge of books, memorization etc. necessary to achieve a state of mystic/gnostic knowledge. Said kabiir …
pothi paRhi paRhi jag mua, panDit bhayaa na koye
Dhaaii aakhar prem ka, paRhe so panDit hoye
12
ashk¹ aur ashk-e nadaamat², naama³ sar-ta-sar⁴ siyaah⁵
shaan⁶-e rahmat⁷, farz⁸ tu apna adaa⁹ kar dekh kar    1.tears 2.repentence 3.ledger (of good and bad deeds) 4.top to bottom 5.dark 6.grandeur, glory 7.divine kindness 8.duty 9.pay, fulfill
On the one side is a ledger of the poet/devotee’s good and bad deeds. It is all dark, because they are mostly bad deeds. On the other side are his tears of repentence. He is calling upon the glory of divine kindness to do its duty by comparing the two. Here is a faarsi she’r of hafiz …
aabru mi ravad aye abr-e siyah posh be-baar
keh ba-diivaan-e amal naama siyaah aamadah iim
My dignity is gone, O dark cloud, rain down to wash it away
For the dark ledger of my actions is being presented
13
ashk¹ aur ashk-e nadaamat², naama³ sar-ta-sar⁴ siyaah⁵
shaan⁶-e rahmat⁷, farz⁸ tu apna adaa⁹ kar dekh kar    1.tears 2.repentence 3.ledger (of good and bad deeds) 4.top to bottom 5.dark 6.grandeur, glory 7.divine kindness 8.duty 9.pay, fulfill
On the one side is a ledger of the poet/devotee’s good and bad deeds. It is all dark, because they are mostly bad deeds. On the other side are his tears of repentence. He is calling upon the glory of divine kindness to do its duty by comparing the two. Here is a faarsi she’r of hafiz …
aabru mi ravad aye abr-e siyah posh be-baar
keh ba-diivaan-e amal naama siyaah aamadah iim
My dignity is going, O dark cloud, rain down to wash away
That dark ledger of my actions that is being presented
14
be-vafaaii¹ umr² ki hoti hai saahir³ dil pe naqsh⁴
jalva⁵-e nairaNgi⁶-e hasti⁷ ko dam-bhar⁸ dekh kar   1.unfaithfulness, impermanence 2.life 3.pen-name of the poet 4.engraved, etched 5.manifestation 6.enchantment, magic 7.existence, being, divine being 8.momentarily
The impermanence of life gets etched on the heart, O saahir, if you get even a fleeting glance of the manifestation of the magic of the divine being.