Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. munshi naubat rai nazar lakhnavi (1864-1923), lukhnow. Well recognized poet with a published diivaan and the editor of several literary magazines including adeeb. He has several Ghazal modeled after Ghalib. This Ghazal is linked to a series in the style of Ghalib’s “saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN”.
1
mashGhool¹ huN nazaara²-e jaam³-e sharaab meN
muNh dekhta huN aaina-e aaftaab⁴ meN  1.busy, engrossed in 2.looking at, contemplating 3.cup 4.sun
In a poetic tradition inherited from arabi, pre-islamic poetry, red wine and its brilliance is considered to be like the sun. The poet/wine-lover is engrossed in comtemplating the cup of wine before him. He cannot look directly at the sun for fear of being blinded by its brilliance. So, he is looking at the reflection of the sun in the aaina i.e., the cup of wine. Could the sun and its brilliance be god and his glory. And when he looks at this mirror and finds his own face could be looking at the reflection of divinity in his own being.
2
paa’iiN¹ kabhi shafaq² meN na dekhiiN gulaab meN
jo shooKhiyaaN³ haiN surKhi⁴-e raNg⁵-e shabaab⁶ men   1.found 2.twilight 3.playfulness, teasing, coquetry 4.redness 5.style 6.youth
The poet/admirer is talking about the youthful beauty of the beloved. I have never found the kind/style of playfulness in the colours of the twilight or in the redness of the rose that I have seen in the youthful beauty of the beloved.
3
muNh vo Dhake¹ haiN aab²-e ravaaN³ ke naqaab⁴ meN
manzil⁵ hai maahtaab⁶ ki burj⁷-e habaab⁸ meN    1.covered 2.water 3.flowing 4.veil 5.destination, goal 6.full moon 7.dome 8.bubble
Imagine the beloved, as beautiful as the full moon washing her face in a flowing mountain stream. The water acts like a veil covering her face. Thus, she hides her face behing a veil of flowing water. She looks at her reflection in the bubbles that form in the stream as she washes. Thus, the destination of the moonlike beloved is in the dome of the bubble.
4
GhunchoN¹ ko hashr² tak bhi mayassar³ na aayegi
jo baat hai tere dahn⁴-e laajavaab⁵ meN   1.unopened flowed buds 2.doomsday 3.available, attain 4.mouth, lips 5.unequalled
In urdu poetic tradition an extremely thin waist and a disappearingly small mouth are considered standards of beauty. Unopened buds can be considered to have narrow mouths as opposed to a fully blooming flower. Thus, even narrow mouthed buds will never be able to rival the beauty of your mouth.
5
Khauf¹-e nazar² hai shooKhi³-e jaulaan⁴-e yaar⁵ par
uR uR ke Khaak⁶ paRti hai chashm⁷-e rakaab⁸ meN  1.fear, awe 2.sight, glance, pen-name of the poet 3.playfulness, mischief 4.energy, energetic/fast running/riding 5.beloved 6.dust 7.eye 8.stirrup
The beloved is riding with much energy and mischief. Dust rises as high as the ‘eye of the stirrup’ is fear or awe. Either the poet/lover is watching in awe as she is riding towards him in anger or in fear as she is riding away towards the rival. It is also possible the poet/lover is dead and turned to dust. It is his dust that rises in awe, still yearning to catch a glimpse of her.
6
in naazukoN¹ ko haath koii kis tarah lagaaye
kahte haiN paauN dukh gaye aaye jo Khwaab meN    1.delicate, fragile
The beloved has appeared in the poet/lover’s dream. The linguistic construction in urdu amounts to saying that she came or walked to his dream. She is so delicate that even this imagined/dreamt walk causes her feet to ache. If she is so delicate, how can I even touch her.
7
yuN hai bayaaz¹-e dil meN hamaari Khayaal²-e yaar³
rakhte haiN jis tarah se nishaani⁴ kitaab meN  1.book, collection 2.thoughts, memories 3.beloved 4.memento, image
This is like lovers press a flower or a lock of hair in a book to remember. Memories of the beloved are pressed into the collection/book of the heart of the poet in much the same way.
8
khulta¹ hai aasmaan-e haqiiqat² se ye mujhe
saara jahaaN hai qaid³ tilasm⁴-e habaab⁵ meN    1.revealed 2.truth 3.imprisoned, bound 4.magic, enchantment 5.bubble
The whole world is caught up in/bound by the love of the material (rather than the spiritual). This has been revealed to the poet by the ‘sky of truth’.
9
duniya meN GhaafiloN¹ ko adam² ki nahiN hai fikr³
paa⁴-e Khayaal⁵ qaid⁶ hai zanjiir⁷-e Khwaab meN  1.forgetful (of the spiritual), unmindful 2.afterlife 3.worry 4.feet 5.imagination, thought 6.bound, tied 7.chain 8.dream, illusion
Those who are unmindful of the spiritual don’t seem to be worried about the afterlife. The feet of the imagination are bound by illusion (thinking that the material is the spiritual).
10
us saahib¹-e haya² pe maiN aashiq huN aye nazar³
maiN ne bhi aaj tak jise dekha na Khwaab meN  1.owner, lord 2.coyness, bashful, withdrawn, hidden 3.pen-name of poet
‘saahib-e haya’ could be the bashful beloved or an unseen god hidden from view. This can be especially so because of the second misra which suggests that “even” the poet has not seen her/him even in his dreams, implying that no one else has either. And without seeing him/her the poet is still in love/awe/devotion.