Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. raghupati sahay firaq gorakhpuri (1896-1982) pre-eminent urdu shaa’er, scholar of farsi and sanskrit. Was nominated to Indian Civil Service but chose to participate in the freedom movement. After independence he chose an academic career, teaching English at Allahabad University. This Ghazal is linked to other ham-radeef (not exactly identical but similar – ki baat kareN vs ki baateN karo) Ghazal on the Refrain page.
1
shaam-e Gham kuchh us nigaah¹-e naaz² ki baateN karo
be-Khudi³ baRhti chali hai raaz⁴ ki baateN karo    1.glance 2.coquetry 3.trance, intoxication 4.secrets
This is addressed either to a general audience or to fellow lovers who suffer the same fate as the poet/lover. The glance of coquetry-‘nigaah-e naaz’, of the beloved is the cause of pain and sorrow. The poet wants to talk about the pain and suffering caused by the ‘nigaah-e naaz’ during the night of sorrow/separation. Normally, this is not talked about openly, but now they are getting intoxicated and they are opening up to talk about these secrets.
2
ye sukoot¹-e naaz² ye dil ki ragoN³ ka TooTna
Khaamushi meN kuchh shikast⁴-e saaz⁵ ki baateN karo   1.silence 2.pride, coquetry 3.fibre, veins 4.breaking 5.musical instrument
The beloved is the embodiment of ‘naaz’ and is aloof and silent. The poet/lover’s heart breaks as a result. The fibres and veins of the heart are torn and the throbbing of the heart (music) can no longer be played on the broken musical instrument. The poet wants to talk about this.
3
nik’hat¹-e zulf²-e pareshaaN³ daastaan⁴-e shaam-e Gham
sub’h hone tak isi andaaz⁵ ki baateN karo    1.fragrance 2.hair 3.scattered, spread 4.story 5.style, type
Until dawn the poet/lover wants to talk about the fragrance of the beloved’s hair as she spreads it out. He wants to talk about the story of the night of sorrow/separation.
4
har rag¹-e dil vajd² meN aati rahe dukhti rahe
yooNhi us ke jaa-o-bejaa³ naaz⁴ ki baateN karo   1.fibre 2.trance 3.justified and unjustified 4.pride, coquetry, cruelty
Let every fibre of the heart go into a trance, let every fibre hurt. Keep talking about the beloved’s cruelty, justified or not.
5
jo adam¹ ki jaan hai jo hai payaam²-e zindagi
us sukoot³-e raaz⁴ us aavaaz ki baateN karo    1.non-existence 2.message 3.silence, stillness 4.secret
Non-existence-‘adam’ and message of life ‘payaam-e zindagi’ are opposites. The ‘silence of secrets’ and its ‘sound-aavaaz’ are also opposites. Here all four are meant to be used as expressions of cosmic love. This is what the poet wants to talk about.
6
ishq rusva¹ ho chala be-kaif² sa bezaar³ sa
aaj us ki nargis⁴-e Ghammaz⁵ ki baateN karo    1.insulted, shamed 2.restless 3.losing interest/hope, hopeless 4.narcissus-symbolic of the beloved’s eye 5.tell-tale, story telling
The lover is the embodiment of ishq. He has been insulted, disappointed, is restless and has lost all hope. It is the beloved’s eye hinting at stories of love that is the cause, which he wants to talk about.
7
naam bhi lena hai jis ka ek jahaan-e raNg-o-boo¹
dosto us nau-bahaar²-e naaz³ ki baateN karo   1.colour and fragrance 2.new/fresh spring 3.pride, coquetry, beloved
Just taking her name opens up a world of colour and fragrance as if spring is breaking out and flowers are blooming. It is such a beloved that the poet wants to talk about.
8
kis liye uzr¹-e taGhaaful² kis liye ilzaam³-e ishq
aaj charKh⁴-e tafraqa-pardaaz⁵ ki baateN karo    1.excuse, false story 2.indifference 3.blame 4.sky, fate 5.difference creating
Why make excuses for indifference (of the beloved); why blame love. Let us talk about fate/tradition that creates this difference (between the lover and the beloved). This is probably about the divine beloved and creation. In the sufi/vedic sense, they are one and the same.
9
kuchh qafas¹ ki tiiliyoN² se chhan³ raha hai nuur⁴ sa
kuchh faza⁵ kuchh hasrat⁶-e parvaaz⁷ ki baateN karo    1.cage 2.bars 3.filter through 4.light, brilliance 5.air, wind 6.desire, longing 7.flight
The poet is a bird who has been captured and put in a cage, that reminds him of old times. There is light filtering through the bars of the cage. He wants to talk about freely flowing air and his longing for free flight through the wind.
10
jo hayaat¹-e jaavidaaN² hai jo hai marg³-e naa-gahaaN⁴
aaj kuchh us naaz⁵ us andaaz⁶ ki baateN karo    1.life 2.eternal 3.death 4.unpredictable 5.coquetry 6.style
The beloved has a coquettish style that is both life giving and an unexpected death sentence.
11
ishq-e be-parva¹ bhi ab kuchh naa-shakeba² ho chala
shooKhi³-e husn⁴-e karishma-saaz⁵ ki baateN karo     1.uncaring 2.restless, impatient 3.mischief 4.beauty 5.miracle performing
‘ishq-e be-parvaa’ uncaring/reckless lover is human being and ‘husn-e karishma-saaz’ is the divine beauty, god. Thus, human being has become restless and impatient (to understand/achieve union with the divine). Let us talk about the mischief of god (who is hiding).
12
jis ki furqat¹ ne palaT di ishq ki kaaya² firaaq³
aaj us iisa-nafas⁴ dam-saaz⁵ ki baateN karo    1.separation 2.kaaya palaTna-turn fate around 3.pen-name of the poet 4.breath of Jesus 5.breath/life giving
Jesus is supposed to have brought the dead back to life by blowing on them. In much the same way the beloved can bring the dead lover back to life. She is characterized as the ‘dam-saaz iisa-nafas’. Thus, O firaaq, let us talk about the life giving beloved, separation from whom has turned my fate into dust.