rashk-e masiiha kaheN jise-brij mohan kaifi

For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.

رشکِ مسیحا کہیں جسے ۔ برج موہن دتّاتریہ کیفیؔ

۱

اک خواب کا خیال ہے دنیا کہیں جسے

ہے اِس میں اِک طلسم تمنّا کہیں جسے

۲

اک شکل ہے تفنُّنِ طبعِ جمال کی

اس سے زیادہ کچھ نہیں دنیا کہیں جسے

۳

خمیازہ ہے کرشمہ پرستیِ دہر کا

اہلِ زمانہ عالمِ عقبیٰ کہیں جسے

۴

اک اشک وارمیدۂ ضبطِ غمِ فراق

موج ہوائے شوق ہے دریا کہیں جسے

۵

باوصفِ ضبط رازِ محبت ہے آشکار

عقدہ ہے دل کا عقدِ ثریا کہیں جسے

۶

برہم زنِ حجاب ہے خود رفتگیِ حسن

اک شانِ بے خودی ہے زلیخا کہیں جسے

۷

عکسِ صفائے قلب کا جوہر ہے آئینہ

وارفتۂ جمالِ خود آرا کہیں جسے

۸

رم شیوہ ہے صنم تو ہے رم آشنا یہ دل

حاصل ہے مجھ کو عیش مہیا کہیں جسے

۹

خونی کفن یہ سینت کے رکھا ہے کس لیے

قاتل وہ ہے کہ رشکِ مسیحا کہیں جسے

۱۰

سب کچھ ہے اور کچھ بھی نہیں دہر کا وجود

کیفیؔ یہ بات وہ ہے معمّا کہیں جسے

रश्क-ए मसीहा कहें जिसे – ब्रिज मोहन दत्तात्रेया कैफ़ी

एक ख़्वाब का ख़याल है दुनिया कहें जिसे

है इस में एक तिलिस्म तमन्ना कहें जिसे

एक शक्ल है तफ़न्नुन-ए तब’अ-ए जमाल की

इस से ज़ियादा कुछ नहीं दुनिया कहें जिसे

ख़म्याज़ा है करिश्मा-परस्ती-ए दहर का

अहल-ए ज़माना आलम-ए उक़्बा कहें जिसे

एक अश्क वारमीदा-ए ज़ब्त-ए ग़म-ए फ़िराक़

मौज-ए हवा-ए शौक़ है दर्या कहें जिसे

बा-वस्फ़-ए ज़ब्त राज़ मोहब्बत है आश्कार

उक़्दा है दिल का अक़्द-ए सुरय्या कहें जिसे

बरहम-ज़न-ए हिजाब है ख़ुद-रफ़्तगी-ए हुस्न

एक शान-ए बे-ख़ुदी है ज़ुलैख़ा कहें जिसे

अक्स-ए सफ़ा-ए क़ल्ब का जौहर है आईना

वारफ़्ता-ए जमाल ख़ुद-आरा कहें जिसे

रम-शेवा है सनम तो है रम-आश्ना ये दिल

हासिल है मुझ को ऐश मुहय्या कहें जिसे

ख़ूनी कफ़न ये सैंत के रक्खा है किस लिए

क़ातिल वो है कि रश्क-ए मसीहा कहें जिसे

१०

सब कुछ है और कुछ भी नहीं दहर का वजूद

कैफ़ी ये बात वो है मो’अम्मा कहें जिसे

 

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit brij mohan dattatreya kaifi (1866-1955) was recognized as a scholar of arabi, faarsi, sanskrit and urdu. He was a great lover of urdu and wrote a short history of the evolution of the language. He wrote with much poignancy about communal harmony that existed before the souring of relationships. This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s ‘aisa kahaaN se laa’uN keh tujh sa kaheN jise’ of the same bahr, radiif and qaafiya. In addition, kaifi’s tribute to Ghalib is also worth visiting (https://urdushahkar.org/mirza-ghalib-brij-mohan-kaifi/).
1
ek Khwaab ka Khayaal hai duniya kaheN jise
hai is meN ek tilasm1 tamanna2 kaheN jise    
1.magic, enchantment 2.desire
The prevailing philosophy in the Indian subcontinental culture is that desire leads to sorrow in this world. Thus, there is a magic in this world, called desire, that traps you. This (material) world is merely a the thought of a dream. Reality is in the spiritual world.

2
ek shakl1 hai tafannun2-e tab’a3-e jamaal4 ki
is se ziyaada kuchh nahiN duniya kaheN jise  
1.facet 2.amusement, pastime 3.nature 4.glorious
This world is nothing more than amusement for the one who has a glorious nature i.e., god.

3
Khamyaaza1 hai karishma-parasti2-e dahr3 ka
ahl-e zamaana4 aalam5-e aqba6 kaheN jise   
1.reward, compensation 2.miracle worshipping, karishma can also mean trickery 3.world 4.people of the world 5.world of 6.hereafter, the next world
The world worships trickery (material goods). That which we called the next world is compensation for trickery-worship.

4
ek ashk1 vaarmida2-e zabt3-e Gham-e firaaq4
mauj5-e havaa-e-shauq6 hai dariya7 kaheN jise   
1.tear drop 2.running, flowing, escape 3.control, self-control 4.separation 5.wave 6.overwhelming desire 7.sea
An escaped tear drop indicates the self-control of the sorrow of separation from the beloved, but overwhelming desire is like waves of the sea.

5
ba-vasf1-e zabt2 raaz3-e mohabbat hai aashkaar4
uqda5 hai dil ka aqd-e-surayya6 kaheN jise  
1.in spite of 2.self-control 3.secret, hidden 4.apparent, obvious 5.problem, puzzle 6.constellation of pleiades used as a symbol of love
In spite of self control love is apparent from your looks. This is what is called the puzzle of the heart.

6
barham-zan1-e hijaab2 hai Khud-raftagi3-e husn4
ek shaan5-e be-Khudi6 hai zulaiKha7 kaheN jise  
1.constantly/repeatedly disturbing 2.veil 3.flowing in an excess of emotion 4.beauty 5.dignity 6.trance, forgetting oneself in love 7.see notes
When beauty/beloved is overwhelmed by the flow of emotions, she constantly (and coyly) disturbs/arranges/re-arranges the veil. On the other hand the boldness of zulaiKha shows the dignity of true and intense love. zulaiKha was the wife of a wealthy trader in Egypt who bought yusuf/Joseph as a slave. yusuf was a very handsome man and zulaiKha immediately fell deeply in love with him and was very open about it, trying to seduce him. It is this boldness that the poet seems to admire.

7
aks1-e safaa2-e qalb3 ka jauhar4 hai aa’ina
vaarafta5-e jamaal6-e Khud-aaraa7 kaheN jise  
1.image, reflection 2.purity 3.heart 4.light, brilliance, essence 5.beKhudi, trance, forgetting oneself 6.beauty, glory 7.self-adorning, self-creating, god
The heart is in a trance/is absorbed in contemplating the glory of (self-adorning) god. Because of this absorption it is pure and the light of this purity is reflected like a shining mirror.

8
ram-sheva1 hai sanam2 to hai ram-aashna3 ye dil
haasil4 hai mujh ko aish-e-muhayya5 kaheN jise  
1.by nature trying to run away/escape 2.beloved 3.familiar with such running 4.available 5.provision of comfort of live
The beloved is in the habit of running away from me and escaping my reach. But I am familiar with this and at peace with it. Because I am familiar with it, it is as if all comforts of live are provided to me. At a mystical level this can be applied to the concept to god. Its understanding/meaning escapes us, but because we know we cannot understand, we can make peace with it and be happy/comfortable in the love of god.

9
Khooni1 kafan2 ye saiNt3 ke rakkha hai kis liye
qaatil4 vo hai keh rashk5-e masiiha6 kaheN jise    
1.blood stained 2.burial shroud 3.collected, gathered, saved 4.killer, beloved 5.envy of 6.healer, miraculous healer like Jesus
Why do you need to save this blood-stained shroud. The killer/beloved him/herself can be called the envy of Jesus, the miraculous healer. At a mystical level if we think of the beloved as god and are bloodied/injured because of separation from him/her, then why worry about saving the stained burial shroud. You can leave everything in the hands of god.

10
sab kuchh hai aur kuchh bhi nahiN dahr1 ka vajood2
kaifi3 ye baat vo hai mu’amma4 kaheN jise   
1.material world 2.existence 3.pen-name 4.puzzle
This material world is all we know and all we have at this time, yet it is nothing i.e., not of any consequence. O kaifi, this is what is called a puzzle.

panDit brij mohan dattatreya kaifi (1866-1955) was recognized as a scholar of arabi, faarsi, sanskrit and urdu.  He was a great lover of urdu and wrote a short history of the evolution of the language.  He wrote with much poignancy about communal harmony that existed before the souring of relationships.  This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s ‘aisa kahaaN se laa’uN keh tujh sa kaheN jise’ of the same bahr, radiif and qaafiya.  In addition, kaifi’s tribute to Ghalib is also worth visiting (https://urdushahkar.org/mirza-ghalib-brij-mohan-kaifi/).
1
ek Khwaab ka Khayaal hai duniya kaheN jise
hai is meN ek tilasm1 tamanna2 kaheN jise

1.magic, enchantment 2.desire

The prevailing philosophy in the Indian subcontinental culture is that desire leads to sorrow in this world.  Thus, there is a magic in this world, called desire, that traps you.  This (material) world is merely a the thought of a dream.  Reality is in the spiritual world.
2
ek shakl1 hai tafannun2-e tab’a3-e jamaal4 ki
is se ziyaada kuchh nahiN duniya kaheN jise

1.facet 2.amusement, pastime 3.nature 4.glorious

This world is nothing more than amusement for the one who has a glorious nature i.e., god.
3
Khamyaaza1 hai karishma-parasti2-e dahr3 ka
ahl-e zamaana4 aalam5-e aqba6 kaheN jise

1.reward, compensation 2.miracle worshipping, karishma can also mean trickery 3.world 4.people of the world 5.world of 6.hereafter, the next world

The world worships trickery (material goods).  That which we called the next world is compensation for trickery-worship.
4
ek ashk1 vaarmida2-e zabt3-e Gham-e firaaq4
mauj5-e havaa-e-shauq6 hai dariya7 kaheN jise

1.tear drop 2.running, flowing, escape 3.control, self-control 4.separation 5.wave 6.overwhelming desire 7.sea

An escaped tear drop indicates the self-control of the sorrow of separation from the beloved, but overwhelming desire is like waves of the sea.
5
ba-vasf1-e zabt2 raaz3-e mohabbat hai aashkaar4
uqda5 hai dil ka aqd-e-surayya6 kaheN jise

1.in spite of 2.self-control 3.secret, hidden 4.apparent, obvious 5.problem, puzzle 6.constellation of pleiades used as a symbol of love

In spite of self control love is apparent from your looks.  This is what is called the puzzle of the heart.
6
barham-zan1-e hijaab2 hai Khud-raftagi3-e husn4
ek shaan5-e be-Khudi6 hai zulaiKha7 kaheN jise

1.constantly/repeatedly disturbing 2.veil 3.flowing in an excess of emotion 4.beauty 5.dignity 6.trance, forgetting oneself in love 7.see notes

When beauty/beloved is overwhelmed by the flow of emotions, she constantly (and coyly) disturbs/arranges/re-arranges the veil.  On the other hand the boldness of zulaiKha shows the dignity of true and intense love.  zulaiKha was the wife of a wealthy trader in Egypt who bought yusuf/Joseph as a slave.  yusuf was a very handsome man and zulaiKha immediately fell deeply in love with him and was very open about it, trying to seduce him.  It is this boldness that the poet seems to admire.
7
aks1-e safaa2-e qalb3 ka jauhar4 hai aa’ina
vaarafta5-e jamaal6-e Khud-aaraa7 kaheN jise

1.image, reflection 2.purity 3.heart 4.light, brilliance, essence 5.beKhudi, trance, forgetting oneself 6.beauty, glory 7.self-adorning, self-creating, god

The heart is in a trance/is absorbed in contemplating the glory of (self-adorning) god.  Because of this absorption it is pure and the light of this purity is reflected like a shining mirror.
8
ram-sheva1 hai sanam2 to hai ram-aashna3 ye dil
haasil4 hai mujh ko aish-e-muhayya5 kaheN jise

1.by nature trying to run away/escape 2.beloved 3.familiar with such running 4.available 5.provision of comfort of live

The beloved is in the habit of running away from me and escaping my reach.  But I am familiar with this and at peace with it.  Because I am familiar with it, it is as if all comforts of live are provided to me.  At a mystical level this can be applied to the concept to god.  Its understanding/meaning escapes us, but because we know we cannot understand, we can make peace with it and be happy/comfortable in the love of god.
9
Khooni1 kafan2 ye saiNt3 ke rakkha hai kis liye
qaatil4 vo hai keh rashk5-e masiiha6 kaheN jise

1.blood stained 2.burial shroud 3.collected, gathered, saved 4.killer, beloved 5.envy of 6.healer, miraculous healer like Jesus

Why do you need to save this blood-stained shroud.  The killer/beloved him/herself can be called the envy of Jesus, the miraculous healer.  At a mystical level if we think of the beloved as god and are bloodied/injured because of separation from him/her, then why worry about saving the stained burial shroud.  You can leave everything in the hands of god.
10
sab kuchh hai aur kuchh bhi nahiN dahr1 ka vajood2
kaifi3 ye baat vo hai mu’amma4 kaheN jise

1.material world 2.existence 3.pen-name 4.puzzle

This material world is all we know and all we have at this time, yet it is nothing i.e., not of any consequence.  O kaifi, this is what is called a puzzle.