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. His Ghazal are a seemingly incompatible mixture of sufiyaana, romantic and political ash’aar. This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s ‘Khaak meN kya soorateN hoNgi keh pinhaaN ho gaiiN’. In addition, kaifi’s tribute to Ghalib is also worth visiting (https://urdushahkar.org/mirza-ghalib-brij-mohan-kaifi/). This Ghazal was composed for yaum-e Ghalib, 1936. It is rather long. I have selected about ten ash’aar for your pleasure and linked them to ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
husn¹ ki raNgiiniyaaN² kya jalva-saamaaN³ ho gaiiN
dil ki aaNkheN sar-ba-sar⁴ aiman-ba-daamaaN⁵ ho gaiiN     1.beauty, beloved 2.playfulness, coquetry 3.means of manifestation/appearing 4.head-to-head, end to end 5.valley of paradise, garden of eden
The playful coquetry of the beloved became the means by which she could make a glimpse before the poet/lover (perhaps in the mind’s eye). The picture in his mind’s eye, from end to end, was that of the garden of paradise, such was the power of the beloved’s beauty.
2
jab t’alluq¹ aur t’ayyun² se hua aazaad dil
bid’ateN³ kahte the jin ko rooh-e-iimaaN⁴ ho gaiiN    1.relationship, attachments 2.determination, resolve, commitments 3.innovations in tradition 4.spirit/soul/essence of faith
When the heart became free of attachments and commitments (for material goals), then all that was considered new to traditions became the essence of faith i.e., freeing the heart of attachments and desires opens up the possibility of new forms of faith – universal love.
3
rafta-rafta¹ uTh gaii maa’shooq² o aashiq ki tameez³
ishq ki sub mushkileN⁴ is tarah aasaaN ho gaiiN    1.gradually 2.beloved 3.distinction, difference 4.difficulties
In sufi thought the ultimate goal of love is union with the (divine) beloved. Gradually, the distinction between the beloved (divine) and the lover (devotee) disappeared. Thus, did all difficulties in the path of love become easy.
4
sho’la¹ vo hai jal mare parvaana² jis par yuN to phir
saNg³ se chiNgaariyaaN⁴ aksar⁵ numaayaaN⁶ ho gaiiN     1.flame 2.moth 3.stone 4.sparks 5.often 6.evident, prominent, appears
Conventionally, the ‘parvaaa’ going round and round the flame is held up as the epitome of self-sacrificing love. kaifi acknowledges that but reserves greater praise for the sho’la-flame. He says, sho’la is that which appears often from sparks given out by rock. Normally rock is associated with hard-heartedness – ‘saNg-dil’. But here it generates sparks of passion which generate the sho’la circling around with the ‘parvaana’ burns to its death. Thus, the sho’la has an active role in the drama of love.
5
is dil-e be-mudduaa¹ ne kar diya mujh ko Ghani²
raahateN³ aur aafateN⁴ mujh ko yaksaaN⁵ ho gaiiN    1.without desires 2.self-sufficient 3.comfort 4.calamities 5.uniform, similar, same
This is a sufiyaana concept of cleansing the heart of all desires to become self-sufficient – not needing anything. In this state there is no difference between comfort and calamity.
6
thiiN jo agli¹ soorateN mahviyyat-aara² kis qadar³
dekh miT miT⁴ kar bhi zeb⁵-e taaq⁶-e nisyaaN⁷ ho gaiiN   1.past 2.engrossing 3.so much 4.erased, disappeared 5.adornmant 6.cupboard 7.forgetting, memories
So engrossing were the characters of the past that even after having gone from this earth, they have become the adornment of the cupboard of memories. Said Ghalib …
yaad thiiN ham ko bhii raNgaaraNg bazm-aaraaiyaaN
lekin ab naqsh-o-nigaar-e-taaq-e nisyaaN ho gaiiN
7
diin-o-duniya¹ us ki, b’aad-e marg² jannat³ us ki hai
KhidmateN⁴ ahl-e-vatan⁵ ki jis ka iimaaN⁶ ho gaiiN    1.here and hereafter, heaven and earth 2.death 3.heaven 4.service 5.people of the homeland 6.faith
This world and the next, and after death, heaven, belongs to them to dedicate their lives to the service of the homeland. Said Ghalib …
niind us ki hai dimaaGh us ka hai raateN us ki haiN
teri zulfeN jis ke baazu par pareshaaN ho gaiiN
8
toR saktiiN ahl-e-himmat¹ ki kamar naakaamiyaaN²
balke³ vo to mojib⁴-e s’aii⁵-e faraavaaN⁶ ho gaiiN     1.people of courage 2.failures 3.on the other hand 4.making necessary/obligatory 5.effort 6.flowing, continuing
‘kamar toRna’ is a phrase meaning to render helpless/hopeless, break the resolve. Can failures break the resolve of courageous people. No. On the other hand they make it necessary that effort continues.
9
maiN ne maana kuchh nahiN saahab maiN kuchh bhi to nahiN
kyuN phir is naachiiz¹ par vo nazreN² paikaaN³ ho gaiiN    1.person of no value 2.glances 3.arrows
I admit that I am of no value, absolutely none. Why then are these glances piercing this useless person with arrows.
10
kis qadar¹ rum-sheva² haiN kaifi³ adaa’eN⁴ husn⁵ ki
chhaaiiN aalam⁶ par kabhi siine meN pinhaaN⁷ ho gaiiN   1.how much 2.fleeting nature, changing 3.pen-name of the poet 4.coquetry 5.beauty, beloved 6.world 7.hidden
O how much does the nature of the beloved change, O kaifi. Sometimes her coquetry overwhelms the whole world and at other times it hides deep in my bosom.