Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi is well known for his fiery nazm. He also wrote many romantic as well as cerebral nazm and Ghazal. His marsia are a celebration of dignified death rather than bowing to injustice even at the cost of life. He also wrote numerous rubaaii. This series is a collection of nearly 300 rubaaiyaat from various books organized by subject. This selection is about the beauty of dawn. Although this is a collection of rubaaii, I begin with a very famous she’r of josh. josh was known to love early morning walks and has written many nazm/Ghazal on the beauty of dawn. See for example, albeli subah, kaliyauN ki bedaari, dua-e sahri and many more.

hum aise ahl-e-nazar¹ ko suboot²-e haq³ ke liye
agar rasool na hote to subah kaafi⁴ thi 1.people of discriminating vision/taste 2.proof 3.truth, god 4.enough
It is implied that mohammed proved the existence of god. But for people of discriminating taste/understanding, the beauty of dawn would have been enough proof.
1
kis ke maqdam¹ meN ye ufaq² hai raNgiin
kis ki dhun meN saba³ ne chheRi hai ye biin⁴
kis ki Khaatir⁵ buna hai aye abr-o-shu’aa⁶
muqqaish⁷ ke ye ravaaN⁸ lahriya⁹ qaaliin¹⁰   1.welcome 2.horizon 3.morning breeze 4.flute 5.for the sake of 6.clouds and rays of light 7.brocade 8.flowing 9.waving 10.carpet
In ‘albeli subah’ – josh writes, anticipating the arrival of the beloved
khaTak ye kyuN dil meN ho chali phir? chiTakti kaliyo zara Thahrna
hava-e gulshan ki narm rau meN, ye kis ki avaaz aa rahi hai
He asks blooming buds to hold their clicking as they unfold their petals because he hears the beloved approaching. Here too, there are preparations to welcome the beloved – the horizon is colourful, the morning breeze has broken into a tune on her flute, the clouds and rays of sunlight are weaving a brocade carpet that flows and waves in the sky.
2
damkaaii¹ hai suraj ne abhi nisf² jabiN³
sosan⁴ hai fiza⁵ farsh⁶-e zamiN hai nasriN⁷
paTri pe jo GhaltaaN⁸ hai ye nanhi kiran
Darta huN ke rail se na kaT jaaye kahiN  1.emblazoned 2.half 3.forehead, brow 4.a flower of sky blue colour 5.atmosphere, surroundings 6.floor 7.white rose 8.dissolved, laying down
The sun isn’t fully ablaze yet, showing only half its brow. The ambience is blue, like the sosan and earth bright like a white rose. On the railway track a ray of light hugs the rails. The poet is fearful that the approaching train will cut/crush it – intrusion of civilization on nature … much like the sound of azaan intruding on the melody of dawn (see josh rubaaiyaat sahr).
3
garduN¹ pe ba-sad² naaz³ pas⁴-e abr⁵-e siyaah⁶
saf-basta⁷ nigar⁸-e subah ki surKh⁹ sipaah¹⁰
ye kaakul¹¹ o ruKh¹² ka rishta¹³ chashm-e-bad¹⁴ duur
ye zann¹⁵ o yaqiN¹⁶ ka rabt¹⁷ masha-allah  1.sky 2.with a hundred 3.coquetries 4.behind 5.cloud 6.dark 7.formation in ranks/lines 8.beauty of 9.red 10.army 11.curly locks, hair 12.face 13.relationship 14.evil eye 15.imagination, conjecture 16.certainty 17.relationship
On the sky, behind dark clouds, with a hundred coquetries, the colourful army of the beauty of dawn is waiting in formation to attack. Dark clouds are like dark curls of the beloved’s hair and the light behind them is like the brightness of her face. May the evil eye not bring a curse of this relationship. May god be praised for this association between imagination and reality.
4
phoolauN meN hai vo subah ki afsuN-kaari¹
har samt² hai ek dajla³-e Khushboo jaari⁴
Dooba nazar aata hai nizaam⁵-e aafaaq⁶
kitni gahri hai paNkhaRi ki dhaari  1.enchantment/illusion creation 2.direction 3.river 4.flowing 5.domain 6.horizons
Flowers create an illusion at dawn. It is as if a river of fragrance flows in every direction. The domain of the horizons (everything under the sky) seems to be drowing (in this river/illusion). The effect of flower petals is very deep indeed.
5
ye phool sa vaqt-e subah aur Dahkaar¹
ye goonj, ye ghan garaj, ye ghaR ghaR ye guhaar²
tayyara³-e na-muraad⁴, sad-haif⁵ ke tu
titli ki Khush-aahaNg⁶ parauN par hai savaar  1.groan 2.loud shout 3.airplane 4.unwanted, unwelcome 5.hundred sorrows 6.pleasant melody
These blooms, this time of dawn and on top of it this groaning! This reverberation, this thundering, this drumming and this loud noise. Fie on you, you unwelcome airplane. You are riding on the melodious wings of the butterfly. josh protests intrusion.
6
surKhi chhaaii ufaq¹ pe gaagar² jhalki³
shaanauN se sitaarauN ki dulaaii⁴ Dhalki
raNgauN ki baraat meN dhundalka⁵ thirka⁶
phoolauN ki kaToriyauN se shabnam chhalki⁷   1.horizon 2.clay/metal pot 3.shine, shimmer 4.shawl, blanket 5.twilight 6.sensuous dance 7.spill, overflow
Redness spreads on the horizon and the pot/globe/sun peeps up, shining. The starry blanket/shawl of stars begins to disappear in the light of dawn … as if it is slipping off the shoulders of the damsel/dawn. Light and dark wave in a sensuous dance of colour as in a wedding procession. The petals of flowers that cup dew now overflow/spill over.
7
darya¹-e tulu’² meN haiN zarriN³ girdaab⁴
alvaan⁵ ulaT rahe haiN mukhRauN se naqaab⁶
shaanauN pe liye hue hai Khwaabida⁷ fiza⁸
sona chaandi gulaal kaajal kamKhvaab⁹    1.ocean, river 2.dawn 3.golden 4.whirlpools 5.colours 6.veil 7.sleepy 8.breeze 9.brocade
The sky is like a river of dawn with golden whirlpools in it. Colours lift veils off their faces. The sleepy/gentle breeze carries on its shoulders silvery and golden colours, red powder, dark mascara and brocade.
8
kal saahil¹-e Khwabeeda² par aye paikar³-e naaz⁴
jab subah ne zarbaft⁵ ki pahni pishvaaz⁶
khanki mandir meN yuN rasili ghanTi
dhoka ye hua ke aaii teri aavaaz  1.shoreline 2.sleepy 3.image, manifestation, embodiment 4.coquetry 5.gold laced 6.dancing skirt
The poet/lover is at the threshold of sleepiness/waking up when he imagines the beloved appearing coquettish in a gold laced dancing skirt. The sweet bells of the temple deceive him into imaging the tinkling of ankle bells – whose ankle bells? Beloved or god?
9
Khursheed¹ ubhar raha hai ba-sad² alvaan³
aflaak⁴ par aayaat⁵ ke juNmbaaN⁶ haiN nishaan
geti⁷ ko paiambari⁸ ka mansab⁹ dene
garduN¹⁰ se goya¹¹ utar raha hai qur’aan 1.sun 2.with a hundred 3.colours 4.skies 5.signs/indications/manifestations (of god/nature), verses of the qur’aan 6.trembling 7.world/earth 8.prophethood 9.office/status 10.skies 11.as if
The sun is peeping above the horizon and it is a colourful dawn. The poet/admirer looks upon all the signs of nature as if they bear witness to the work of god. The colourful rays of light from the skies descend as if verses of the qur’aan are coming down to give earth the status of prophethood i.e. convey the message of god.
10
qaid¹-e Ghaflat² se zindagi chhooT gaii
chhaaii hui zulmat³ ki kamar TooT gaii
dosheeza⁴-e subah ne papoTe⁵ jo maley
pau⁶ phaT gaii zar-taar⁷ kiran phooT gaii 1.imprisonment 2.forgetfulness/sleep 3.darkness 4.damsel 5.eyelids 6.first rays of dawn 7.golden thread
Life is released from the imprisonment of sleep. The back of this overarching darkness is broken. As Damsel-Dawn rubs her eyelids, the first golden rays of light burst forth.