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
bedaar¹ ke hai vaqt²-e tarannum³ saaqi
phir jaam⁴ meN bhar rooh⁵-e talaatum⁶ saaqi
Thahre hue aaNsu ke ufaq⁷ se haaN dekh
taala’⁸ vo hui subah tabassum⁹ saaqi¹⁰   1.awake, aware 2.time of 3.song, merriment, joy 4.cup 5.spirit of 6.tumult (of joyous celebration) 7.horizon/edge 8.emerge, rise 9.smile 10.(wine) cup bearer
O, saaqi, wake up and see, it is a time of joy. Fill my cup again with spirit of joy. Over lingering tear drops, see the smiling dawn emerge. Thus, josh is using a beautiful juxtaposition of joy and sorrow with tear (dew) drops and smiling dawn.
2
kirnauN se chhalak¹ raha hai geti² ka ayaaGh³
zarraat⁴ haiN ya laala⁵-e firdaus⁶ ke baaGh
GhurfauN⁷ ke ye sheeshe haiN ke sone ke Daley
shabnam ke ye qatre haiN ke mandir ke chiraaGh 1.overflowing 2.earth, world 3.cup 4.dust 5.tulip 6.heaven 7.windows
The dawn is spreading redness on the horizon … like the earth’s cup is overflowing with rays of light. Even dust particles/rocks shine as if they are tulips of the garden of heaven. Between clouds it is as if there are colourful windows-panes of gold. Dew drops twinkle and shine like lamps of a temple.
3
ye Khafta¹ fiza² pe Khait-e-abyaz³ ka nikhaar⁴
dosh⁵-e anvaar⁶ pe ye meena-bazaar⁷
ye subah ki peshvaaz⁸ gaNga jumni
alvaan⁹ ki badli¹⁰ se raagauN ki phu’aar 1.hidden 2.ambience, surroundings 3.white line on the horizon just before dawn 4.freshness 5.shoulder/back 6.rays of light 7.display of jewels 8.stepping forward to welcome 9.colours 10.clouds
The surroundings are subtle, remain (hidden) in the background. A fresh white line emerges on the horizon. Soon, it is as if rays of light are carrying a display of colourful jewelry on their backs. Rivers flow (step forward) to welcome the dawn. The colourful clouds send down a spray of colours.
4
kore¹ pinDauN² ki narm pyaari sub-heN
paaband³-e haya⁴ raaj kumari sub-heN
byaahi sub-hauN se dil lagaaye kyuNkar
jis ki mahboob⁵ hoN kuNvaari⁶ sub-heN 1.blank/fresh/youthful 2.bodies 3.bound by, mindful 4.bashfulness, dignity 5.beloved, favourite 6.virgin
josh uses sensuous imagery … dawn is soft like the soft bodies of youthful girls. Dawn is also mindful of its dignity and remains bashful, not revealing herself completely. The “virgin dawn” – today’s fresh morning, is the poet/lover’s favourite. In such presence, how can he remember yesterday’s dawn.
5
har subah ba-andaaz¹-e digar² aati hai
thaali meN liye naye guhar³ aati hai
har roz nikharti⁴ hai ufaq⁵ par laikin
har baar nai-dulhan nazar aati hai  1.in a style of 2.different 3.pearls 4.freshens/blooms 5.horizon
Each dawn in different. Each morning it brings a fresh set of pearls on its platter. It blooms every day on the horizon, yet … it appears like a new bride every time.
6
ye subah sar-e-koh¹, ye purva² sunn-sun³
har samt⁴ ye kohre⁵ ki larazti⁶ chilman
yuN phooT raha hai raNg-e vaadi⁷ jaise
malmal ke dupaTTe se humakta⁸ joban⁹   1.top of the hill 2.breeze 3.whistling 4.direction 5.mist 6.trembling, shimmering 7.valley 8.infant reaching out to be picked up 9.youth, polite/subtle words for young breasts
A light breeze whistling at the top of the hill early in the morning. All around, in every direction a sheet/curtain of shimmering dew. The colour/beauty of the valley bursts forth as if giving a hint of young breasts subtly hidden/revealed from behind a shawl.
7
ye charKh¹ pe badliyauN² ki ghaateN³ saaqi
ye subah ko raatauN ki baraateN saaqi
haaN kaag⁴ uRa, ke par fashaaN⁵ hai sar par
uRte Khaime⁶ davaaN⁷ qinaateN⁸ saaqi  1.sky 2.clouds 3.playful ambush 4.cork (of the bottle of wine) 5.flying 6.tents 7.flowing/flapping 8.tent wall/curtain
josh juxtaposes a joyous, wine-drinking evening with the beauty of dawn. Clouds are blowing in the sky as if in playful ambush of each other. The morning feels like a wedding party of an evening. Such clouds/occasions (stormy blowing and flapping of tent walls) in poetic convention call for a celebration of wine drinking. Thus, the call for the saaqi to uncork a bottle of wine.
8
ye vaqt aur aavaaz-e jalaali¹ hai-hai²
ye lahn³-e sahr⁴ ki paaemaali⁵ hai-hai
tu ne aye bad-gulu⁶ ba-zarbaat⁷-e azaaN
aNgRaaii saba⁸ ki toR Daali hai-hai 1.angry 2.haaye-haaye, alas 3.melody 4.dawn 5.trampled underfoot 6.bad throat, harsh voice/sound 7.by the blows of 8.morning breeze
It is dawn and a light, pleasant breeze has just started to blow as if it is yawning/stretching waking up from its sleep. The light blowing of the breeze is like a pleasant melody. Alas, it is trampled underfoot by the harsh sounds of the azaan, as if it is breaking the yawn/stretch of a young maiden.
9
lapTauN¹ ke KhazaanauN² ko luTaati³ aaii
soti hui kaliyauN ko jagaati aaii
taKh’eel⁴ ke daa’ere⁵ meN jhanki paazeb
is tarah naseem⁶ gungunaati aaii  1.hugs 2.treasures 3.lavishly squandering 4.thought/imagination 5.circle/domain 6.fragrant breeze
Fragrant early morning breeze blows, lavishly/generously hugging all buds in its path and waking them up (making them bloom). The blooming of fresh buds/flowers is supposed to make a light sound – chiTakna as the petals unfold. In the sphere of imagination that sound is like the tinkling of ankle bells (suggestive of the beloved approaching). That is how the fragrant breeze blows in, humming a tune. In kaliyauN ki bedaari, josh writes
lapeTe muNh so rahiN theeN kaliyaN, saba ne aakar jo gudgudaya
sarak gaye haiN saroN se aaNchal, tamaam gulshan mahak raha hai
10
vo baab-e-sahr¹ khula, vo dauRi tanveer²
vo zulf-e-tarab³ khuli, vo TooTi zanjeer
gul raNg hua vo Khwaab-e-farda⁴ ka ufaq⁵
vo dekh kiran ki tarah phooTi t’aabeer⁶   1.door of dawn 2.rays of light 3.hair of happiness/pleasure 4.dream/vision of the future 5.horizon 6.intrepretation, realization (of a dream)
The door of dawn opens, and rays of light run forth. Happiness (personified as a damsel) has let down her hair, shackles are broken. The horizon of the vision of tomorrow is red like a rose. Look over there, rays of light break through, like the realization of a dream.