Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. munshi Khairaati lal shagufta lakhnavi (xxxx-1898). There is not a single word about him in his diivaan other than a collection of Ghazal of several of his shaagird was published under the title naGhma-e jaaN-faza. This Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘barhaman ke paaNv’ is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
dekhuN jo apne haath se uss gul-badan¹ ke paaNv
phaileN² kabhi nah jism³ meN ranj-o-mehan⁴ ke paaNv     1.rose-bodied, beloved 2.paaNv phailaana-an expression meaning-to demand, to occupy space 3.body 4.pain and sorrow
‘gul-badan’ is the beloved and to see her feet with hands is probably used to mean to touch her feet. ‘ranj-o-mehan jism meN paaNv phailaana’ means pain and sorrow occupy/take over the body/life. Thus, if the poet/lover were to have access to the beloved, so that he could so much as touch her feet, then pain and sorrow will not be able to dominate his life (as they do now).
2
haihaat!¹ kis ki chaal² n’e paaband³ kar diya
kya gaR⁴ gaye chaman meN haiN sarv⁵-e chaman ke paaNv     1.alas 2.gait, walking style 3.feet tied, confined 4.buried 5.cypress
The cypress is tall and slender and sways gently in the breeze. It is used as a symbol of graceful stature and delicate movement. The beloved’s gait/movement and stature are so graceful and delicate that they put the cypress to shame. Ashamed of itself, it buries its feet into the ground of the garden so as not to be compared to the beloved.
3
bandish¹ na baandh aye sar²-e gesu³-e dilruba⁴
kholeNge Khaak⁵ haath asiir⁶-e rasan⁷ ke paaNv     1.tie, knot 2.tip, end 3.hair 4.heart capturing, beloved 5.dust, metaphor for weak, low, powerless 6.captive 7.rope
Here ‘asiir-e rasan’ are admirers/lovers. Their feet are tied i.e., they are captivated. Metaphorically, the rope that ties their feet is the long hair of the beloved. Here the poet/lover appeals to the hair of the heart-capturing beloved- do not bind the feet of the lovers/admirers; how can they summon the courage to untie their feet with their hands.
4
aaNkhoN pe, sar pe, vasl¹ ki shab² maiN Khushi-Khushi³
rakkuNga apn’e haath se uss gulbadan⁴ ke paaNv     1.union 2.night 3.happily 4.rose-bodied, beloved
The poet/lover is imagining the night of union with the beloved. He declares that he will happily place the rose-bodied beloved’s feet on his head or on his eyes.
5
be-taab¹ ho ke gauhar²-e dandaaN³ ki yaad meN
nikl’e sadaf⁴ ke batn⁵ se durr-e-adan⁶ ke paaNv     1.restless, impatient 2.pearl 3.teeth 4.oyster shell 5.womb 6.pearl of Aden
The pearls and rubies of Aden are considered the purest and brightest. But even they long to see the pearly teeth of the beloved. In their eagerness/impatience remembering the beloved’s bright teeth they step out of the womb of the oyster shell.
6
kyuNkar ravish¹ peh uss ki qadam-zan² ho paa³-e aql⁴
saabit⁵ nahiN kahiiN peh tumhaare suKhan⁶ ke paaNv     1.path, manner, habit, gait 2.follow footsteps 3.feet 4.mind, intelligence 5.steady 6.words
The beloved is notorious for not keeping her word. She promises to come but never does. Thus, how the feet of the mind every follow in the footsteps of your words i.e., how can the mind ever believe what you say. The feet of your words are never steady i.e., you never keep your word.
7
aavaara¹ mujh ko jaan² ke haihaat³ baad-e marg⁴
ahbaab⁵ ne kiye mer’e baahar kafan⁶ ke paaNv     1.wanderer 2.knowing 3.alas 4.death 5.friends 6.burial shroud
It is the tradition to lightly ties feet inside the burial shroud. But the story with the poet/lover was different. His friends left his feet untied, outside the shroud, because they knew that during his life he wandered the desert like majnuN the legendary passionate lover. They figured that he would continue to mad wandering even after death so they left his feet outside the burial shroud.
8
aab¹-e hayaat² chashma³-e haivaaN⁴ se ho nasiib⁵
bos’e⁶ agar visaal⁷ meN unn ke dahn⁸ ke paauN⁹      1.water 2.life 3.spring, rivulet 4.life 5.granted, bestowed 6.kiss 7.union 8.mouth, lips 9.obtain, achieve
This is a pun on the similarity of spelling and pronunciation of paaNv (feet) and paa’uN (obtain, achieve). ‘aab-e hayaat’ is the nectar of immortality and it flows in the ‘chashma-e haivaaN’ – the legendary spring of eternal life. Thus, I would attain immortality as if I had had a sip of the nectar from the spring of immortality, if during the night of union I were to get a kiss from the lips of the beloved.
9
aa’eNge ek din dam¹-e aaraam² dekhna
iss be-zabaaN³ ke haath meN uss be-dahn⁴ ke paaNv     1.time, moment 2.rest, death 3.tongueless, silent 4.without mouth/lips
This she’r also uses interesting word play. The conventional standard of beauty in urdu poetic tradition is that the mouth gets thinner and thinner until it disappears (just like the waist). The standard of beauty is ‘no waist’ and ‘no mouth’. The poet/lover describes himself as ‘tongueless’ or tongue tied, unable to say anything, helpless and juxtaposes this word with the ‘be-dahn’ i.e., epitome of beauty, beloved. Another tradition is that the beloved never visits the lover except on his death bed. ‘dam-e aaraam’ is used to mean moment of death. That is when she will come, just wait, he says. That is when he will be able to put his hands on her feet.
10
ye kya Ghazab¹ hai paaNv ke chhoone pe aap ne
kaaTe² haiN badl’e haath ke mujh Khasta-tan³ ke paaNv     1.calamity, cruelty, torture 2.paaNv kaaTna-to capture, tie up 3.broken body, weak
The poet/lover is Khasta-tan i.e., broken-hearted. His feet are cut off i.e., he cannot go anywhere; he is captivated in love. He touched her feet with his hands and she ‘cut off his feet’ i.e., touching her feet gave him such an immense feeling of love that he was captivated forever.
11
iimaan¹ apna jaan² ke O but³ teri qasam
chhoota⁴ huN haath joR ke maiN barhaman ke paaNv    1.faith 2.knowing, accepting 3.idol, beloved 4.touch
Word play continues in this she’r. The word ‘but’ is used for both the idol in the temple and and the beloved. In order to get access to the idol in the temple the poet/devotee offers supplication with folded hands before the brahmin and touches his feet. He conflates this ‘but-idol’ with the ‘but-beloved’. I swear, I offer supplications to the brahmin because I consider it my faith to gain access to you, O beloved.
12
har jaa¹ yeh shaq² haiN gardish³-e be-jaa⁴ ke lutf⁵ se
kya dekhte haiN aap Ghariib-ul-vatan⁶ ke paaNv     1.every place/location 2.torn, cut 3.moving, wandering 4.useless 5.pleasure, joy 6.exiled from home
The poet/lover considers himself ‘Ghariib-ul-vatan’, who has lost his home and wanders the streets or the desert in search of his beloved, like the legendary majnuN. In the process he has his feet cut and bleeding. Thus, why are you looking/staring at the feet of this homeless wanderer; his feet are cut in every place due to the ‘pleasure’ of ‘useless/ineffectual’ wandering. His wandering is a ‘pleasure’ because it is driven by his passion, and it is ‘be-jaa’ because it does not result in success.
13
tiir-e nigaah¹-e chashm²-e sanam³ se hui suboot⁴
mujh naatavaaN⁵ ko saaf⁶ Ghazaal-e-Khutan⁷ ke paaNv     1.glance 2.eye 3.beloved 4.proof 5.weak 6.clear 7.gazelle of the region of Tartary
‘Ghazaal-e Khutan’ is legendary for its musk as well as for its graceful run leaping with all four legs/feet in the air. Legend has it that its feet barely touch the ground and cannot be easily seen. The arrow of the glance of the beloved made the poet/lover so weak that he was laid on the ground. Because he was felled to the ground he could clearly see the feet of the gazelle as it leapt in the air.
14
paamaal¹ kisht²-e dil ko kareNge yaqiiN³ hua
vo chaal⁴ se nikaal ke apn’e chalan⁵ ke paaNv     1.tread underfoot, stomp 2.harvest 3.certain 4.trickery 5.style, gait
‘paaNv nikaalna’ is an expression meaning to show pranks/trickery/hidden tricks. The beloved has a fascinating gait. She uses the ‘chaal-trickery’ of this ‘chalan’ to stomp on the ‘harvest of the heart-feelings/love of the poet/lover’.
15
vo husn¹ hai keh jinn² o bashar³ baaGh-e dahr⁴ meN
malt’e⁵ haiN haath dekh ke uss gulbadan⁶ ke paaNv     1.beauty 2.angels, fairies, demons 3.humans 4.world 5.rub hands 6.rose-bodied
‘haath malna’ can imply both amazement and regret. Here, it is used to mean amazement. Thus, her beauty is such that not only humans but also angels, fairies and demons, are amazed looking at her feet.
16
uss sho’la-ruu¹ ki bazm² se sharma³ ke uTh⁴ gaii
kis tarah⁵ ho gaye sham’a⁶-e anjuman⁷ ke paaNv     1.fiery faced, shining/radiant face 2.gathering 3.shamefully 4.rose up and left 5.how 6.candle 7.gathering
The beloved always has a gathering of admirers around her. Her face is radiant because of her beauty. There is a lamp/candle in the gathering but its light/radiance cannot compare to the beloved’s. So, it feels ashamed and gets up and leaves. The poet wonder how the lamp could have acquired feet to get up and go.
17
mazmoon¹-e nau² ko DhoonDh³ ke laa’eNge bai’t⁴ meN
kya shakl⁵ dast⁶-shal⁷ haiN shagufta⁸-suKhan⁹ ke paaNv     1.themes 2.new 3.search 4.verse, couplets 5.face, condition 6.hands 7.numb, paralyzed 8.pen-name, blossoming 9.speech, words
The poet characterizes himself as ‘shagufta-suKhan of blossoming/fragrant speech’. ‘dast-shal’ can mean numb hands but as an expression it can apply to feet describing them as paralyzed feet. Thus, I will search and bring new themes for my verse. In what way can the feet of shagufta of blossoming speech can be paralyzed.