For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
شرر ہی یک قلم نکلے ۔ بہادر شاہ ظفرؔ
۱
وہ سو سو اٹھکھٹوں سے گھر سے باہر دو قدم نکلے
بلا سے اُس کی گر اس میں کسی مضطر کا دم نکلے
۲
کہاں آنسو کے قطرے خونِ دل سے ہیں بہم نکلے
یہ دل میں جمع تھے مدت سے کچھ پیکانِ غم نکلے
۳
مرے مضمونِ سوزِ دل سے خط سب جل گیا میرا
قلم سے حرف جو نکلے شرر ہی یک قلم نکلے
۴
نکال اے چارہ گر تو شوق سے لیکن سرِ پیکاں
ادھر نکلے جگر سے تیر ادھر قالب سے دم نکلے
۵
تصور سے لب لعلیں کے تیرے ہم اگر رو دیں
تو جو لخت جگر آنکھوں سے نکلے اک رقم نکلے
۶
نہیں ڈرتے اگر ہوں لاکھ زنداں یار زنداں سے
جنون اب تو مثالِ نالۂ زنجیر ہم نکلے
۷
جگر پر داغ لب پر دودِ دل اور اشک دامن میں
تری محفل سے ہم مانند شمعِ صبح دم نکلے
۸
کجی جن کی طبیعت میں ہے کب ہوتی وہ سیدھی ہے
کہو شاخ گل تصویر سے کس طرح خم نکلے
۹
شمار اک شب کیا ہم نے جو اپنے دل کے داغوں سے
تو انجم چرخِ ہشتم کے بہت سے ان سے کم نکلے
۱۰
خدا کے واسطے زاہد اٹھا پردہ نہ کعبہ کا
کہیں ایسا نہ ہو یاں بھی وہی کافر صنم نکلے
۱۱
تمنّا ہے یہ دل میں جب تلک ہے دم میں دم اپنے
ظفرؔ منہ سے ہمارے نام اس کا دم بہ دم نکلے
शरर ही यक-क़लम निकले – बहादुर शाह ज़फ़र
१
वो सौ सौ अठखटों से घर से बाहर दो क़दम निकले
बला से उस की गर उस में किसी मुज़्तर का दम निकले
२
कहाँ आँसू के क़तरे ख़ून-ए दिल से हैं बहम निकले
ये दिल में जम’अ थे मुद्दत से कुछ पैकान-ए ग़म निकले
३
मेरे मज़्मून-ए सोज़-ए दिल से ख़त सब जल गया मेरा
क़लम से हर्फ़ जो निकले शरर ही यक-क़लम निकले
४
निकाल अए चारागर तू शौक़ से लेकिन सर-ए पैकाँ
उधर निकले जिगर से तीर इधर क़ालिब से दम निकले
५
तसव्वुर से लब-ए लालीं के तेरे हम अगर रो दें
तो जो लख़्त-ए जिगर आँखों से निकले एक रक़म निकले
६
नहीं डरते अगर हों लाख ज़िंदाँ यार ज़िंदाँ से
जुनून अब तो मिसाल-ए नाला-ए ज़ंजीर हम निकले
७
जिगर पर दाग़, लब पर दूद-ए दिल, और अश्क दामन में
तेरी महफ़िल से हम मानिंद-ए शम्अ सुब्ह-दम निकले
८
कजी जिन की तबीयत में है कब होती वो सीधी है
कहो शाख़-ए गुल-ए तस्वीर से किस तरह ख़म निकले
९
शुमार एक शब किया हम ने जो अपने दिल के दाग़ों से
तो अंजुम चर्ख़-ए हश्तुम के बहुत से उन से कम निकले
१०
ख़ुदा के वास्ते ज़ाहेद उठा पर्दा न काबे का
कहीं ऐसा न हो याँ भी वही काफ़ेर-सनम निकले
११
तमन्ना है ये दिल में जब तलक है दम में दम अपने
ज़फ़र मुँह से हमारे नाम उस का दम-ब-दम निकले
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. bahaadur shaah zafar (1775-1862) became titular/nominal emperor of India in 1837. He was a scholar of faarsi and arabi and started composing at an early age. zauq and after zauq’s death in 1854, Ghalib became his ustaad. zafar used to hold frequent mushaa’era in the Red Fort. This Ghazal, in the same zamin as Ghalib’s “hazaaroN KhwaahisheN aisi keh har Khwaahish pe dam nikle”, is dated by kalidas gupta raza, 1853. I have no way to date zafar’s Ghazal, but there appears to be much overlap in phrases and thoughts. I assume that zafar wrote his Ghazal inspired by Ghalib’s Ghazal and I link it to both ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’ and ‘Ghalib peshrau ham asr’. she’r 10 below is often wrongly attributed to Ghalib. I have not seen it attributed to zafar anywhere, but I found it in this Ghazal in volume 4 of his kulliyaat.
1
vo sau sau aTkhaToN1 se ghar se baahar do qadam2 nikle
bala se3 us ki gar4 us meN kisi muztar5 ka dam6 nikle 1.embellishments, adornments 2.steps 3.‘bala se’ – is an expression meaning – no harm to her or she does not care 4.if 5.grief stricken 6.breath, life
The ‘vo’ is the beloved and ‘muztar’ is the poet/lover. The beloved has stepped out of the house for a few steps adorned in her best. She does not care if some grief stricken lover loses his life (struck by her beauty).
2
kahaaN aaNsu ke qatre1 Khoon-e dil se haiN baham2 nikle
ye dil meN jam’a3 the muddat4 se kuchh paikaan5-e Gham6 nikle 1.drops 2.together, at the same time 3.collected 4.long time, ages 5.arrow tips 6.sorrow
The beloved shoots arrows (casts sidelong glances) at the poet/lover. The tips of the arrow penetrate the heart and remain there even as the arrow is pulled out. Did I ever cry when the arrow was pulled … (the lover is always stoic). But some (not all) emerged later (after a lot had accumulated) as tips of arrows of sorrow transformed into tears of blood.
3
mere mazmun1-e soz2-e dil se Khat3 sab jal gaya mera
qalam4 se harf5 jo nikle sharar6 hi yak-qalam7 nikle 1.theme 2.fire, passion 3.letter 4.pen 5.words 6.sparks 7.suddenly, all together
The theme of the letter was so fiery with passion, that the letter burnt up. Whatever words emerged from the pen were like sparks and they all came out suddenly.
4
nikaal aye chaaragar1 tu shauq2 se lekin sar3-e paikaaN4
udhar nikle jigar5 se tiir idhar qaalib6 se dam7 nikle 1.healer 2.with pleasure 3.tip 4.arrow 5.liver/heart 6.body 7.breath, life
O healer, pull out of the tip of the arrow from my heart, with pleasure. But know that as soon as the arrow is pulled out, life will depart from the body.
5
tasavvur1 se lab2-e laaliN3 ke tere ham agar4 ro deN
to jo laKht-e-jigar5 aaNkhoN se nikle ek raqam6 nikle 1.thought, imagination, memory 2.lips 3.ruby-like 4.if 5.fragments/bits of the liver 6.all together, all at once
In poetic convention, jigar/liver is considered to be the source of blood. Thus, these tear drops are really fragments of the liver. The distressed lover holds his tears but if he were to cry thinking of her ruby red lips, then his tears of blood will be fragments of liver that drop from the eyes emerging all together at once (flood of tears).
6
nahiN Darte agar hoN laakh zindaaN-yaar1 zindaaN se
junun2 ab to misaal3-e naala4-e zanjir ham nikle 1.lovers of the prison 2.passion 3.like, in the example of 4.wailing
‘zindaaN-yaar’ are mad passionate lovers who are thought to be crazy and have been put into prison. But they are not afraid of it, and might even be considered lovers of prison. ‘laakh nahiN Darte’ is an expression that roughly means – not matter how much you try (torture them), they are not afraid. The way in which they get out of the prison is like the wailing sound of the chains that bind them i.e., only the sound gets out.
7
jigar1 par daaGh2, lab3 par duud4-e dil, aur ashk5 daaman6 meN
teri mahfil7 se ham maanind8-e sham’a-e-sub’h-dam9 nikle 1.liver/heart 2.wound 3.lips, mouth 4.smoke 5.tears 6.hem of the robe 7.gathering 8.like, similar to 9.late-night candle about to be burnt out in the small hours of dawn
The late-night candle about to be burnt out or extinguished is also symbolic of the end of life. Thus, the poet/lover emerged from the beloved’s gathering with a wounded liver, burning heart, with smoke from the fire in the heart being breathed out of the mouth and tears gathered in the hem of the robe. I emerged from (or, was thrown out of) your gathering like a fluttering late-night candle. Said Ghalib …
nikalna Khuld se aadam ka sunte aaye haiN laikin
baRe be-aabru ho kar tere kooche se ham nikle
8
kaji1 jin ki tabiyat2 meN hai kab hoti vo siidhi hai
kaho shaaKh3-e gul4-e tasviir se kis tarah Kham5 nikle 1.crookedness 2.nature 3.branch 4.rose 5.curve
How can the crookedness of someone’s nature be straightened. Can the curve of the rose-bough in a picture ever be removed?
9
shumaar1 ek shab2 kiya ham ne jo apne dil ke daaGhoN3 se
to anjum4 charKh5-e hashtum6 ke bahut se un se kam nikle 1.count, compare 2.night 3.wounds 4.stars 5.sky 6.seventh
One night, when I compared the count of the wounds of my heart, then I found that the count of the stars up to the seventh heaven is less than that.
10
Khuda ke vaaste1 zaahid2 uTha parda na kaabe ka
kahiN aisa na ho yaaN bhi vahi kaafir-sanam3 nikle 1.for the sake of 2.preacher 3.sin-inducing idol i.e., beloved
There is some controversy associated with this she’r. Some publications of Ghalib’s diivaan have included this she’r in his Ghazal. Scholars rejected it as not authentic Ghalib but did not know who the poet might have been. I discovered it in zafar’s diivaan. The beloved is like an idol and the poet/lover worships her akin to idol worship. Thus, for god’s sake, do not lift the curtain over the kaaba, O preacher.
11
tamanna1 hai ye dil meN jab talak hai dam-meN-dam2 apne
zafar3 muNh se hamaare naam us ka dam-ba-dam4 nikle 1.intense desire 2.breath left in life/body 3.pen-name of the poet 4.moment by moment, constantly
O zafar, it is my intense desire that as long as there is breath left in my body, I have his/her name on my lips at every moment. Whose name? Beloved or god!
bahaadur shaah zafar (1775-1862) became titular/nominal emperor of India in 1837. He was a scholar of faarsi and arabi and started composing at an early age. zauq and after zauq’s death in 1854, Ghalib became his ustaad. zafar used to hold frequent mushaa’era in the Red Fort. This Ghazal, in the same zamin as Ghalib’s “hazaaroN KhwaahisheN aisi keh har Khwaahish pe dam nikle”, is dated by kalidas gupta raza, 1853. I have no way to date zafar’s Ghazal, but there appears to be much overlap in phrases and thoughts. I assume that zafar wrote his Ghazal inspired by Ghalib’s Ghazal and I link it to both ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’ and ‘Ghalib peshrau ham asr’. she’r 10 below is often wrongly attributed to Ghalib. I have not seen it attributed to zafar anywhere, but I found it in this Ghazal in volume 4 of his kulliyaat.
1
vo sau sau aTkhaToN1 se ghar se baahar do qadam2 nikle
bala se3 us ki gar4 us meN kisi muztar5 ka dam6 nikle
1.embellishments, adornments 2.steps 3.‘bala se’ – is an expression meaning – no harm to her or she does not care 4.if 5.grief stricken 6.breath, life
The ‘vo’ is the beloved and ‘muztar’ is the poet/lover. The beloved has stepped out of the house for a few steps adorned in her best. She does not care if some grief stricken lover loses his life (struck by her beauty).
2
kahaaN aaNsu ke qatre1 Khoon-e dil se haiN baham2 nikle
ye dil meN jam’a3 the muddat4 se kuchh paikaan5-e Gham6 nikle
1.drops 2.together, at the same time 3.collected 4.long time, ages 5.arrow tips 6.sorrow
The beloved shoots arrows (casts sidelong glances) at the poet/lover. The tips of the arrow penetrate the heart and remain there even as the arrow is pulled out. Did I ever cry when the arrow was pulled … (the lover is always stoic). But some (not all) emerged later (after a lot had accumulated) as tips of arrows of sorrow transformed into tears of blood.
3
mere mazmun1-e soz2-e dil se Khat3 sab jal gaya mera
qalam4 se harf5 jo nikle sharar6 hi yak-qalam7 nikle
1.theme 2.fire, passion 3.letter 4.pen 5.words 6.sparks 7.suddenly, all together
The theme of the letter was so fiery with passion, that the letter burnt up. Whatever words emerged from the pen were like sparks and they all came out suddenly.
4
nikaal aye chaaragar1 tu shauq2 se lekin sar3-e paikaaN4
udhar nikle jigar5 se tiir idhar qaalib6 se dam7 nikle
1.healer 2.with pleasure 3.tip 4.arrow 5.liver/heart 6.body 7.breath, life
O healer, pull out of the tip of the arrow from my heart, with pleasure. But know that as soon as the arrow is pulled out, life will depart from the body.
5
tasavvur1 se lab2-e laaliN3 ke tere ham agar4 ro deN
to jo laKht-e-jigar5 aaNkhoN se nikle ek raqam6 nikle
1.thought, imagination, memory 2.lips 3.ruby-like 4.if 5.fragments/bits of the liver 6.all together, all at once
In poetic convention, jigar/liver is considered to be the source of blood. Thus, these tear drops are really fragments of the liver. The distressed lover holds his tears but if he were to cry thinking of her ruby red lips, then his tears of blood will be fragments of liver that drop from the eyes emerging all together at once (flood of tears).
6
nahiN Darte agar hoN laakh zindaaN-yaar1 zindaaN se
junun2 ab to misaal3-e naala4-e zanjir ham nikle
1.lovers of the prison 2.passion 3.like, in the example of 4.wailing
‘zindaaN-yaar’ are mad passionate lovers who are thought to be crazy and have been put into prison. But they are not afraid of it, and might even be considered lovers of prison. ‘laakh nahiN Darte’ is an expression that roughly means – not matter how much you try (torture them), they are not afraid. The way in which they get out of the prison is like the wailing sound of the chains that bind them i.e., only the sound gets out.
7
jigar1 par daaGh2, lab3 par duud4-e dil, aur ashk5 daaman6 meN
teri mahfil7 se ham maanind8-e sham’a-e-sub’h-dam9 nikle
1.liver/heart 2.wound 3.lips, mouth 4.smoke 5.tears 6.hem of the robe 7.gathering 8.like, similar to 9.late-night candle about to be burnt out in the small hours of dawn
The late-night candle about to be burnt out or extinguished is also symbolic of the end of life. Thus, the poet/lover emerged from the beloved’s gathering with a wounded liver, burning heart, with smoke from the fire in the heart being breathed out of the mouth and tears gathered in the hem of the robe. I emerged from (or, was thrown out of) your gathering like a fluttering late-night candle. Said Ghalib …
nikalna Khuld se aadam ka sunte aaye haiN laikin
baRe be-aabru ho kar tere kooche se ham nikle
8
kaji1 jin ki tabiyat2 meN hai kab hoti vo siidhi hai
kaho shaaKh3-e gul4-e tasviir se kis tarah Kham5 nikle
1.crookedness 2.nature 3.branch 4.rose 5.curve
How can the crookedness of someone’s nature be straightened. Can the curve of the rose-bough in a picture ever be removed?
9
shumaar1 ek shab2 kiya ham ne jo apne dil ke daaGhoN3 se
to anjum4 charKh5-e hashtum6 ke bahut se un se kam nikle
1.count, compare 2.night 3.wounds 4.stars 5.sky 6.seventh
One night, when I compared the count of the wounds of my heart, then I found that the count of the stars up to the seventh heaven is less than that.
10
Khuda ke vaaste1 zaahid2 uTha parda na kaabe ka
kahiN aisa na ho yaaN bhi vahi kaafir-sanam3 nikle
1.for the sake of 2.preacher 3.sin-inducing idol i.e., beloved
There is some controversy associated with this she’r. Some publications of Ghalib’s diivaan have included this she’r in his Ghazal. Scholars rejected it as not authentic Ghalib but did not know who the poet might have been. I discovered it in zafar’s diivaan. The beloved is like an idol and the poet/lover worships her akin to idol worship. Thus, for god’s sake, do not lift the curtain over the kaaba, O preacher.
11
tamanna1 hai ye dil meN jab talak hai dam-meN-dam2 apne
zafar3 muNh se hamaare naam us ka dam-ba-dam4 nikle
1.intense desire 2.breath left in life/body 3.pen-name of the poet 4.moment by moment, constantly
O zafar, it is my intense desire that as long as there is breath left in my body, I have his/her name on my lips at every moment. Whose name? Beloved or god!
