Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. vali mohammed vali dakkhani (1667-1707) just as reKhta was coming up and faarsi poets looked down upon the upstart, vali dakkhani went from hyderabad to dehli and recited Ghazal. This gave great respectability to urdu and acceptance of the work of poets like mir taqi mir who came later. During this time, the use of young boys and writing openly about it was commonplace.
1
hua zaahir¹ Khat²-e roo³-e nigaar⁴ aahista aahista
ke jyuN gulshan meN aati hai bahaar aahista aahista    1.apparent, appear 2.the first facial hair on an adolescent boy 3.face 4.embellishment
The poet writes about the beauty of adolescent boyhood. The first, gradual appearance of facial hair which embellishes the beauty of the face. This appears gradually, just like spring emerges gradually in the garden.
2
kiya huN rafta rafta¹ raam² us ki chashm-e-habashi³ kuN
ke jyuN aahu⁴ kuN karte haiN shikaar aahista aahista     1.step by step 2.raam karna is a phrase meaning to get someone to agree 3.dark eyes 4.deer
I have gotten that dark-eyed beauty to agree step by step, just like the deer is hunted gradually with patience.
3
jo apne ko misl¹-e juu-e-baar² avval³ kiya paani
hua us sarv-qad⁴ suuN hum-kinaar⁵ aahista aahista    1.like, example 2.rain-fed river, full flowing river 3.first 4.cypress stature, the slender height and swaying of the cypress are considered standards of beauty 5.same boundary i.e. shoulder to shoulder, next to each other
When the poet/lover first made himself like a flowing river (by copious weeping i.e. constantly pleading with her) only then did he get next to the beloved like a rain-fed river rises to reach next to the cypress.
4
ba-raNg¹-e qatra²-e seemaab³ mere dil ki jumbish⁴ suuN
hua hai dil sanam ka be-qaraar⁵ aahista aahista     1.like, similar to 2.drop 3.mercury 4.movement, throbbing 5.restless
The poet/lover’s heart throbbed like a drop of mercury. Only then did the beloved feel restless for him.
5
usey kahna baja¹ hai, ishq ke gulzaar ki bulbul
jo gul-ruuyaaN² meN paaya e’tebaar³ aahista aahista     1.appropriate 2.flower-faced 3.trust
In urdu poetic tradition the bulbul and rose are lovers. The bulbul sings and earns the trust and love of the rose. It is appropriate to call only him the bulbul of the garden (genders are mixed up here, but that may be overlooked), who gradually earns the trust of flower-faced beauties, just like the bulbul earns the trust of rose/roses.
6
mera dil ashk¹ ho pahuNcha hai kooche² meN sariijan³ ke
gaya k’aabe meN ye kishti-savaar⁴ aahista aahista     1.tears 2.street 3.saajan, beloved 4.riding a boat
The poet/lover is shedding tears until they flow like a river. His heart then floats gently to the street of the beloved like a pilgrim would take a boat to cross the ocean to go to the k’aaba. Thus the street of the beloved is a place of worship for the poet/lover.
7
vali mat hasedaaN¹ ke baar² se dil ko mukaddar³ kar
ke aaKhir dil suuN jaayega Ghubaar⁴ aahista aahista     1.envious, rivals 2.burden 3.hate-filled 4.dust, fog
The poet/lover has many rivals and they bear heavily on his heart. He tells himself that over time, they will all go away gradually, like a fog.