Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is called shaa’er-e inqelaab, poet of change/revolution. He is very secular and nationalistic in his writings and rebels against orthodoxy. His range of language and vocabulary is simply amazing. This Ghazal has a strong sufiyaana flavour to it. Also see raushan hai bazm-e sho’la ruKhaaN dekhte chaleN, maKhdoom mohiuddin. There is an accompanying Ghazal, ‘daa’vat-e saqar’ in which many ash’aar have been changed and a few new ones added. There is enough difference to post both.
1
aao k’aabe se uTheN soo¹-e sanam-Khaana² chaleN
taaba³-e faqr⁴ kiye saulat⁵-e shaahana chaleN   1.towards 2.house of idols 3.obey, follow 4.poverty, mystic 5.pomp
k’aaba is a symbol of orthodoxy. sanam Khaana is sometimes used to mean temple, but here it is used to mean the tavern, a liberal/secular space, a space of universal love, where everyone is welcome. The poet/revolutionary is calling upon everyone to leave orthodoxy and come towards universal love, following the sufi mystic, yet coming in royal pomp/style/confidence.
2
kaaNp uThe baargah¹-e sirr²-e afaaf³-e malakut⁴
yuN m’aasi⁵ ka lunDhaate⁶ hue paimaana⁷ chaleN   1.palace 2.secret, mysterious 3.piety 4.angels 5.transgression, rebellion 6.pouring 7.cup (of wine)
Let us go liberally pouring the cup of transgression/rebellion so that the palace of pretenders of piety tremble in fear.
3
aao aye zamzama¹-sanjaan²-e sara-parda³-e gul⁴
ba-havaa⁵-e nafas⁶-e taaza⁷-e janaana⁸ chaleN    1.music 2.expert 3.tent, shelter 4.rose 5.with the wind 6.breath 7.fresh 8.beloved
‘zamzam’ is a spring in the vicinity of the kaaba. Water is supposed to be gurgling out of the ground. This sound is often used as an analogy for music. Thus, zamazama-sanjaan are experts in music. ‘sara-parda-e gul’, protective cover over the rose perhaps implies a lover/protector of the rose. This could be the bulbul (in poetic tradition the gul o bulbul are lovers). The bulbul is also an expert music maker. This music is like the fresh breath of the beloved. Thus with this music and fresh breath let us go to the idol-house.
4
girya¹-e niim-shab² o aah³-e sahar-gaahi⁴ ko
chaNg-o-barbat⁵ pe nachaate hue turkaana⁶ chaleN 1.wailing, weeping 2.mid-night 3.sigh 4.early morning just before dawn 5.lute and harp 6.like Turks, Turkish
‘turkaana’ is used to mean mischievous beauty of slanted/Mongol/Turkic eyes, coquettish, enticing. Also, poets are supposed to be up all night – very sorrowful late into the night and sighing well into the early morning hours before dawn. That is when they compose their best verse. Thus, the poet/revolutionary calls on fellow poets to go for/towards midnight-weeping and dawn-sighing (write their best verse), playing the lute and harp, dancing enticingly.
5
ta¹ na mahsoos² ho vaamaandagi³-e raah-e daraaz⁴
zulf⁵-e KhoobaaN⁶ ka sunaate hue afsaana⁷ chaleN   1.so that 2.feel 3.tiredness 4.long 5.hair, locks 6.beauties, beloved 7.tale, story
So that we don’t feel the tiredness of the long journey, let us relate stories of the locks of the beloved along the way.
6
pheNk kar subbah¹ o sajjada² o dastaar³ o kulaah⁴
ba rabaab⁵ o daf⁶ o tambura o paimaana⁷ chaleN   1.tasbeeh, rosary beads 2.prayer mat 3.crown 4.cap 5.sarod/sitar 6.cymbals 7.cup/goblet (of wine)
Throwing away the rosary and the prayer mat, the crown and the cap, let us play music and drink wine as we go.
7
naGhma o saaGhar o taa’oos¹ o Ghazal ke hamraah²
soo³-e Khum-Khaana⁴ pai⁵-e sajda⁶-e rindaana⁷ chaleN   1.peacock, symbol of colour and dance 2.along with 3.towards 4.tavern 5.with the intention of 6.prayerful obeisance 7.reveler, wine drinker
Along with song, wine, dance, verse let us go towards the tavern to offer deferential respects to the culture of wine-drinking/liberalism.
8
Khushk¹ zarroN² pe machal³ jaaye shamim⁴ o tasnim⁵
sabt⁶ karte hue yuN laGhzish⁷-e mastaana⁸ chaleN   1.dry 2.dust 3.restless 4.fragrance 5.river in heaven 6.stamping 7.staggering 8.trance-like
The poet/sufi calls for a trance-like dance of staggering, stamping feet on the ground and raising dust. The dust particles reflect light and shine so that even shamim and tasnim become restless with envy. shamim and tasnim are used here as an allegory for heaven/piety/orthodoxy.
9
daaman-e josh meN phir bhar ke mataa¹-e kaunain²
Khidmat³-e piir⁴-e muGhaaN⁵ meN pai⁶-e nazraana⁷ chaleN   1.wealth, treasure 2.two worlds, material and spiritual 3.service 4.chief 5.wine makers 6.with the intention of 7.offering, tribute
Collecting material and spiritual wealth in the robe of josh, the poet/sufi, let us go in the service of the chief wine-maker to make an offering to him/her.