Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. daaGh dehlavi (1831-1905), grandson of bahadur shah zafar (because of the marriage of his widowed mother to zafar’s oldest son). After 1857, he had to move to rampur and later to hyderabad, where he died after 10+ happy years. His Ghazal are more earthy and romantic than sufiyaana or philosophical, but they are very popular because of their musicality. He was a disciple of zauq, whose rivalry with/jealousy of Ghalib is well known. But daaGh had good relations with Ghalib. This is a long Ghazal. It is posted in three parts to make for easy reading and listening. In addition, many singers have sung it, but each has selected a slightly different ash’aar in a slightly different order. A fourth post has been created with a composite version and audios of singers to read and listen at the same time. This Ghazal is linked to other ham-radeef Ghazal on the radeef-refrain Index page.
11
mil’e jo yaar¹ ki shooKhi² se uss ki bechaini³
tamaam⁴ raat dil-e muztarib⁵ ko pyaar kiya    1.friend, beloved 2.playfulness, miscief 3.restlessness 4.all 5.agitated
The undefined pronoun ‘uss’ in the first misra is to be interpreted to mean ‘the poet/lover’s heart’. When the restlessness of my heart encountered/experienced the playfulness/mischief of the beloved, the heart was so distraught/agitated that I had to lovingly embrace and console it all night long.
12
bhulaa-bhulaa¹ ke jataayaa² hai un ko raaz³-e nehaaN⁴
chhupaa chhupaa⁵ ke mohabbat ko aashkaar⁶ kiya     1.forgetting again and again 2.assert, remind 3.secret 4.hidden 5.hiding (from others), privately 6.disclose, reveal
The poet/lover is supposed to keep his love hidden from everyone. He is also supposed to bear his agony (of unrequited love) stoically, without speaking of it to the beloved. But he keeps forgetting this convention and reminds the beloved of his hidden secret. He reveals his love to the beloved, hiding the fact from others.
13
na uss ke dil se miTaayaa¹ keh saaf² ho jaataa
sabaa³ ne Khaak⁴-e pareshaaN⁵ meraa Ghubaar⁶ kiya     1.erase 2.clear, clean 3.morning breeze 4.dust 5.scattered 6.fog, doubt, ill-feeling
The word ‘Ghubaar’ is also used to mean distrust, ill-feeling. Here daaGh uses it in two very different ways. In the abstract sense as distrust in the first misra and in the concrete sense as dust in the second misra. The undefined pronoun ‘uss’ in the first misra refers to the beloved. Conventionally, the beloved always entertains a distrust towards the lover. She thinks that he is not loyal enough. The morning breeze did not erase the distrust from her heart so that it could have been cleared. Instead, it blew the poets dust and scattered it throughout the garden.
14
ham aise mahv¹-e nazaara² na th’e jo hosh³ aataa
magar tumhaare taGhaaful⁴ ne hoshiyaar⁵ kiya     1.engrossed, captivated 2.looking 3.awareness, senses 4.indifference 5.alert, wise
The first misra should be read as either as a question or as an exclamation. Was I not so engrossed in looking at you that I would not have come to senses, meaning I was so captivated that I would have remained in a trance forever. But your indifference woke me up, it made me alert to what was going on.
15
hamaare siine meN jo rah gaii thi aatish¹-e hijr²
shab³-e visaal⁴ bhi uss ko na ham-kanaar⁵ kiya     1.fire, pain 2.separation 3.night 4.union 5.embrace
The poet/lover still had lingering fire/pain of separation in his heart/bosom. It was still strong enough that even on the night of union he did not embrace the beloved. The ‘uss’ in the second misra is interpreted as referring to the beloved.
16
raqiib¹ o sheva²-e ulfat³ Khuda ki qudrat⁴ hai
voh aur ishq bhalaa tum ne e’tebaar⁵ kiya     1.rival 2.nature, character, habit 3.love 4.an expression roughly meaning-for god’s sake 5.trust, believe
This is addressed to the beloved with a tinge of sarcasm. For god’s sake, how can you associate the rival with the nature/habit of love. He and true love, how could you trust that.
17
zabaan¹-e Khaar² se nikli sadaa³-e bismillaah⁴
junuuN⁵ ko jab sar-e shoriida⁶ par savaar⁷ kiya    1.tongue, mouth 2.thorn 3.sound, call 4.in the name of god 5.passion, madness 6.disheveled, distraught 7.esconsed, place on top
Traditionally, ‘bismillah’ is said whenever someone begins any task. Also, the mad passionate lover wanders the desert in distress and his feet get pricked by thorns and bleed. Thus, when the poet/lover placed ‘madness on his head’ i.e., went mad with passion (and started his wandering through the wilderness), thorns said ‘bismillah’ because their task of piercing his feet was about to begin.
18
teri nig’h¹ ke tasavvur² meN ham ne aye qaatil³
lagaa lagaa ke gale se chhuri ko pyaar kiya        1.glance 2.thought, memory 3.killer, beloved
The sidelong glance of the beloved is sharp-it cuts and kills. Hence the knife reminds the poet/lover of the beloved’s glance. In memory of it he embraces and knife and kisses it again and again.
19
Ghazab¹ thi kasrat²-e mahfil³ keh maiN ne dhoke⁴ meN
hazaar baar raqiiboN⁵ ko ham-kanaar⁶ kiya     1.used as an exclamation-wondrous 2.multitude 3.gathering 4.by mistake 5.rivals 6.embrace
There is a huge multitude of admirers/lovers in the gathering around the beloved. There are so many people that the poet/lover is confused and by mistake he embraces rivals many times.
20
huaa hai koi magar uss ka chaahne vaalaa
keh aasmaaN¹ ne teraa sheva² eKhtiyaar³ kiya     1.sky, fate 2.habits, ways 3.adopt
The ways of the beloved are cruelty and indifference. In poetic tradition, the sky is considered to be fate … because the common expression is that fate descends from the sky. Fate too, is cruel and indifferent. Thus, the sky has adopted the ways of the beloved. But has anyone loved the sky, like they love you!