Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. hakim aGha jaan aish dehlavi (1779-1874). There are many Ghazal in the same zamin as Ghalib, probably composed in the same mushaa’era. He was a third generation hakim by profession and was personal physician to one of bahadur shah zafar’s sons. He fled dehli in the aftermath of 1857 and years later crawled his way back a decent means of living based on his healing practice. A qita, part of this Ghazal, is critical of the difficult style of Ghalib – ‘aap samjhe ya Khuda samjhe’. But Ghalib had a sharp repartee – ‘gar nahiN haiN mere ash’aar meN mu’aani na sahi’, and they remained very good friends.
1
ham apni aah aur siine ko kyuN ji kya bura samjhe
use parkaala-e-aatish¹, ise aatish-kada² samjhe    1.spark of fire 2.furnace, fire-temple
It appears that ‘kyuN ji’ is used as a colloquial expression of irritation – why should I – expressed to the poet’s intelocutor. Why should I consider my sigh and my bosom to be bad. One is a spark of fire and the other a furnace i.e., his bosom/heart burns with the passion of love and his sighs carry sparks from that fire. It is also possible that ‘aatish-kada’ has implications of fire worship with the beloved as as the object of worship.
2
hameN na-aashna¹ aur tum adu² ko aashna³ samjhe
are o zaalimo⁴! bas sabr⁵ hai, tum se Khuda samjhe⁶     1.stranger 2.enemy, rival 3.intimate, close friend 4.torturers 5.patience i.e., wait for a while 6.an expression meaning – god will deal with you i.e. punish you.
You have thought of me as a stranger and favoured the rival declaring him to be your intimate friend. Just wait for a while and see how god will deal with you. What is interesting is in the second misra he addresses many oppressors. Does this imply that he has had several beloveds and they have all treated him like this. I don’t think so. More likely it is simply to say that all beloveds are like this.
3
zabaan-e miir¹ samjhe aur kalaam²-e miirza³ samjhe
magar⁴ un⁵ ki zabaaN vo aap samjheN ya Khuda samjhe    1.mir taqi mir 2.verse, poetry 3.mirza raf’ii sauda 4.but 5.it is generally understood that by ‘un/his’ he means Ghalib
mir taqi mir and mirza sauda were both predecessors to aish and Ghalib. Also, Khuda samjhe is used in a completely different sense than in the previous she’r. Here it means ‘only god can know/understand). At this stage of his career Ghalib composed Ghazal that were difficult to understand. This and the next she’r are a direct criticism of Ghalib. Thus, we understand the words of mir taqi mir and writing of mirza sauda. But his words/language – either he can understand or god can. No one else. Ghalib composed a repartee … ‘gar nahiN haiN mere ash’aar meN mu’aani na sahi’.
4
agar¹ apna kaha tum aap hi samjhe to kya samjhe²
maza³ kahne ka jab hai tum kaho aur doosra samjhe     1.if 2.a colloquial expression meaning ‘what’s the big deal’ 3.pleasure
If you are the only one who understands what you say, what is the big deal. The pleasure of reciting is when you recite and others understand.
5
Khuda haafez¹ hai de baiThe haiN dil ham un ko jo zaalim²
na rasm³-e dilbari⁴ jaane na aa’iin⁵-e vafa⁶ samjhe      1.protect, save 2.cruel, oppressor, beloved 3.traditions, rituals 4.friendship, love 5.conventions, rules 6.fidelity, true to promise, faithful
May god protect me, I have given away my heart to an oppressor who does not know the traditions of love, nor does she recognize the rules of being faithful.
6
hue niim-e-nigah¹ meN ham to Khush aur le uRe vo dil
vo samjhe apna matlab² aur ham apna muddu’aa³ samjhe   1.half glance i.e., sidelong glance 2.interest, motive 3.desire
I was delighted with her sidelong glance and she snatched away my heart. She realized/achieved her interest and I understood this to be my desire.
7
kab hai nek¹ aur kab hai bad², us ke kya mu’aani³, aji⁴ jis ko
bura samjhe bura samjhe, bhala samjhe, bhala samjhe  1.good, virtuous 2.bad, transgression 3.kya mu’aani is a colloquial expression meaning what is the use of parsing its meaning 4.an informal way of addressing the interlocutor
This is probably addressed to a friend complaining about the arbitrary taste/judgement of the beloved. What is the use of parsing the meaning of what is good and what is bad. Whatever she thinks of as bad is bad, and whatever she thinks of as good is good.
8
kiya mauqoof¹ likhnaa yak-qalam² us but³ ko is Dar se
Khuda jaane maiN kya likkhuN, vo zaalim⁴ kya ka kya samjhe      1.suspended 2.suddenly 3.idol, beloved 4.oppressor, beloved
I have stopped writing to the beloved for fear that I don’t know what I will write and she might interpret ‘this to mean that’.
9
Gharaz¹ meri nasiihat² se hai ye naaseh³ ko maiN samjha
keh is taqreeb⁴ se vo shooKh⁵ us ko paarsa⁶ samjhe    1.intention, hidden agenda 2.advice, instruction 3.moralizer, preacher 4.undertaking 5.playful, beloved 6.chaste, virtuous
I understand the (hidden) intent of the preacher in advising me. He wants to make sure that through this undertaking the beloved understands him to be a holy/virtuous man.
10
tariiq¹-e ishq-baazi² meN suna aye aish³ maiN vo huN
keh jis ko kohkan⁴ ustaad o majnuN peshva⁵ samjhe   x
1.ways, methods, practices 2.waging/undertaking love 3.pen-name of the poet 4.mountain breaker an epithet used for farhaad of the shirin-farhaad legend 5.leader
Both ‘farhaad’ and ‘majnuN’ are legendary loves held up as the epitome of devoted love. But the poet claims that even they consider him to be one better. Thus, I hear that because of the ways of my love, O aish, I am that whom farhaad considers to be a teacher and majnuN to be a leader.