Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. daaGh dehlavi (1831-1905), grandson of bahadur shah zafar. After 1857, he had to move to rampur and later to hyderabad, where he died. His Ghazal are more earthy and romantic than sufiyaana or philosophical. He was a disciple of zauq, whose rivalry with/jealousy of Ghalib is well known. But daaGh had good relations with Ghalib and composed many Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib. This Ghazal with the radeef ‘ki tarah’ is linked to series of ‘ham-radeef’ in icon ‘dulhan ki tarah’ on the ‘radeef-refrain’ page.
1
pukaarti hai Khamoshi¹ meri fuGhaaN² ki tarah³
nigaaheN⁴ kahti haiN sab raaz⁵-e dil zabaaN ki tarah   1.silence 2.wail 3.(in most places, except a few) like, similar to 4.eyes 5.secrets
Traditionally the lover is stoic/silent, trying to hide the pain of his spurned love. But even his silence cries out like a painful wail. His eyes speak/tell his secrets like a tongue.
2
bigaR¹ gaii hai yahaaN be-tarah² jahaaN ki tarah³
kahaaN ki vaz’a⁴ kahaaN ki adaa⁵ kahaaN ki tarah³       1.spoiled, gone bad 2.without any rules/pattern, undisciplined, wayward 3.used here to mean – ways, traditions 4.style, methods 5.grace
The traditional ways of this wayward world have gone awry. They don’t seem to value style, grace or traditions.
3
chhuRaa de qaid¹ se aye barq² ham asiiroN³ ko
lagaa de aag qafas⁴ ko bhi aashiyaaN⁵ ki tarah     1.prison 2.lightning 3.captives, prisoners 4.cage 5.nest
In urdu poetic tradition the poet is portrayed as a bird which is caged and sings sad songs. Lightning always strikes its nest and burns it down. Here the poet is a caged bird and calls upon lightning to burn the cage down just like it burned its nest. The burning of the cage is supposed to free the captive bird without singeing/scorching its feathers so it can fly away.
4
kabhi to sulh¹ bhi ho jaaye zohd² o masti³ meN
ilaahi⁴ shaiKh⁵ bhi mai-Khwaar⁶ ho muGhaaN⁷ ki tarah   1.peace, agreement 2.piety, abstinence 3.intoxication 4.god 5.preacher 6.wine-drinker 7.chief wine maker, head of the tavern
Sometime, let there be peace between piety and intoxication. O god, this can happen if the shaiKh becomes a wine-lover just like the tavern keeper.
5
jalaa ke daaGh¹-e mohabbat ne dil ko Khaak² kiya
bahaar³ aaii mere baaGh meN KhizaaN⁴ ki tarah     1.wound, scar 2.ashes 3.spring 4.dry season, fall, autumn, barren
In urdu poetic tradition the wounds of love in the heart are sometimes likened to burning flames and at other times to red roses both because of the colour of blood and because such wounds are considered a mark of pride, they are beautiful like roses. Each misra uses this analogy. In the first misra, flaming wounds burnt the heart to ashes. In the second misra, wounds are like blooming red roses, but because the heart is burnt to ashes, they are not a harbinger of spring, but of a barren garden. Thus, red rose (wounds) sprouted on his heart, but his heart’s desire was not fulfilled.
6
hayaa¹ ne rok liyaa jazb²-e dil ne khiiNch³ liyaa
chale vo tiir ki suurat⁴ khiNche⁵ kamaaN⁶ ki tarah     1.shyness 2.short for jazba – emotions, love 3.pulled 4.image, likeness 5.pulled back 6.bow
The poet/lover’s love tried to pulled her towards him, but shyness kept holding her back. Thus a tussle between shyness and love is set up. Sometimes, she comes forward like an arrow is shot and at other times pulls back like a bow is pulled.
7
talaash¹-e yaar² meN chhoRi na sarzamiN³ koii
hamaare paaNv meN chakkar⁴ hai aasmaaN ki tarah   1.search 2.friend, beloved 3.land 4.wheel, turning, moving
The sky moves constantly. The poet/lover’s feet are just like that, constantly on the move. He has left no land unexplored in the search of his beloved. He constantly roams deserts and wilderness just like majnuN.
8
jo samjhe Khizr¹ to qaul²-e shahiid³-e ulfat⁴ ko
girah⁵ meN baaNdh rakkhe umr-e-jaavedaaN⁶ ki tarah     1.immortal, legendary old man 2.words, saying 3.martyr 4.love 5.knot 6.eternal life
‘girah meN banadh ke rakhna’ is an expression that means to keep something safely, hiding it from everyone else for fear of theft. Khizr is a legendary old man mentioned in the Bible and the qur’aan and perhaps in the Torah also. The legend around him is that he found the nectar of immortality and drank of it. He is immortal, he travels and reads and lot. He knows everything. He also keeps the location of the spring of immortality a secret ‘girah meN baandh kar’. ‘shahiid-e ulfat’ is the martyr of love – like the poet/lover who will be killed by the beloved or will die of the pain of love. The martyr of love has something to say. His ‘qaul/words’ will be so valuable that if Khizr were to hear them, he would keep them to himself ‘girah meN baandh kar’. What is the ‘qaul’ of the ‘shahiid-e ulfat’? We are left to fill in the blanks. The secret of the ‘shahiid-e ulfat’ is the pleasure of dying in love. At a mystical level, it is union with god and at a material level it is the pleasure of dying at the hands of the beloved. If Khizr were to learn this, he would treasure it even more than his eternal life.
9
sune jo hazrat¹-e zaahid² se vasf³ jannat ke
to saaf phir gaii aaNkhoN meN us makaaN⁴ ki tarah     1.honorific like – respected 2.preacherr 3.qualities, praise 4.place, home
When I heard the qualities/praises of heaven from the respected preacher the ‘ways’ of that place/home clearly passed before my eyes. This is probably sarcasm about wine and hoor.
10
jhuki hi jaati hai kuchh Khud-ba-Khud¹ hayaa² se vo aaNkh
giri hi paRti hai bimaar-o-naa-tavaaN³ ki tarah   1.by itself 2.shyness 3.weakness
The imagery is that of a sick and weak person, so weak that they fall down, try to get up, stagger and fall down again. That is how the eye of the beloved is raised and lowered because of shyness.
11
ye sadd¹-e raah² hua kis ka paas³-e rusvaaii⁴
ruke hue haiN mere ashk⁵ kaarvaaN ki tarah   1.obstacle 2.path 3.consideration, respect 4.embarrassment 5.tears
If the poet/lover were to shed tears openly it would cause embarrassment to the beloved, malign her reputation. Out of respect for her reputation his tears are stopped as if there is an obstacle on the path that stops the whole caravan.
12
adaa¹-e matlab²-e dil ham se siikh³ jaaye koi
unheN sunaa hi diyaa haal⁴ daastaaN⁵ ki tarah   1.pay, deliver 2.desire 3.learn 4.condition 5.story
The poet/lover delivers/presents his desire in a unique way. So unique that others should learn from it. He is able to deliver his message in the form of telling stories to the beloved.
13
maze haiN us dahan¹-e zaKhm² ke liye kya kya
jo chuuse³ tiir ke paikaan⁴ ko zabaaN ki tarah   1.mouth 2.wound 3.suck 4.point of the arrow
The beloved’s glances are like arrows shot at the poet/lover. Wounds are analogous to mouths and the wisp of blood at the mouth of the wound is like a tongue. If it were able to suck/kiss the point of the arrow (the glance of the beloved), then that wounded mouth would have the best taste.
14
samajh¹ ke kijiye barbaad² meraa musht³-e Ghubaar⁴
ye le na aaye koi chakr⁵ aasmaaN ki tarah   1.carefully, cautiously 2.destroy 3.fistful 4.dust 5.wheel, bad luck
In urdu poetic tradition that sky always visits bad luck. The sky also goes around. Thus ‘chakr’ might be used in both senses. The poet/lover is dead and disintegrated into a handful of dust. The beloved is ready to ‘destroy’ this handful of dust i.e. scatter it, throw it away. He cautions her, be careful, you might not be able to get rid of this dust. It will return like a turning wheel/sky to your street. A second reading might be that the sky might visit bad luck on you. Perhaps this dust has protected her like a talisman, without it, she will be exposed to the cruelty of the sky/fate.
15
ye dil hai aap kaa ghar rahiye shauq¹ se laikin
shakeb²-o-raahat³-o-sabr⁴-o-qaraar⁵-e jaaN ki tarah   1.with pleasure 2.comfort 3.restful 4.used here to mean not in a hurry, leisurely 5.peace, agreement
My heart is your home. Come here and live with pleasure but in comfort, rest, leisure and agreeableness for the soul. There is an implication that she does not do any of this. But as a condition, this sounds a bit unusual.
16
qayaamat¹ aaii shab²-e vasl³ mere ghar ke paas
raqiib⁴ ne use aavaaz di azaaN ki tarah   1.commotion, doomsday 2.night 3.union 4.rival
The poet/lover had finally succeeded in arranging a tryst with the beloved and was enjoying the night of union with the beloved. Towards the morning, at the time of the dawn azaan, the rival showed up and all hell broke lose.
17
shab us ki bazm¹ meN tha sham’a² par bhi rashk³ hameN
keh muNh meN shole⁴ ko gul-giir⁵ le zabaaN ki tarah     1.gathering 2.lamp 3.envy 4.flame 5.scissors with which the wick of a lamp is trimmed
When the tip of the wick is burnt, a special scissors is used to trim off the burnt portion. In the gathering at the beloved’s place the poet/lover is envious of the scissors, because he sees it take the flame of the lamp in its mouth, like a tongue. He is imagining the gul-giir and the sham’a as a pair of lovers, with one taking the tongue of the other in its mouth. He wishes that he could do the same with the beloved and is envious.
18
mujhe ye hukm hai zinhaar¹ tum na karna ishq
nasiihateN² bhi vo karte haiN imtehaaN³ ki tarah   1.never 2.counsel, advice 3.test
The beloved always test the poet/lover by setting him difficult tasks. This is an impossible task set in the form of advice. She advises him never to fall in love. How can he do that!
19
ham apne zo’f¹ ke sadqe² biThaa diyaa aisaa
hile³ na dar se tere saNg-e-aastaaN⁴ ki tarah   1.weakness 2.sacrifice self in gratitude, immense gratitude 3.moved 4.stone threshold
The poet/lover has parked himself at the door of the beloved and cannot move from there just like the stone threshold of her door. The reason he cannot move is that he is very weak. He is grateful to his weakness that has created this situation.
20
kuchh un se kahne ko baiThe the ham keh Khalvat¹ meN
raqiib² aa hi gayaa marg³-e naa-gahaaN⁴ ki tarah   1.privacy 2.rival 3.death 4.unpredictable
The poet/lover had finally gained access to the beloved in privacy and was about to tell her something. Just then the rival showed up like unpredictable death.
21
shikasta¹ baal² huN vo murGh³-e naatavaaN⁴-o-za’iif⁵
keh maiN to maiN na uRe mere aashiyaaN⁶ ki tarah   1.broken, wounded 2.feathers, wings 3.bird 4.weak 5.feeble 6.nest
The poet/lover is like a bird and that too, like a very weak and feeble bird whose feathers have been plucked. There has been a storm and it has blown away his nest. Beyond this, I am totally lost. There is something that he does not want blown away – why talk of me, I do not want it get blown away like my nest. What is it? I am unable to guess. Or is the meaning completely different? I checked for misprint in several different editions. No luck. I would appreciate any help anyone can provide.
22
na hoNge soz¹-e mohabbat ke dil-jale ThanDe
bhari hai aatish²-e Gham maGhz³-e ustuKhwaaN⁴ ki tarah    1.passion, fire 2.fire 3.stuffing 4.bones
Those whose hearts have been burned by the fire of love will never be able to cool down. Fire/passion is stuffed deep into their bones (like bone marrow).
23
na chhoR sai’d¹-e mohabbat ko Khaak par sayyaad²
use bhi Daal le tu dosh³ par kamaaN ki tarah   1.prey 2.hunter 3.shoulder
The beloved is the hunter and the poet/lover is the prey. She has shot him and he is lying in the dust, wounded. Do not leave your prey in the dust, O hunter. Sling him on your shoulder just like you carry your bow.
24
zabaan-e Khaar¹ hui tar² hamaari vahshat³ se
keh chhaale⁴ phuuT paRe chashm⁵-e KhuuN-fishaaN⁶ ki tarah   1.thorns 2.moist 3.frenzy 4.boils 5.eyes 6.blood spattering, bleeding
The poet/lover is in a frenzy of love. Perhaps he is wandering the desert in search of the beloved and he is thirsty, his tongue is so dry that it feels thorny. There are boils on his tongue and his passionate frenzy comes to his rescue and the boils burst and bleed just like eyes cry tears of blood. This blood moistens his tongue. A rather gory picture.
25
Khuda qubuul¹ kare daaGh² tum jo suu³-e adam⁴
chale ho ishq-e butaaN⁵ le ke armuGhaaN⁶ ki tarah   1.accept 2.pen-name of the poet 3.towards 4.non-existence, the other world 5.idols, beloveds 6.devotional offerings, gifts
O daaGh, as you depart towards the other world you carry with you, devotional offerings of the love of the beloved, to present to god. May he accept them i.e. all he has to show for his life is the number of dalliances he has had.