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For those who have joined
now, let me say few words about this Ghalib series.
Ghalib, his Ghazals, his poems, his
genius, and his wits have always fascinated millions of Urdu lovers
including myself. Those who want to read my previous work please send me
an email request; I will email back my previous explanations just for
asking.
 This
is my 50th installment. I have received excellent
response from many friends, both Urdu and non-Urdu speakers. Please know
that this is my own, Asghar Vasanwala’s, work
and not a forwarding of someone else’s work as some of you might
have thought. Please forward this to your friends. Also, please send me
your comments/complements.
I will appreciate if you forward me email
addresses of your Urdu/non-Urdu friends.
Here is today’s verse (She’r) & its
explanation in Urdu, Gujarati,
and English
For past issues and much more please do visit my Ghalib website
http://www.mirza-ghalib.org
I guarantee, you’ll enjoy
These are the 4th, 5th, 6th,
7th, & 8th verses of Ghalib’s 15th
Ghazal.
Verse 4
Jalwa-e-gul ne kiya tha, vaN, chiraghaN aab-ju
Reflection of gleaming flowers had made her brook luminous red
YaN ravan
miZgan-e-chashm-e-tar se KHoon-e-naab tha
Whereas on my side, pure (radiant) blood was flowing through eyelashes
of my weeping eyes (rivaling her brook)
Jalwa = luster, gleam
ChiraghaN
= luminous aab ju=brook,
rivulet
ravaN = running, flowing miZgan=eyelash
Chashm-e-tar=wet eyes, weeping eyes
Khoon-e-naab= pure blood
Verse 5
YaaN, sar-e-pur’shor,
be’KHvabi se tha deevar ju
My side: my commotion-filled
sleepless head was seeking a wall to bang itself
VaN, who farq-e-naaz
mehv-e-blaish-e-kamKHwab tha
Pompous, nonchalant she was enjoying; her head on an embroidered
silk pillow
YaaN = here,
on my side Sar-e-pur shor =crazy
head; head filled with commotion
BeKhavabi=sleeplessness
Deevar ju = seeking a wall, looking for
a wall
Farq-e-naaz=pompous mehv
=absorbed, deeply into
balish = pillow,
KamKhwab=embroidered silk
Verse 6
YaaN, nafas karta tha roshan
shama-e-bazm-e-beKHudi
My side: my breath of sigh was puffing (oxygen) to keep the
candle of my trance party, luminous.
Jalva-e-gul, vaaN,
bisat-e-sohbat-e-ahbab tha
Pageantry of flowers, on her side, was like a flooring for her
intimacy with friends (my rivals)
Nafas
= breath, puffing
shma-e-bazm =candle illuminate a gathering be-Khdui= a state when a
person lost in deep thought or depression
jalva= luster
bisat= chess board, a gathering
sohbat=company, association ahbab= plural of habib, a friend
Verse 7
Farsh ta arsh, vaN,
tufaN tha moj-e-rang ka
From floor to firmament, her side was a tempest-wave of colorful
splendor
yaN, zaniN se aasmaN tak,
suKHtan ka bab tha
On my side, earth to heaven, was a chapter of inferno
Verse 8
NagahaN, is rung se
KHunaba Tapakne laga,
Suddenly, in such way, my pure blood began surging (from my eyes)
Dil ke, zauq-e-kavish-e-naKHun
se lizzat yab tha
That, my (pain loving) heart was pleased with enthusiastic handiwork of
my (wound digging) nails
Meaning:
In this whole Ghazal, in highly
exaggerated words, Ghalib has portrayed his situation on night of
promise. His beloved had promised him a date; but she failed to show up.
She made rain as an excuse and revoked her promised date; actually, she
was having a good time with Ghalib’s rivals. This Ghazal shows Ghalib’s
power of imagination and his power of using allegorical words and
visualization.
Verse 4:- In
my beloved’s garden, flower-laden branches were bending and mirroring
their images in the flowing by brook, making its water shining with red
color. However, on my side, my weeping eyes were flowing my pure (red)
blood. It was like a rivulet of blood. Meaning my both eyes were like
two brooks; and, droplets of blood hanging on my eyelashes were like
flowers reflecting its image in the running eyes. Metaphor of flower
branches lining a brook to droplets of blood hanging on eyelashes lining
running eyes is unprecedented and unique.
Verse 5:- On
my side, I was sleepless; my head was filled with commotion. My head was
seeking a wall to bang itself. Whereas pompous, nonchalant my beloved
was enjoying, resting her head on an embroidered silk pillow.
Verse 6:-
Here, I was in trance throwing a party, a “Mehfil”; I was puffing oxygen
of my gasp to keep the illumination alive. Whereas on her side, she was
enjoying company of her friends (my rivals); and, the dazzling flowers
were spread like a carpet giving a grand welcome to them.
Verse 7:- On
her side, from floor to firmament, it was like a wave of a tempest of
colorful splendor. On my side, in my storybook of earth to sky, I was in
a chapter with a title “Burning”
Verse 8:- In
Urdu tradition, the purpose of a lover’s life is to die a slow death,
raving for capture of a kind sight from his beloved. Seeking and bearing
torments from beloved, is love’s grand success. A true lover doesn’t
allow wounds of beloved’s torments to heal. As soon as wounds begin
healing, he digs its scabs with his nails and keeps them fresh.
Therefore, Ghalib ends his Ghazal saying: fervor of my nails for digging
wounds achieved a great success; my wounds bled my pure red blood, pure
because, my blood had no adulteration. This way my wounds dripped the
above verses. This is an unparalleled conclusion of a Ghazal.
Salam,
Asghar Vasanwala
asgharf@att.net
October 31, 2008
(714) 777-6675
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