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 51st
installment. I have received excellent response from many
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this is my own, Asghar Vasanwala’s, work and
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Here is today’s verse (She’r) & its
explanation in Urdu, Gujarati,
and English
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These are the 1st 2nd, &
3rd verses of Ghalib’s 16th Ghazal.
Verse 1
Nala-e-dil meiN shab, andaz-e-asar na-yab tha
My nightly lamentations proved devoid of effect, though were
blazing
Tha
sapand-e-bazm-e-vasle-ghair, go be-tab tha
Contrarily, became lucky charm of Sapnad, shielding my rival’s
revelry with her
Nala-e-dil
= Lamentation of heart
Shab = night Andaz-e-asa=
to a measure of effect Na-yab= unavailable, devoid
Sapand = A black seed which when burned
protects people from evil eye, a good luck charm Bazm=party
vasl=date
Ghair= outsider, rival, enemy Be-tab=
restless, impatient,
Verse 2
Maqdam-e-sailab se dil kya nishat aahang hai
Advent of flood pleased my heart
so much; it played joyous tunes
Khana-e-aashiq, magar,
saz-e-sada-e-aab tha
Submerging abode of lover, emanated tunes of water-piano
Maqdam =
advent, arrival Sailab=flood Nishat=pleasure,
bliss Aahang=tuneKhana = house ,
Saz=musical instrument
Sada=voice, tune
aab = water,
saz-e-sada-e-aab= sound of
musical bowls of water,
Verse 3
Nazizish-e-ayyam-e-khatir nashini kya kahuN?
How do I describe those proud old days of life in dirt, the
extreme poverty?
Pehlu-e-andesha
waqf-e-bistar-e-sanjab tha
Then, the dirt-bed felt like brown fur of a weasel
Nazish
= pride
Ayyam =Plural of yom meaning days
Khakister= dirt, ground Khakister
nashini= living in dirt, extreme poverty Pehlu=side andesha=
thought, feel Waqf= endowment, given away Sanjab=fur of an ermine, a
weasel with brown fur, once valued as symbol of wealth, nobility,
or high rank
Meaning:
In this whole Ghazal, Ghalib has used
a very allegorical language.
Verse
1:-. In this verse, Ghalib talks about
his love triangle. It is believed, if one laments hard, his urge will
reach seventh heaven and make God’s mercy bend his way. Ghalib says,
last night my fiery lamentations were blowing lava but were devoid of
any effect. The reason for this may be that the fire of my lamentations
worked against me. Stupidly, lamentations on the way to heaven burned
“Sapand” a good luck charm of black
seed which when burned protects people from an evil eye. For this
reason, my rival remained protected from effect of my lamentations and
continued enjoying company of my beloved. Ghalib considers lamentations
as his messenger to heaven and blames them for the mess up.
Actually, Ghalib makes fun of his
lamentations, his messenger. He says, though my lamentations were saber
rattling for influence, they actually became counterproductive. They
were supposed to go to seventh heaven and bring mercy and favor for me;
instead, on the way to heaven, they stupidly burned good luck charm, the
black seed called “Sapand”. Because of this stupidity, while I cried, my
rival continued to have fun with my beloved.
Verse
2:-. While rainstorm flood was
submerging my abode, my heart was jumping with joy as if it were
enjoying musical tunes. A true lover celebrates when his abode is
wrecked, because there is nothing to left then to worry. He then can
devote full time on love. Ghalib says, “When the flood water was
knocking my doors, walls, and my belongings, it sounded to me as if some
one was playing a water piano (Trang). In this verse, use of words
“Sada-e-aab” (sound of water) and “Aahang” (tune) has created a
beautiful combination.
Verse 3:-
How do I describe proud memory of days of my extreme deprivation? In
those days, when I slept on dirt, I felt as if I was sleeping on weasel
fur (Sanjab). In this verse, Ghalib speaks to us his content nature and
his love for tough life. He also says that a person is not free from
pride even when he is a popper. Since Weasel-fur (Sanjab) and dirt have
same color, it creates a color combination.
Salam,
AsgharVasanwala
asgharf@att.net
October31,2008
(714) 777-6675 |
