Naqsh faryaadi hai kiski shaukhi-e tehreer ka
Kagazi hai pairahan har paikar-e tasveer ka
Kaay-kaay-e-sakht-janeeha-e tanhai na poochh
Subha karna shaam ka lana hai juu-e-sheer ka
Jazbah-e-bey-ikhtiyaar-e shouk deykha chahiye
Sinah-e shamseer sey baahar hai dum shamsheer ka
Aagahee daam-e shunidan jis qadar chaahey bichhaaye
Mudad aa anka hai apney aalam-e takreer ka
Baski hoon Ghalib aseeri mein bhi aatish zer-e pa
Muu-e aatish-deedah hai halkah meri zanjeer ka
Kagazi hai pairahan har paikar-e tasveer ka
Kaay-kaay-e-sakht-janeeha-e tanhai na poochh
Subha karna shaam ka lana hai juu-e-sheer ka
Jazbah-e-bey-ikhtiyaar-e shouk deykha chahiye
Sinah-e shamseer sey baahar hai dum shamsheer ka
Aagahee daam-e shunidan jis qadar chaahey bichhaaye
Mudad aa anka hai apney aalam-e takreer ka
Baski hoon Ghalib aseeri mein bhi aatish zer-e pa
Muu-e aatish-deedah hai halkah meri zanjeer ka
This ghazal has been interpreted differently
many by Masters on several levels, but a simple transliteration is :
(1)Of whose mischievous liberty is the mirror a plaintiff?
Papery are the robes of each image's countenance.
(Addressing God about his creating man playfully, in his image but of transient existence) Since this is the first sher of Dewan-e-Ghalib, it was a norm to invoke the Almighty's name in the first couplet. In ancient Persia, when plaintiffs sought justice some form of bloodied paper on staff was carried to the royal presence. Some other sources say clothes of paper were worn.
(2)Of digging (through) life's hardships and loneliness don't ask
To turn the morning to night, is like bringing a channel of milk*
* refers to the Farsi legend of Shirin-Farhad, where Farhad had to dig through a mountain to bring a channel of milk from the other side.
(3) The uncontrollable passion of ardor ought to be seen
the edge of the sword is outside the sword's breast.
('dum' has a double meaning, 'sword's edge' as well as 'life's breath'. Ghalib cleverly refers to both the eagerness for martyrdom and and unsheathed sword. Matyrdom again can be for the cause of a holy or romantic love.
(4) (Your) intelligence may spread (it's) net of hearing to any extent
the (nub of the) matter is a phoenix, such is my world of words.
He is talking on many levels- he is cocking a snook at his listeners who were co-courtiers in the court of Zafar saying my meaning is not so easy to grasp. Also he implies that rare words of beauty are like the long-necked phoenix, beautiful but a fantasy/figment of the imagination of no lasting reality.
(5)'Ghalib' although bound, yet a fire burns under my feet
a link of my chain is the curl of singed hair.
The poet implies he is bound to trials of living yet is restless as if he has fire under his feet- but he conquers these chains and reduces them to nothing like curls of singed hair.
(1)Of whose mischievous liberty is the mirror a plaintiff?
Papery are the robes of each image's countenance.
(Addressing God about his creating man playfully, in his image but of transient existence) Since this is the first sher of Dewan-e-Ghalib, it was a norm to invoke the Almighty's name in the first couplet. In ancient Persia, when plaintiffs sought justice some form of bloodied paper on staff was carried to the royal presence. Some other sources say clothes of paper were worn.
(2)Of digging (through) life's hardships and loneliness don't ask
To turn the morning to night, is like bringing a channel of milk*
* refers to the Farsi legend of Shirin-Farhad, where Farhad had to dig through a mountain to bring a channel of milk from the other side.
(3) The uncontrollable passion of ardor ought to be seen
the edge of the sword is outside the sword's breast.
('dum' has a double meaning, 'sword's edge' as well as 'life's breath'. Ghalib cleverly refers to both the eagerness for martyrdom and and unsheathed sword. Matyrdom again can be for the cause of a holy or romantic love.
(4) (Your) intelligence may spread (it's) net of hearing to any extent
the (nub of the) matter is a phoenix, such is my world of words.
He is talking on many levels- he is cocking a snook at his listeners who were co-courtiers in the court of Zafar saying my meaning is not so easy to grasp. Also he implies that rare words of beauty are like the long-necked phoenix, beautiful but a fantasy/figment of the imagination of no lasting reality.
(5)'Ghalib' although bound, yet a fire burns under my feet
a link of my chain is the curl of singed hair.
The poet implies he is bound to trials of living yet is restless as if he has fire under his feet- but he conquers these chains and reduces them to nothing like curls of singed hair.
naqsh fariyaadee hai kiskee shoKHee-e-tehreer ka
ReplyDeletekaaGHazee hai pairhan har paikar-e-tasweer ka
kaave-kaave saKHt_jaanee haay tanhaaee na pooch
subah karna shaam ka laana hai joo-e-sheer ka
jazba-e-be_iKHtiyaar-e-shauq dekha chaahiye
seena-e-shamsheer se baahar hai dam shamsheer ka
aagahee daam-e-shuneedan jis qadar chaahe bichaaye
mudda'a 'anqa hai apne aalam-e-taqreer ka
bus ke hooN 'GHalib' aseeree meiN bhee aatish zer-e-pa
moo-e-aatish_deeda hai halqa meree zanjeer ka