Sunday, October 5, 2008

Last post

This blog is no more active and has been moved to http://nisthaonweb.com/art/

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Time for a timeless classic by Ghalib. I am particularly impressed with Ghalib's scorn and immodesty at times. Humility is the only way with which celebrities can handle the fame gracefully for the simple reason that no one tolerates a braggart. The way Ghalib has used his verses and work to vaunt his achievements is a sheer delight to read.

Baazeecha-e-atfaal hai duniya mere aage
hota hai shab-o-roz tamaasha mere aage

The world is merely a child's playground for me, I see this routine phenomenon (of) day and night all the time. I definitely see a sense of superiority or boredom here for nothing excites Ghalib. He is habituated to the events. What a mind set could lead to such an idea - probably a frustration.

ek khel hai aurang-e-sulemaa'n mere nazdeek
ek baat hai aijaaz-e-maseeha mere aage

This is confusing. First line says that worldly achievements such as that of Solomon (referring to his throne or power) is a banality for me. Second line's 'ek baat hai' might mean that same is the case with aijaaz-e-maseeha ie miracle of Almighty. However, 'ek baat hai' could also be a contrast?, something like but the real thing is the miracle of God (supposedly referring to His ability to revive the dead).

juz naam nahi soorat-e-aalam mujhe manzoor
juz veham nahi hasti-e-aashia mere aage

juz = other than
Other than a name, I dont give any significance to this world (soorat-e-aalam) ie I defy to give high importance to the world. And except for being an illusion, these temporal joys do not exist for me. It seems Ghalib has proclaimed himself to be the ultimate judge of everything.

hota hai nihaa'n gard mein sehra mere hote
ghista hai zabee'n khaak pe dariya mere aage

In first 3 verses, Ghalib beautifully creates his self-importance. This verse, again centred around his personage, proves that he knows what he is doing. He says the desert vanishes in dirt in his presence. Desert consisting of dirt itself losing into dirt is height of metaphorism? Similarly, the sea rubs off in nothingness 'mere aage'. Either Ghalib is refering to his immense sorrows that create a deluge of tears running till the floor or he is ridiculing himself by giving such statements. He is showing off his own insanity and thereby wittingly re-asserting his gibes from these 4 verses.

mat pooch ki kya haal hai tera mere peechhe
tu dekh ki kya rang hai tera mere aage

Dont ask me how am I (feeling) after you. Just see how you behaved in front of me. Does it need any more simplification? And yet, I think this is one of the best verses by Ghalib. Who else can so straight-forwardly describe those wounds of love?

sach kehte ho, khudbeen-o-khudaara na kyun hoon?
baitha hai but-e-aaeena-seema mere aage

This is poetic genius again. You (the beloved) are right, I am self-appraising and self-regarding. (Probably someone has bought it to the notice of the beloved that Ghalib is extremely self-regarding and thinks too much of himself). Why shouldn't I be? The one sitting in front of me is a mirror-faced soul. Ghalib is being accused of either being self-conscious (ie all the time talking about himself) or self-regarding (thinks his is the only opinion). He justifies by saying that his beloved is having this effect on him because she makes him self-aware so that he wants to be properly presentable or that is the only time when he can think about himself now that he is facing his beloved. His beloved reflects his aura to him and makes him conscious? I am just getting short of a proper expression here but hope I conveyed the multiple facets of the verse.

phir dekhiye andaaz-e-gul-afshaani-e-guftaar
rakh de koi paimaan-e-sahbaa mere aage

afshaani = scattering
guftaar = coversation
Oh, you will see the beauty of my words when almost roses flow out of my mouth. (For that) just place a glass of wine before me. Ghalib, a known drinker, leaves no excuses to get a glass of wine. Also, he accredits it for his jugglery of words. Well, if wine has that effect, God knows why we dint get any more Ghalibs afterwards.

eeman mujhe roke hai jo kheeche hai mujhe kofr
kaaba mere peechche hai, kaleesa mere aage

Weirdly enough, kaleesa = church is used as a metaphor of desires or infidelity (probably towards his own religion). Ghalib is not counted amongst very religious minded people. He says the faith stops me but kofr = infidelity lures me. How? Its like I am standing in front of a kaabah which calls me and stops me, the church in front draws me. Its probably a mere description of his indecisiveness and not that he was dissatisfied with his religion. From whatever I have read about him, he was not the kind to be bound by anything be it religion or faith.

aashiq hun, per mashooq-farebi hai mera kaam
Majnun ko bura kehti hai Laila mere aage

Again a pompous Ghalib. He says yes I am a lover and what a lover at that. I have the magic of turning all the other beloveds infidel. When my charm works, Laila prefers me over Majnun. This is terrific :)

khush hote hain par, vasl mein yun mar nahi jaate
aayee shab-a-hijran ki tamanna mere aage

When lovers unite, they are very happy but they dont die in that happiness. Again, Ghalib can be taken to scorn at other lovers who dont even die in their happiness of metting with their desired one. But the second line makes him even more of a genius. He said the lovers dont die 'yun' and yun refers to the death wish that Ghalib had made when he was longing for his love in a night of separation. That is to say, the death he had longed for in those nights of disunion has now presented itself at the most wicked time when he has finally met his beloved.
Another interpretation is that in his moment of extreme ecstasy, he is also thinking of how dead he felt in those nights of separation. Overall, proving himself superior to other lovers and that all his emotions surpass that exhibited by anyone else.

go haath ko jumbish nahi aankhon mein to dum hai
rehne do abhi sagar-o-meena mere aage

The oft-quoted verse. Even if my hands are fragile or weak now, my eyes are still strong. So even though I cant pick and bring the wine glass to my lips, dont take it away; mere sight of them helps me (getting intoxicated). This verse is quoted in the context when the user wants to say that everything is not finished.
Another variation is that I am soo drunk that physically drinking anymore is impossible (my hands are not stable enough to pick up the wine) but the sight of alcohol itself is providing me toxication.

hum-peshah-o-hum-mashrab-o-humraaz hai mera
Ghalib ko bura kyon kaho, accha mere aage

We share the same profession, same drink and even the secrets. (So if I am acceptable to you) why should you debase Ghalib, that too in front of me!
The context seems to be that the beloved is not aware of the true identity of Ghalib and is vilifying him in his own presence thinking he is someone else. Even if Ghalib is just making this context up, its the perfect one to end this ghazal on again a high note about himself.


From the drama Mirza Ghalib

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

I came across this one on a friend's blog. The last two lines mesmerize me completely.

Na ganvao navak-e-neem kash, dil-e-reza reza ganva dia
Jo bachay hain sang samet lo, tan-e-dagh dagh luta dia


navak-e-neem kash = half drawn arrow (another usage is in 'ye na thi hamari kismet' by Ghalib - "koi mere dil se poochhe tere teer-e-neem kash ko...")
dil-e-reza = torn pieces of heart
Do not waste your half-drawn arrow(ready to be released) on me, I have already lost the torn pieces of my heart. (Do not waste and) save the left over stones because I have wasted my body already in wounds.

Mere charagar ko naveed ho, saf-e-dushmana ko khabar karo
Woh jo qarz rakhtay thay jaan par, woh hisab aaj chuka dia


naved = good news
saf-e-dushmana = group of my enemies
Inform my foes and let my well-wishers know that the debt which bore on my(our) life and soul has been paid for.

Karo kaj jabeen pe sar-e-kafan, mere qatilon ko guman na ho
Ke ghuroor-e-ishq ka baankpan, pas-e-marg hum ne bhula dia


Keep my kafan tilted at my forehead as a sign of defiance and pride. Let not my assassins have the misapprehension that they could crush the honor and self-pride of my love at my death (by killing me). That is to say that even if they have taken life out of me and I have sacrificed myself, my soul and honor is immortal.

Udhar aik harf ki kushtni, yahan laakh uzr thaa guftni
Jo kaha toh sun ke ura dia, jo likha toh parh ke mita dia


kusht = kill (unconfirmed)
harf = syllable
uzr = excuse, apology
There was just one syllable on that side - "kill" ie the oppressors knew only how to oppress/kill. We had lakhs of reasons for what we did. But whatever we said, they did not heed to, whatever we wrote, they erased. This is a soulful description of how the independence-fighters tried every means to persuade the tyrants but they knew nothing except violence.

Jo rukay toh koh-e-garan the hum, jo chalay to jaan se guzar gaye
Rah-e-yaar hum ne qadam qadam, tujhay yadgaar bana dia


koh-e-garaan = difficult mountain (koh=mountain; garaan=tough)
These lines summarise the journey of the one who is fighting for a cause and his people. A journey consists of the 'travelling' part and the 'non-travelling' or resting part. Faiz says that when we stopped, we were as firm and unyielding as a difficult mountain; when we walked, we became larger than life, we gave the momentum to the cause ie we gave it the activity which signifies life. And with every step we progressed, we made this whole journey a testament of our struggle and sacrifices. It is an interesting viewpoint: its not the hard journey that gave us a recognition but the other way round.


Afterword: Faiz is known to have written some beautiful poems on political theme depicting the struggle for independence, the best known one being 'hum dekhenge'. This poem is in very much those lines. Faiz starts with a desolate note by saying that 'we are already wasted' and then slowly builds the strong theme. He masterfully etches the various emotions and perspectives of freedom struggles - sometimes disappointed, sometimes defiant, sometimes crushed etc. Its an extensive topic and would need more than few lines, so may be some other time in a new post :)


Bas jaane se pehle, let me thank Sohaib and Moz for posting this poem and giving me the opportunity to read it. Aur ab, khuda haafiz!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The poetry that I am sharing in this article is a friend's favorite and I could not agree more with such a taste. This one kind of grows upon you. The more you listen to it, the more beautiful it seems. This work of Faiz is beautifully rendered by Iqbal Bano and the best version I could find is here.

dasht-e-tanhaayi mein, ae jaan-e-jahaan, larzaan hain
teri aawaaz ke saaye, tere honthon ke saraab

In the emptiness/deserts(dasht) of my solitude(tanhayi), the shadows/remains(saaye) of your voice and mirage/illusions(saraab) of your lips tremble(larzaan). It is known how one can see the mirages in desert amd there are illusions of water around. This is more so tragic for the wanderer who is thirsty. This is used as a metaphor for the lover who is lost in his solitude and sees the shadows of his beloved all around. The use of 'larzaan' for the illusions of missing lover is extremely beautiful.

dasht-e-tanhaai mein, doori ke khas-o-khaak tale
khil rahe hain tere pehlu ke saman aur gulaab

In the deserts of my solitude, the dust(khas) and ashes(khaak) of this separation cause the jasmines(saman) and roses(gulaab) of your presence to flower. The poet has chosen the signs of decay and ruins (khas-o-khaak) to be the illusions and causes of something as lively as the flowers. This again shows the creativity and power of imagination. One can take this as a sign of derangement and illusion or a sign of romanticism as to how the separated lover is trying to keep his beloved close through his imagination.

uth rahi hai kahin qurbat se teri saans ki aanch
apani khushboo mein sulagti hui maddham maddham

From somewhere close(qurbat), the warmth of your breaths(and hence sign of your presence) is rising, smouldering slowly in its own sweet scent.

dur ufaq par chamakati hui qatra qatra
gir rahi hai teri dildaar nazar ki shabnam

At the horizon(ufaq), the dew of your lovely glimpse falling, shimmers drop by drop. It is again, I suppose, to emphasize the deception that poet feels how the beloved is near in the last lines and close in these ones. He is feeling the beloved everywhere.

is qadar pyaar se hai jaan-e jahaan rakhaa hai
dil ke rukhsaar pe is vaqt teri yaad ne haath

These last four lines are the mark of genius of Faiz and the reason why this poem is so prepossessing. The poet says that while in this solitude, as he indulges in recalling his beloved, (the hands of) her reminiscence has touched the rukhsar(cheeks) of his heart so lovingly that

yun guman hota hai garche hai abhi subah-e-firaaq
dhal gaya hijr ka din, aa bhi gayi vasl ki raat

even though its just the dawn (after) of the disunion (subah-e-firaaq), it seems as if the day of hijr(separation) is already over and the night of union is here.

The loneliness and longing of a separated lover is impeccably captured in the beautiful metaphors used throughout. The lover is desiring and being hopeful through his own hopelessness(illusions). He is either losing the sanity or creating these deceptions on purpose so as to feel his beloved.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

the dark look

My instincts were forbidding me from keeping a clear and bright theme for this blog simply because it will defy the mystique of the genre of poetry I jot here. Be it the sher of Ghalib or geet of Gulzar, they can not be captured or tied to one interpretation. They are open, mysterious and free form. Let them take the shape of your individual perceptions. Let them light away this darkness themselves.

shauk ko ye lat ke har dam naala kheenche jaaye hai
dil ki wo haalat ke dam lene se ghabra jaaye hai


[shauk=ardor] the passion of love never tires of lamenting and groaning while the heart is in such a state that cant even breathe. It just depicts the height of misery of the lover who, probably, due to rejection/unresponsive lover wants to cry and cry but heart is not able to support a single breath in between. Frankly, it still seems mysterious to me.

dur chashm-e-bad teri bazm-e-tarab se waah waah
nagma ho jaata hai vaan gar naala mera jaaye hai

May the evil glance stay away from your gathering(mehfil). Even my lamentation are translated to melodious verses when they reach your gathering. On the more pessimistic interpretation, it is to say that the beloved is 'zaalim' enough to ignore my pleadings and lamenting and continue with her celebrations.

garche hai tarz-e-taghaful, parda-daar-raaz-e-ishq
par hum aise khoye jaate hain ki wo paa jaaye hain

This one is unbeatable and I am having a tough time to even describe. The situation is that beloved is putting up a show of negligence so as to not let the world know of secret of my love, yet I am lost in such a way(by her beauty or charm or whatever) that my loss(of senses) divulges the secret. There are interpretations where 'wo' stands for the beloved herself that she doesnt know of my love, which has been revealed when I lose my senses looking at her.

uski bazm-aaraiyaan sunkar dil-e-ranjoor yaan
misl-e-naqsh-e-mudda-e-ghair baitha jaaye hain

The stories of beloved's loud and flirtatious gatherings have fallen upon Ghalib's ears. Just as the rival is succeeding in impressing his beloved, so Mirza's heart is sinking proportionately i.e jaise uske dil me ghair ka naqsh baith raha hai, waise hi mera dil baith raha hai (ranjoor=distressed)

ho ke aashiq wo paree-rukh aur nazuk ban gaya
rang khulta jaaye hai jitna ki udta jaaye hain


Having experienced the love herself, the angel face of my beloved has become all so more delicate. I dont want to kill the beauty of second line and as it is, its pretty straightforward. I would just add that the discovery of her own love or embarrassment has caused her face to whiten but as it happens, it has become clearer/ even more beautiful.
(If you have watched Gulzar's documentary of Mirza Ghalib, this particular line is used when Navaabjaan discovers the identity of Ghalib)

naqsh ko us ke musavvir pe bhi kya kya naaz hai
kheenchta hai jis qadar, utna hi khinchta jaaye hai


[Musavvir=artist]The wordplay here is of 'khinchna' which can be to draw or attract/pull. The lines show the magic of the creations on the creator, the art on the artist, the beloved on the lover. The art is so influential over the artist that it draws(attracts) the artist to the same extent that he literally draws it. In the other context, the beloved pulls the lover by her charm and then teasingly draws away to same extent. Again, open to multiple interpretations here.

saaya mera mujhse misl-e-dood bhaage hai 'Asad'
paas mujh aatish-bazaan ke kisse thehra jaaye hai


Asad is the lesser used 'takhallus' of Ghalib and there is an interesting story behind it. Here, Ghalib says that even his shadow wants to vanish away as does smoke (misl-e-dood). This can either be due to the fact that he is aatish-bazaan or fire provoking (more so burning himself in his difficulties) or it is the heat of his passion that is repelling everything.
----------------------------------
Phew!
All in all, I would just say that there is no end to the possible interpretations of each and every verse of Ghalib. First of all, his usage of unusual and recherche farsi terms is not easily comprehensible; secondly, the shers are so concise in expression that they leave most part to be imagined/interpreted individually/deduced. It is not only his expertise of language but wit that he comes up with such unimaginable couplets.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

I published this in my other blog and the translations were incomplete at that time. In fact I could not understand 2-3 couplets at all. Given a fact that its not 'that' famous a ghazal of Ghalib (pardon me Ghalib lovers who know this one already, I am not trying to demean the charisma of this ghazal), I could not find very elaborate translations on web. Thanks to tarbooz, she made my day by sending the awesome translations. And as I read it again and again, I am spellbound, mesmerized, enchanted and what not by the depth of each and every word. Also, I am confident that I havent still understood all the beautiful nuances and that makes me even more enamored of 'one and only' Ghalib. So, here it goes-

dekhna kismet ki aap apne pe rashk aa jaaye hai
main use dekhun, bhala kab mujhse dekha jaaye hai


(its that stage of love where I have become my own rival and I cant bear anyone looking at my love, even if its me)

haath dho dil se yahi garmi gar andeshe me hai
aabginah tundi-e-sahbaa se pighla jaaye hai


(again, one can keep writing pages and may not capture the full essence of this one. I am quoting from an ext source- " If in mere thought is heat, then it's not well for the heart. The wine is so active/violent that it melts the wine-glass. That is, if my thought and concentration remain in this state, then my spirit will be dissolved.")

ghair ko ya rab wo kyun kar mana-e-gustakhi kare?
gar haya bhi usko aati hai to sharma jaaye hai


(the crux is the beauty of shyness here that my beloved is shy of even showing shyness. When 'ghair' or the other person is being offensive, 'wo' cant even stop because she is too shy to let embarass approach her. Quoting ext - "A shy, modest young woman would be duly embarrassed by anyone's approaching her; when 'even' shyness is the one who comes to her, the embarrassment is paralyzing. Thus the beloved is unable to confront and rebuke the bold Other.")

The ghazal is so heavy that I am considering taking a break here so that I can relish these three couplets for a while before coming on to the next ones. Again, thx tarbooz!