Translation Dahermein naqshe wafa by Ghalib
suhas
Naqshe wafa" or better stll some one do it for me.( esp. make me
understand nuances of --ye He lafz jo sharaminda E mani naa huva)
Thanks
Vijay
This is my 'literal' take on this:
In this life, the attribute of 'wafa' is never a cause for
satisfaction. This is a word that knows no shame. 'sharmiNda-e-ma'ani'
na huua= doesn't equate with the meaing of 'shame'.
I am sure you can elaborate it from here.
Best,
Vijay
Afzal A. Khan
One can assume that the meaning of any word is its own little
secret. Once the meaning is known, there is no mystery left.
And this can be a source of embarrassment (sharmindigi) for
the word. But no one has ever been able to find the meaning
of this word "wafa". So, in a way, this word has never exper-
ienced any embarrassment on this account. The word exists but
no one knows its meaning. "Dehr" refers to this world of ours.
"Wafa" of course means "fidelity" or "loyalty in love".
As is usual with Ghalib, his verses can be interpreted in so many
different ways. Here also, there can be two interpretations :
1. The poet had been expecting or seeking "wafa"
from his mehboob. But his hopes were belied. His love
remained unrequited. In utter dismay, the poet/lover has
concluded that, in all probability, the word is quite
meaningless. "Wafa" or "loyalty in love" simply does not
exist.
2. The poet or lover is talking about his own "wafa" for his
mehboob. Since this is a noble quality, he has fond hopes
that this would be recognized. Or, in other words, his
beloved would be equally constant in responding to his love.
But this never happened. So the word (and the quality it
represents) must be meaningless. His own loyalty could not
be a source of satisfaction for him. Also, in a delicate way,
the poet seems to be hinting that the fault does not really lie
with others (or his own beloved). It is the word itself that
is meaningless.
Just my own take.
Afzal
Naseer
Afzal Sahib, has it ever occurred to you to write an exposition or
commentary in English on Ghalib's Urdu poetry? It might not be such an
arduous task if you were to collect *all* your elucidations in this
group as well as ALUP. I am sure Vijay Sahib and others in both groups
will fully support my suggestion.
Naseer
B.G.M.
Here`s the complete she`r
dahr me;N naqsh-e vafaa vaj'h-e tasallii nah hu))aa
hai yih vuh laf:z kih sharmindah-e ma((nii nah hu))aa
or more plainly,
"dahr meN naqsh-e-wafaa vajh-e-tasallee nah hu`aa
hai yeh woh lafz k, sharmiindah-e-m`aani nah hu`aa"
======================================================
suhas
Thank you all.- I don't think any other poet has ever indicated that
each word has its own secret and to say thar word has qualities of
being hurt, insulted,ashamed or enjoy its own meaning is just mind
blowing ( a phrase that has been made cheap by improper use).Great
Ghalib ---- and afzal saab Naaseerne kaha he usape jara gaur
farmayiye.- bahut mehrabaani hogi. !
Sunil Dandekar
> On 9/16/2010 6:15 AM, suhas wrote:
>
> > will someone tell me where I can get English translation of Daher Mein
> > Naqshe wafa" or better stll some one do it for me.( esp. make me
> > understand nuances of --ye He lafz jo sharaminda E mani naa huva)
> > Thanks
>
> One can assume that the meaning of any word is its own little
> secret. Once the meaning is known, there is no mystery left.
> And this can be a source of embarrassment (sharmindigi) for
> the word. But no one has ever been able to find the meaning
> of this word "wafa". So, in a way, this word has never exper-
> ienced any embarrassment on this account. The word exists but
> no one knows its meaning. "Dehr" refers to this world of ours.
> "Wafa" of course means "fidelity" or "loyalty in love".
Mind blowing idea (the word gets embarrassed if its secret is
known...). Thanks.
regards,
Sunil
Arun Simha
Pritchett's compilation of various translations, including her own is
here:
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00ghalib/009/9_01.html?
Pasted below
- Arun
====
dahr me;N naqsh-e vafaa vaj'h-e tasallii nah hu))aa
hai yih vuh laf:z kih sharmindah-e ma((nii nah hu))aa
1) in the world, the image of 'faithfulness' did not become a cause
for comfort
2) this is that word, that did not become ashamed before Meaning
Notes:
naqsh : 'A painting, a picture; portrait; drawing; a print; a carving,
an engraving...an impression; a stamp; a mark'. (Platts p.1145)
tasallii : 'Consolation, comfort, solace; assurance; contentment,
satisfaction'. (Platts p.324)
sharmindah : 'Ashamed, abashed, shamefaced, bashful, modest,
blushing'. (Platts p.726)
Nazm:
That is, when lovers in the world are faithful, it means that they
want comfort. When they are faithful and don't receive comfort, then
the word 'faithfulness' is left meaningless and vain. The conclusion
is that lovers' faithfulness is a meaningless thing. (9)
Urdu text: Vajid 1902 {9}
Bekhud Dihlavi:
He says that when in the world people, through faithfulness, stamp the
mark [naqsh] of faithfulness on someone's heart, it's as if they waste
their time in a useless task. (21)
Bekhud Mohani:
In the world, no peace could be gained from the word 'faithfulness'.
This is the word which has never placed itself under obligation to
meaning; that is, this is a meaningless word. (16).
FWP:
SETS == DEFINITION
SHAME/HONOR: {3,5}
INDEPENDENCE verses: {3,10x}; {9,1}; {9,5}; {9,9x}; {12,4x}*; {18,4};
{24,5}; {26,1}*; {39,4}; {44,1}; {64,5}; {77,7}; {84,6x}*; {92,4};
{99,6}; {115,7}; {119,5}; {119,7}*; {119,8}; {130,1}; {130,3}*; {148,5}
*; {149,2}; {154,2}; {159,6}; {167,10}, a particularly complex case;
{182,1}; {189,2}; {190,2}*; {198,1}; {222,2x}; {230,11}
Ghalib originally composed a ghazal of nine verses (Raza p. 223), from
which he chose six verses (Hamid p. 8) for inclusion in his published
divan. More on this topic: S. R. Faruqi's choices.
Not only is there no faithfulness, there's not even any real meaning
for the concept. The word 'faithfulness' itself is not beholden to
meaning-- it does not blush with the embarrassment of indebtedness
when it meets Meaning on the street. For a similar use of minnat-
kash , see {9,5}.
The literal meaning of sharmindah , 'shame-affected', works here to a
fine double purpose. One the one hand, to avoid the shame of debt
sounds like a virtue. (But why do all the other words have meanings,
and this is the single one that does not?) And of course, by being
devoid of meaning the so-called word/quality of 'faithfulness' is
shameless-- in fact, entirely lost to shame.
The equation between being 'beholden' and being 'ashamed' is very
deeply Ghalibian. In others of what I call his 'independence verses',
he both extends and strengthens this notion. He also applies it
clearly to human life, as a strong philosophical, or esthetic, or even
moral, imperative. I was surprised to notice how many such
'independence verses' there are, and how firm and consistent is their
advice.
For example, in {9,5}, your never speaking kindly to me means that my
ear is not 'indebted' to good news. In {18,4}, Beauty is disgracefully
'pledged' to henna. In {39,4}, the lover rejoices in his freedom from
minnat to digestive fluid (yes, really). By contrast, {44,1} depicts
Ghalib's poetry as available for free-- except for the weight of
(indebtedness to) his kindness that the buyer must bear. More
abstractly, {64,5} makes it clear that the path to one's ardently
desired 'own truth/reality' requires confiding oneself to oblivion. In
{92,4} the lover is glad that his lament does not 'abase itself'
before 'Effect'-- which is to say, it has no effect. In {130,3} a door
is described as 'bent over' under the weight of minnat to the worker
who made it, and the lover is enjoined not to accept favors from
anyone. And in {130,3} the edict is laid down in so many words that
one should accept only what comes 'from one's own existence', since
one's own heedlessness is to be preferred to awareness borrowed from
others. And so on; there are so many other very clear examples.
This counsel of self-reliance at all costs, and non-beholdenness at
all costs, is in a class by itself as an explicit didactic principle
that leaps out at the reader from Ghalib's poetry. In the whole of the
divan, no other such principle appears, as far as I can see. And I
certainly didn't go looking to find any such principles, including
this one! I don't think any serious reader of Ghalib could fail to
notice it.
=====
faizy...@gmail.com
Ma'am I - Meaning
Sharmindaa-E-Maa'ni - Guilty Of It's Meaning.
shu...@gmail.com
why not give full translation of whole Gazal with your remarks ! please.
