A translated ghazal by Meer
Siddhartha Sahi
About a week ago I posted a ghazal by Meer -- here is a translated version.
The translation is virtually verbatim from `An Anthology of Classical
Urdu Love Lyrics' by Matthews & Shackle (Oxford Univ. Press); I have
added a few, hopefully clarifying, comments.
Enjoy,
Siddhartha
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Tha musta`ar husn se uske, jo noor tha,
Khursheed men bhi us hi ka zarra zuhoor tha.
"musta'ar" = borrowed; "noor" = light; "khursheed" = sun;
"zarra" = particle (esp. dust particle), "zuhoor" = apparent, manifest.
The light that was, was borrowed from His beauty; even in the sun only
a particle of it was visible.
(Notice the analogical inversion! Just as a dust particle shines in a
ray of sunlight, the sun itself is a particle shining with the
reflected light of God's beauty.
A similar sentiment:
Har zarra chamakta hai anvaar-e ilaahi se,
Har saans ye kehti hai, ham hain to khuda bhi hai! (Akbar Allahabadi))
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Hangaama garam kun jo dil-e na-suboor tha,
Paida har aik naale se shor-e nushoor tha.
"hangama" = turmoil, upheaval; "kun" = obsolete form of "ko";
"na-suboor" = impatient; "naala" = lament, groan;
"nushoor" = doomsday, the day of resurrection.
When my impatient heart stirred up a commotion, the tumult of the
Day of Judgement arose from each of its cries.
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Pahuncha jo aap ko, to main pahuncha khuda ke ta'in,
Ma`aloom ab hua, ke bahut main bhi door tha.
"aap" = "apne-aap" = myself; "ta'in" = (obsolete postposition) "paas",
When I found myself, I found God. Now I realize that I was very
far away (from understanding myself).
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Aatish buland dil ki na thi, varna ai kaleem,
Yak sho`la, barq-e khirman-e sad koh-e toor tha.
"aatish" = fire; "buland" = high; "kaleem" = Moses, lit. speaker (with God);
"barq" = lightning; "khirman" = harvest, haystack;
"koh-e toor" = Mount Sinai.
O Moses, the fire of your heart was not ardent enough, otherwise one spark
would have been (equal to) the lightning of a hundred Mount Sinais!
(The story goes that on Mt. Sinai, Moses asked God to able to see Him,
but was so dazzled by the divine light that he could not keep his
eyes open.
"Barq-e khirman" is a standard Urdu expression for `the lightning that
destroys the harvest', it seems cliche'd here.)
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Majlis men, raat ek tere partave baghair,
Kya shamma`, kya patang, har ek be-huzoor tha.
"majlis" = gathering; "partav" = ray of light; "patang" = "patanga" = moth;
"be-huzoor" = `out of sorts' (lit. absent).
Last night in the gathering without your brilliant appearance, not only the
candle and moth but everyone was absent.
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Mun`im ke paas qaaqum-o sanjaab tha to kya
Us rind ki bhi raat guzar ga'i jo `oor tha.
"mun`im" = rich man (Note: this word comes from "n`emat" which means
`blessing', and is not to be confused with the more common Hindustani word
"muneem" which is a corruption of "muneeb" meaning `deputy'.)
"qaaqum" = sable; "sanjaab" = ermine; "rind" = rake, wretch; "'oor" = naked.
The rich man may have his furs (sable and ermine). Even so this rake, who
was naked, also got through the night.
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Ham khaaq men mile to mile, lekin ai sipihr,
Us shokh ko bhi raah par laana zaroor tha.
"khaaq" = ashes, dust; "sipihr" = sky; "shokh" = coquette;
If we were reduced to ashes, so be it! But, O sky, we had to put the
capricious one on the right path.
(The point is that once the lover's ashes were mingled with the dust
(of the road), the beloved "raaste par aa gaya". Figuratively, she mended
her ways, but literally, she came out on the road (undoubtedly for the
pleasure of trampling his ashes underfoot!)
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Kal paaon ek kaasa-e sar par jo aa gaya,
Yak sar wo ustukhaan shikaston se choor tha.
Kahne laga ke, dekh ke chal raah, be-khabar,
Main bhi kabhu kisu ka sar-e pur-ghuroor tha.
"kaasa-e sar" = skull (lit. cup of the head); "ustukhaan" = bone;
"shikast" = broken;
"kabhu" & "kisu" = obs. forms of "kabhi" and "kisi"
"pur-ghuroor" = full of pride.
Yesterday, when my foot trod upon a skull, -- that bone had
entirely crumbled into dust --
It began to say, `Look as you walk, O heedless one! I too was once
somebody's proud head.'
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Tha wo to rashq-e hoor-e bahishti hameen men, Meer,
Samjhe na ham, to fahm ka apni qusoor tha.
"rashq" = jealousy; "hoor" = Houri; "bahisht" = heaven;
"fahm" = comprehension; "qusoor" = fault.
Indeed, the envy of the Houris of Paradise was among us, Meer! If we did
not understand, then it was the fault of our own comprehension.
(The Houris are the fabulously beautiful maids of heaven in Islamic
mythology, similar to the "Apsaras" of Hindu lore. One of the promised
rewards for leading a good and righteous life on earth is an after-life
in heaven, with dominion over Houris. For this reason the Houris are
jealous of Man.
In pari-zadon se lenge khuld men ham inteqaam,
Qudrat-e haq se yehi hooren agar vaan ho gayeen. (Ghalib))
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