Date: Thu, 27 Jun 96 18:04:00 PDT
From: Ramesh Hariharan (rameshh@tp.ac.sg)
Subject: Ghalib: har ek baat pe.....

Hi
It is who-else-but Ghalib time again! Enjoy! This is a two-parts posting!
This is part I!

1. har ek baat pe kehte ho tum ke 'too kya hai' ?
tumheeN kaho ke yeh andaaz-e-guftgoo kya hai ?

[Each time I say something, you say "who are you"( in a derogatory tone, with no respect)
You only tell me, what manner of talking/conversation is this?]

2. ragoN meiN dauDte firne ke ham naheeN qaayal
jab aaNkh hee se na Tapka to fir lahoo kya hai ?

[I do not believe in the blood that flows only in the veins
When it does not drop(as tears) from the eyes, then how can one call it blood?]

3. chipak raha hai badan par lahoo se pairaahan
hamaaree jeb ko ab haajat-e-rafoo kya hai ?

[The blood-wet shirt is sticking to my body(shows the state in which the person is living)
Why should my torn pocket require mending now?]

4. jalaa hai jism jahaaN dil bhee jal gaya hoga
kuredate ho jo ab raakh, justjoo kya hai ?

[When the body has been burnt, the heart must also have been burnt(along with it)
Now that your are needling/fingering the ashes, what are you looking for?]

5. rahee na taaqat-e-guftaar, aur agar ho bhee
to kis ummeed pe kahiye ke aarzoo kya hai ?

[There is no strength to talk, and even if there is
with what hope shall I say, what my desire is?]

6. huaa hai shaah ka musaahib, fire hai itaraata
wagarna shehar meiN 'GHalib' kee aabroo kya hai ?

[He has become the King's comrade, and hence roams mighty
Otherwise, what respect does 'Ghalib' have in the city?]

Dictionary : guftgoo = conversation; qaayal = believe; pairaahan = shirt/robe/cloth;
haajat = need/necessity; rafoo = mending/darning; justjoo = desire;
guftaar = speech/discourse; musaahib = comrade/associate
***************************************************************************
This is part II!

Hi folks

Ghalib's talent & genius was such, that he would come out with shers on the
spot and in relation to the moment. He used to have a scarf. Every time he
came up with a sher for a ghazal, he used to tie a knot in the scarf. Later,
when he would go back home, he would untie each knot, and write down the
whole ghazal.

One day, Ghalib was sitting along with his friends at the street corner,
when Ustaad Zauq(the royal palace poet of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Mind you, both
Zauq & Zafar were brilliant Urdu poets. Ghalib was just becoming known then)
passed by sitting in a palanquin. Ghalib, at that point said aloud "huaa
hai shaah ka musaahib, fire hai itaraata"(Since he has become the King's
poet/comrade, he has started moving around mighty), loud enough so that
Ustaad Zauq, could hear him. Ghalib's friends burst out laughing at this
chiding of Zauq, by Ghalib.

Zauq felt hurt. In the next "mushaira"(gathering of poets who recite their
poems; normally in the durbar), Ghalib was invited. Zauq took the opportunity
to tell Bahadur Shah Zafar, about Ghalib's disrespect for the Court poet,
when he himself was not well known. When asked to explain his conduct,
Ghalib told the Shah "Huzoor, yeh tho mere naye ghazal ka maqta(the last
sher of a ghazal) haiN", and went ahead to recite the maqta, thought out on
the spot.

huaa hai shaah ka musaahib, fire hai itaraata
wagarna shehar meiN 'GHalib' kee aabroo kya hai ?

In just one line, Ghalib had taken the full blame on himself. The court of
course, did not realize this. The whole court, Zauq including, was taken by
the sheer brilliance of the sher. He requested Ghalib to recite the whole
ghazal. Ghalib went ahead and recited the whole ghazal, mind you done right
on the spot.

What brilliance! Ghalib, after the incident, did not look back.

In a ghazal, the "maqta" is always the last sher, and normally contains the
"takkallus". A shayar(poet) usually has an alias i.e., 'takkhallus' eg. Mirza
Asadullakhan used 'Ghalib' as his 'takhallus' and is known by that. Other
examples are 'Daag' Dehlvi, 'Mir' Taqi Mir, Said 'Rahi', Ahmed 'Faraz' etc.

Here is another maqta from a Ghalib ghazal, that says it all.

haiN aur bhee duniya meiN suKHanwar bohot achche [suKHanwar = poet]
kehte haiN ki 'GHalib' ka hai andaaz-e-bayaaN aur

[There are many other good poets in the world, but
they say that 'Ghalib' has a style, different & unique from others]

regards
Ramesh