Date: Fri, 12 Jul 96 17:04:00 PDT
From: Ramesh Hariharan (rameshh@tp.ac.sg)
Subject: Ghalib: baazeechaa-e-atfaal hai....

Hi

Yet another Who-else-but Ghalib's ghazal for you!

1. baazeechaa-e-atfaal hai duniya mere aage
hota hai shab-o-roz tamaasha mere aage

[The world is like children's playground before me
Every day & night, a spectacle/fair/exhibition unfolds before me]

2. hota haiN nihaaN gard meiN sehraa mere hote
ghistha haiN jabeen khak meiN dariya mere aage

[The desert hides itself in a duststorm in my presence
The river/sea rubs its forehead in the dust before me]

[If a man praises himself, we say that he is boasting. However, when poets
attain the fame and status, as did Ghalib, such shers were allowed because,
no body could deny their greatness. This sher by Ghalib, is a self-praising
one. He says that, in my presence, the desert hides itself and the
rivers/seas rub their foreheads(as in prostrating) on their grounds, in
front of me.]

3. mat pooch ke kya haal hai mera tere peeche ?
too dekh ke kya rang tera mere aage

[Don't ask about my state/condition(which is bad) after I have fallen for you/in love with you
You only see, what praises I bestow & in what forms/colors you appear to me before me]

4. go haath ko jumbish naheeN aaNhoN meiN to dam hai
rehne do abhee saaGHar-o-meena mere aage

[So what if my hands cannot move; at least my eyes still have the strength to see/to hope
For the time being, let the goblet/glass of wine remain before me(don't take it away)]

5. ham_pesha-o-ham_masharb-o-ham_raaz hai mera
'GHalib' ko bura kyoN kaho achchaa mere aage !

[He is of the same profession & habits as me & is my confidant
Why should 'Ghalib', who is called bad behind his back, be called good before me?]

Dictionary : baazeechaa = play/sport; atfaal = children; nihaaN - hidden, to hide;
gard - dust; sehara - desert; jabeeN - forehead; jumbish = movement/vibration;
shab-o-roz - night & day; saaGHar-o-meena = goblet; ham_pesha = of the same profession;
ham_masharb = of the same habits/a fellow boozer; ham_raaz = confidant