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