Post 1:Simply Ghazals: Understanding and enjoying the true meaning of Urdu Ghazals
I have started this blog because I am a lover of ghazals and love their delicate wordings, nuances of language and ability to convey so much in so few words. A member of one of the whatsapp groups had recently sent a beautiful ghazal sung by Talat Mahmood, way back in 1950. It had a few difficult Urdu words so to make everybody enjoy the ghazal, I had translated some of these uncommon and rather difficult words in English and Hindi.
To my surprise I received a request, to translate the entire ghazal , as she had been hearing and enjoying this particular ghazal since last so many years, often sung by her mother even when her mother herself was young! She readily admitted that she enjoyed the ghazal but did not know the meaning! I know quite a few people who sing ghazals, and sing them very well but do so without understanding the meaning and of course miss out on all the nuances of the language.
I translated the entire ghazal in English. The response to my surprise was tremendous. It made me wonder how many others were there in my circle of friends who listened to ghazals, enjoyed them but did not understand the lyrics. I was amazed. In Urdu poetry, even one key word can transform the entire couplet (sher शेर).
So I decided to start this blog and translate one ghazal and post it on every Saturday morning. This is not word to word translation but the idea is to convey the essence रुह of the ghazal. I am turning 75 tomorrow, the 12th July so this blog is my birthday gift to myself!
What I have done is to translate the ghazal, couplet by couplet but I was wondering if translating the Ghazal in one piece would be better. I would love to receive your suggestions.
Urdu as a language developed in undivided India, when Mughals came to India. Their language was Persian and with passage of time Persian mixed with Hindi and a new purely Indian language, Urdu evolved. It is a rich language with many many words from Arabic, Turkish and of-course Hindi and Persian. The script is Persian.
So here is the gazal, sung by Talat Mahmood in 1950. It has lyrics by Fayyaz Hashmi and has been set to music by Kamal Das Gupta.
I dare to say that most Urdu poetry maintains a mood of sadness, as the lover is always yearning and the beloved, the mashuka (lady love) who is the giver, is always so hard to get and generally indifferent. At times, it’s God who is the lover and the poet yearns for him. Especially in Sufi literature God is the lover. In Urdu poetry, lover at times is also compared to the moth (पतंगा) who burns and dedicates itself to the mehbooba the flame, although the flame is just not concerned.
The beloved, the lady is always the giver and can deny her charms, her acceptance, her favours at her whims. That is why men and those who can write and express themselves, always depict themselves as beggars. It has nothing to do with the physical power, monetary status or intellectual prowess of the seeker, as man is always the supplicant.
So here is the translation:
honthon se gulfishaan hain vo aankhonn se ashqbaar ham
saavan se vo hain bekhabar begaanaa-e-bahaar ham
Her lips are so beautiful as though she is showering flowers,
while my eyes are brimming with tears.उस के होंठों से फूल झडंते हें
She is unaware of the rainy season while I am so sad and unaware of the season of blossoms.
arsh kii bulandiyaan farsh kii pastiyon se hai
un ka guruur dekh kar ban gaye khaaq_saar ham
Position or height of the sky is because the humble floor is in supplication. Looking at her haughtiness (pride)I feel so humble.
(The idea is to convey that it is the lover who makes the beloved so high or precious)
paravaanaa jaa ke jab giraa sholaa to kaanp kaanp uthaa
us pe na kuchh asar huaa jis pe hain nisaar ham
While the moth ( lover परवाना) fell in the flame and got burnt,even the flame itself got flustered but the one on whom I dedicated myself, remained totally unaffected.
What beautiful depiction of indifference and callousness.
pii hai kisii kii bazm men itanii ki phir na uth sake
hosh-o-havaas kuchh nahiin kitane hain hoshiyaar ham
I drank so much in the company of someone l loved that I lost all my senses,
could not get up although I thought that I am so clever.
Please understand the lyrics and essence of the Ghazal and listen to it again.
