I have been listening to ghazals by ghalib since childhood. My father used to love them. I could never fathom what they meant, none the less it was a pleasure to my simpleton self.
Growing up during college, once in a while someone who understands these would help me comprehend their gist. I always felt connected to them whenever i heard and which was often in times of isolation. I used to be very emotional and they felt perfect.
Its only in the past three years that works by ghalib started revealing their meaning to me. I am making a feeble attempt to present the same here.
Aate hain gaib se yeh mazami khayaal mein
Ghalib sareer e khama, nawa e surosh hai
( These thoughts that I commit to words come straight from the unknown. The susurrus that my quill doth make is in fact the angel who spake.)
His works portray his paradigm shift of understanding Ishq, from mizazi to hakiki. How is first love that is life we all live, flirts with him through out ceaselessly and never totally becoming his lover. Later he moves to the Maikhana for reckoning this constant irony.
I often find myself quoting a couplet that suits me way too much and seems to be satire by him on himself.
Yeh masaile tassawuf, yeh tera bayan ghalib
Tujhe hum wali samajhte jo na bada khaar hota.
This will be a platform to dwell for all smitten by this bug and been enchanted by life. Those who want ascend from the conventional comprehension and acceptance of this competitive, mechanical, emotional and mundane struggle.
Growing up during college, once in a while someone who understands these would help me comprehend their gist. I always felt connected to them whenever i heard and which was often in times of isolation. I used to be very emotional and they felt perfect.
Its only in the past three years that works by ghalib started revealing their meaning to me. I am making a feeble attempt to present the same here.
Aate hain gaib se yeh mazami khayaal mein
Ghalib sareer e khama, nawa e surosh hai
( These thoughts that I commit to words come straight from the unknown. The susurrus that my quill doth make is in fact the angel who spake.)
His works portray his paradigm shift of understanding Ishq, from mizazi to hakiki. How is first love that is life we all live, flirts with him through out ceaselessly and never totally becoming his lover. Later he moves to the Maikhana for reckoning this constant irony.
I often find myself quoting a couplet that suits me way too much and seems to be satire by him on himself.
Yeh masaile tassawuf, yeh tera bayan ghalib
Tujhe hum wali samajhte jo na bada khaar hota.
This will be a platform to dwell for all smitten by this bug and been enchanted by life. Those who want ascend from the conventional comprehension and acceptance of this competitive, mechanical, emotional and mundane struggle.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for liking Ghalib. He is my favourite too.
I would like to share with you some thoughts of Ghalib himself not as couplets but just his thoughts.
"In paradise it is true that I shall drink at dawn the pure wine mentioned in the Qu'ran, but where in paradise are the long walks with intoxicated friends in the night, or the drunken crowds shouting merrily? Where shall I find there the intoxication of Monsoon clouds? Where there is no autumn, how can spring exist? If the beautiful houris are always there, where will be the sadness of separation and the joy of union? Where shall we find there a girl who flees away when we would kiss her?"
"The prison of life and the bondage of grief are one and the sameBefore the onset of death, how can man expect to be free of grief?"
"The Sheikh(Holy men) hovers by the tavern door, but believe me, Ghalib,I am sure i saw him slip in As I departed.
"Look at the Sahibs of England. Look at the style and practice of these, See what Laws and Rules they have made for all to see What none ever saw, they have produced." [-- Ghalib on British East India Company]
[Ghalib changed his pen name to 'Ghalib' when he came across this sher (couplet) by another poet who used the takhallus (pen name) 'Asad' ]
"Whoever authored this couplet does indeed deserve the Lord's rahmat (mercy) (for having composed such a deplorable specimen of Urdu poetry). If I use the pen name 'Asad', then surely (people will mistake this couplet to be mine and) there will be much la'anat (curse) on me!".
hello hussain i m glad you appreciat what iam doing. some of the couplets you wrote were new to me and some known.
ReplyDeleteThe Sheikh and prison of life being amongst my frequently quoted ones.
I have another blog of a little different school of thought. Give it a shot www.journals.tk or vajournals.blogspot.com