Thursday, March 20, 2008

Ghalib (6)- Dil-e-nadan

This is the second last of my posts on Ghalib’s poetry on this blog. This ghazal has been incorporated in a number of movies and serials. It has also been sung by a number of artists, but one sung by Somesh Kumar was unforgettable. This is also one of the simplest of Ghalib’s ghazals and might not need a detailed explanation and hence a new attempt- as follows:-

Dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai ,
Aakhir is dard ki davaa kya hai?

Hum hain mushtaq aur woh bezaar
Ya ilaahi ye mazraa kya hai?

Jab ki tujh bin nahin koi mauzood
Fir ye hungaama e khuda kya hai?

Humko unse wafa ki hai ummeed,
Jo nahin jante wafa kya hai

Jaan tum par nisaar karta hoon,
Main nahin jaanta dua kya hai

Maine maana ki kuchh nahin ‘Ghalib’
Muft haath aaye to buraa kya hai?


What causes wretchedness, of my heart so pure*?
O, this mighty misery! Does it have no cure?

My feverish anxiety, and your coldness untold
O God, the mystery! but could someone unfold?

There is none except you- in this ephemeral world (#)
Then why is this ruckus? And what for is this word?

Why do I seek commitment? my faith does endure,
From who knows not its meaning, even I’m so sure

My life is for taking, take it if you wish to take,
That’s what I offer; false prayers I do not make.

I agree if you’d say, for you ‘Ghalib’ is ‘nothing’,
It does no harm to get him? He who costs ‘nothing’!


* Innocent
# Could be addressed to God or beloved

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