A long hard day's Work Ahead...

...in the office, on a Sunday too. Maybe some Ghalib will gear me up for it.

The following Ghazal was among the first Ghalib ghazals I heard - my very fortuitous introduction to Ghalib, in fact. Sitting in a lab in college, working on my summer training project and listening to a playlist someone had compiled on the comp I was working on I suddenly hear these magical sounds in Rafi's voice that seem to stand apart. I can't make out some of the lyrics but I can still feel the fine finish of the poetry. Then in the end the Maqta comes up "Ghalib, hame na ched ke, phir josh-e-ashk se, Baithen hain ham tahayya-e-toofaan kiye hue" and I think "Ah...So this is Ghalib"

That was four years ago. Since then I have heard this Ghazal sung by different singers in different albums - the latest being Iqbal Bano. It's a long Ghazal and each singer sings different sets of shers.

Hindi movie song buffs might find the second last sher a nice surprise. But don't look now, let the suspense build...



Muddat hui hai yaar ko mehmaan kiye hue
Josh-e-qadah se bazm charagaan kiye hue



[qadah: wine-glass]
Long time since my love was my guest
Long time since the warmth of the wineglass filled the sitting-room
(There you go! I am a terrible translator. Sitting-room? sheesh)



Phir vazaa-e-ehtiyaat se rukne lagaa hai dam,
Barson huen hai chaak girebaan kiye hue



[vazaa: conduct, behaviour; ehtiyaat:care; chaak: torn; girebaan: collar]
All this painful etiquette is really killing me,
How I long for the days when even torn shirts were ok.



Phir pursish-e-jaraahat-e-dil ko chala hai ishq,
saaman-e-sadh-hazaar namak-daan kiye hue.



[pursish: enquiry; jaraahat: operation(fixing); namak-daan: salt container; saaman-e-sad-hazaar: facing hundreds of thousands]
My defeated love sets out to enquire if someone will fix my bleeding heart
But where ever I see I find them waiting to rub salt in my wounds.



Phir jii mein hai ke dar pe kisi ke pade rahen
Sar zer-baar-e-minnat-e-darbaan kiye hue



[sar zer baar: bowed head]
Once again I want to lie at my beloved's door step
With a bowed head, pleading the doorman to let me in.




Jii dhoondta hai phir wahi phursat ke raat-din,
Baithen rahen tasavvur-e-jaana kiye hue.



[tasavvur: thought, khayaal]
Where are those leisurely days and nights gone,
When hours were (generally) spent in thoughts of my beloved...



Ghalib hamen na cheda ke phir josh-e-ashq se
Baithen hain ham tahayya-e-toofaan kiye hue



[tahayya: determination]
Ghalib, you better not disturb me now, for egged by tearful passion
I now sit with a dangerous, reckless, stormy, determination.