Ghazal 101
This is my translation of a ghazal called Ae jazba-i dil by Behzad Lakhnawī (d.1974). I have attached a translation, a glossary and a link to a clip of the ghazal being sung by Nayyara Noor, a famous Pakistani singer. As with other translations on this page, I’ve tried to keep it as literal as possible so that students can see how the grammar is working.
Youtube video of the ghazal: Nayyara Noor singing Ae Jazba-i Dil
Lines 1-2
اے جزبہ دل گر میں چاہوں ہر چیز مقابل آ جاۓ
منزل کے لۓ دو گام چلوں اور سامنے منزل آ جاۓ
Oh, passionate heart [lit. emotion of the heart] , would that, if I wanted, everything would appear [lit. come in front],
To reach [lit. for] the destination, I should go two steps and the destination would come in front [of me]
1.
اے – ai- what the dictionary calls a ‘vocative particle’, but is just ‘Oh’ or ‘Ah’ – an outburst of emotion to begin the poem
جزبہ – jaz’bah – n.m.- feeling, strong desire, passion, emotion
دل – dil – n.m. – heart, courage, mind, wish, soul
So:
جزبہ دل – jaz’bah-i dil – emotion of the heart
گر- this is a contraction of the Urdu and Persian conjunction اگر, if, and is only used in literary or poetic contexts
مقابل – muqābil – adj.- In front (of), face to face, confronting; opposing, contending; opposite. (This word is most often seen as a postposition in the construction کے مقابل, which means ‘in opposition to’)
مقابل آ جانا – v.i. – to come in front of, appear before. Note the use of the subjunctive: “Would it come before me.”
2.
منزل – manzil – n.f.- storey (of a house), goal, destination, stage (of journey – for Sufis, this is the word used for the stages on the mystic journey towards God), one of seven portions into which the Qur’ān is subdivided for easy reading within a single week (in the Arabic-speaking world this last meaning of manzil would be translated as حزب – ḥizb)
گام – gām –n.m.- step, pace, foot ( A Persian word, that in Urdu is used only in literary contexts)
سامنے آنا – v.t. – face, appear before; oppose, challenge. (Like مقابل in the previous line, this word can mean to appear before something and also to be in opposition. In this poem, it is obviously the first meaning that makes sense.)
Lines 3-4
اے دل کی خلش چل یوں ہی سہی چلتا تو ہوں انکی محفل میں
اس وقت مجھکو چونکا دینا جب رنگ پہ محفل آ اجاۓ
Oh pain of the heart, let’s go, as you wish, I will go to his/her gathering
[But] At that time surprise me, when the party gets going.
3
خلش – khalish – n.f. – prick of the conscience, worry, anxiety, pain
یوں ہی سہی yūṅ-hī sahī -adv. – as you wish.
محفل – maḥfil – n.f. – gathering, meeting, assembly, party (or just maḥfil!)
رنگ پر آنا – rang par ānā – v.i. – to assume true colours, to bloom, to be in full swing
چونکا دینا – chauṅkā denā- v.t. to startle [here it is addressed directly at the heart: surprise me, startle me, or even inform me or warn me]
There may be a pun working in these lines. چونکا دینا is often used by cooks to describe the way that spices add picquancy or sharpness to food.
Lines 5-6
اے رہبر کامل چلنے کو تیار تو ہوں پر یاد رہے
اس وقت مجھے بھٹکا دینا جب سامنے منزل آ جاۓ
Oh, perfect guide, I am ready to travel, but remember
Lead me astray should I come close to (lit. in front of) my destination
5.
رہبر – alternative spelling of راہبر rāh-bar – n.m. A guide, conductor, leader, mentor often used for the Prophet.
کامل- kāmil – adj.- full, entire, complete, learned, accomplished, perfect. (Here the meaning is perfect or ideal. Compare this to insān-i kāmil, the perfect man, an epithet used for the Prophet Muhammad.)
So:
رہبر کامل – rāh-bar-i kāmil – n.m. – the perfect guide
چلنا- chalnā –v.i. – go on foot, walk, go, travel, move, sail, flow, be in force, have influence, proceed, go ahead
تیار – tayyār – adj. –ready, prepared, ripe, complete, fat
یاد رہنا – yād raihnā – v.i. – be remembered, be borne in mind
6
بھٹکانا – bhaṭkānā –v.i – mislead, lead astray, cause to wander, deceive
Lines 7-8
ہاں یاد مجھے تم کر لینا آواز مجھے تم دے لینا
اس رہ محبت میں کوئی درپیش جو مشکل آ جاۓ
Yes, remember me, call out to me
Should any difficulty present itself on this path/journey of love
7
آواز دینا – āvāz denā – v.t. – call out
8
رہ محبت – rah-e muḥabbat – n.m. – path of love
درپیش – dar-pesh – adv. – facing, confronting, placed before, under consideration
درپیش ہونا- dar-pesh honā – v.i. – face , confront, happen, occur
Lines 9-10
اب کیوں ڈھونڈھوں وہ چشم کرم ہونے دو ستم بالاۓ ستم
میں چاہتا ہوں اے جذبہ غم مشکل پس مشکل آ جاۓ
Why should I search for kind eyes now? Let there be injustice on top of injustice
Oh, emotion of sorrow, I want difficulty after difficulty to come
9
ڈھونڈھنا – ḍhunḍnā – v.t. – search for, look for, seek, track down
چشم – chashm – n.f. – eye, hope, expectation
کرم – karam – n.m. – kindness, favour, grace, graciousness, bounty, generosity, liberality
Chashm-i karam – kind eye[s]
ستم –sitam – n.m.- injustice, oppression, tyranny
بالا – bālā – prep. – above, on, upon
10
غم – gham – n.m.- Grief, mourning, lamentation. In the Persian ghazal tradition gham is generally used to describe the lovers’ endless, and generally unfulfilled, longing for the beloved.
پس – adj. after, behind
Urdu Poetry 101 