by ASGHAR VASANWALA
This is the 4th verse of Ghalib’s 20th Ghazal.
Aaj vaN tegh-o-kafan bandhe huye jata huN meiN
Today, I am going to her wearing a sword and a burial garment
Oozr mere qatal karne meiN voh ab laveyNge kya?
How will she, now, excuse herself from killing me?
tegh=sword kafan=burial garment Oozr=excuse, copout laveyNge=old Urdu meaning Layenge
Meaning: In this verse, Ghalib talks about his firm determination. For Ghalib, to be slain by his beloved’s sword is a great honor, a lifelong dream. However, she makes trivial excuses for not killing him; such as she doesn’t have sword or she wouldn’t like washing or burying Ghalib’s dead body. She has misgiving; she reasons that Ghalib wants to die at her hand because he wants her to give him last rites of washing his body before burial.
For removing her distrust Ghalib says, “Today I will go to her in burial garment and carry a sword. I will tell her, here is the sword for killing and that I have taken my last bath, and am in burial garment. Now you should have no excuse; just hold this sword and whizz it on my neck”
Finer aspects of the verse: The words javeNgi, laveNge, farmaneNge etc are replaced by JaeNge, laebge, farmaenge in modern Urdu.
Ghalibologists opinions: BeKhud says use of phrase “putting on burial garment” has created special effect: who can excel this high bar of firm determination––give life for love.
This is the 5th verse of Ghalib’s 19th ghazal.
Gar kiya naseh ne hum ko qaid, achha ! yuN hi sahi
If my mentor has confined me, okay, let him be happy
Yeh junun-e-Ishq ke andaz chhuT javeNge kya?
Will he be able to arrest posture of my deep love, my love mania?
Naseh=mentor, clergy Junun-e-ishq=craze of love, love mania andaz=style, posture,
Meaning:
Through his verses, Ghalib tells a story. Ghalib is mad in love and does erratic and abnormal things. Town People and police are weary of him. They gave him a notice behave or you will be behind bars. A well-wisher but naïve cleric tries to right his behavior by engaging him in long lecture, which is like a confinement. Ghalib laughs at this. He says this cleric or mentor has confined me thinking I will mellow down my love fervor and behave like a normal person. Okay, let him do that, let him be happy. However, he is naïve; would his action ever stop my intense love?
Finer aspects:
Ghalibologists opinions: Bekhud says, cleric does not arrest; he is not a police. Making Ghalib sit by his side and forcing him to listen advice of cleric has been referred as an arrest.
Asghar Vasanwala can be reached at asgharf@att.net