Interpretation-Ghazal-57




1.
Even in the event of failure,a person ought not to abandon hope and longing,
If there is no wine,then he still ought to wait for the wine-goblet.
(The hope for success should not be given up in any circumstances.)
2.
In the longing for sight,how much effort the mirror of my eyes,or the mirror of my heart made,now there is no more time for that question,do not ask it,
Rather just look at state of the polish-lines of passion and the polish-lines of searching,they have become like thorns,now I wish somebody would take those polish-lines away from me.
(Ghalib calls the foot of ardor a mirror,because it has been worn smooth into a mirror.The thorns that have lodged in it has called the polish-lines of that mirror.Both similes are very lofty and entirely new.In Ghalib's poetry,there is an ocean of entirely new and entirely untouched similes.)
(This is another of his mirror verses.Which tend to be some of his most complex.As usual,the mirror is a metal one,with small polish-lines that show how it has been cleaned.)
3.
You heart,always seeking an excuse for rest,on the contrary,you ought to wander in the forest or seek the beloved,
Who told you to loll around luxuriously in bed.
(To lie in bed waiting for the beloved,or waiting for sleep,is flagrant rest-seeking.The beloved's promise did not imply that lover should lie around luxuriously in bed.If the beloved has not come as promised,then one should search out the reason for her not coming.)
(It would be better to die than to endure the torment of waiting.)
(For every type of man,seeking rest is forbidden.)
4.
The narcissus is staring fixedly at your face with a look of longing,and for anyone to look at you in my presence is an expression of rivalry,
But my rival,the narcissus is blind both in heart and in eye.On this occasion for joy,you ought to drink wine.
(The aspect of the narcissus is similar to that of a flagon.)
(The narcissus is thought to have the ideal shape of an eye.No doubt its eye is blind,so why do you fear of the rival who is blind-hearted and blind-eyed.)
5.
I have endured tyranny with the hope that sometime you would show me airs and graces,and give me a sidelong glance,
I do not ask you for a full glance,Since you have thrust the dagger into the liver,now fulfil the obligations of coquetry and draw it out in such a way that the wound becomes wider and the wounded one can easily be finished off.
(This coquetry is a trust that has been placed in the beloved's custody,so it is positively the beloved's duty to maintain and display it.)
6.
In my glass the wine of passion is hidden,in which there is more heat than a fire place,
The kebab ought to be made of the heart of the salamander as a side dish.
(The salamander is a creature that is born in a hearth and at once dies if it leaves the fire.)
(Kebabs of the liver of the salamander,which is born in hearths after the fire burns for a thousand years,are worthy of being our side-dish.From this it becomes clear of what rank this wine itself must be,to have such a side-dish with it.)
____

© 2020 ghazalsofghalib.com

7700910955

7045845109