S. R. Faruqi:

On the subject of passing from life to death, we've just now seen two powerful verses [in {869,5}, which cites {713,5} as well]. It seems that on this theme, what's left now for even a poet like Mir to be able to versify? But here's the present verse; and although among these three {869,5} is probably the best, the present verse is only slightly less in rank. If it is contradictory in meaning, then let it be so. ('Meaning' is here in the sense of 'theme'.) Here too, the simile has reached a level of perfection.

For 'among sick people, they change houses' there are several meanings:

(1) When some pestilence comes, then people leave the house and go off in some other direction, so as to remain protected.

(2) When someone used to get sick again and again, then they used to declare the house inauspicious or unwholesome, and leave it.

(3) If someone was compelled to change his house (for example, the owner wanted it empty, or age or some other cause had made it defective) and the people in the house were sick-- it's obvious that in such a situation to change houses would be matter of great trouble and difficulty.

(4) To the situation described in (2), add the idea that someone gets sick again and again, and thinking the house inauspicious or unwholesome he's obliged to change his house again and again.

Now consider the meaningfulness of changing houses:

(1) Despite changing houses, there can be no assurance that the same trouble that forced the change in houses won't recur in the new house.

(2) This world is a house, and the next world is a house. This world is referred to as a 'house of grief'. It's possible that the next house too might be just the same.

(3) Modern psychologists have created a concept of 'mental stress'. In the light of that, the greatest stress-- of which there are a hundred subcategories-- is based on the death of a sense of participation in life. In that list, the fourth item is the stress of changing houses, and it's assigned a high stress rating. That is, the stress of changing houses is uncommonly powerful, even if someone would have to change from a wretched house to a good one.

In the verse, he hasn't spoken of this world and the next world, but has only said 'this side' and 'that side'; and yet the intent is entirely clear. This too is a cause of eloquence.

Atish has, as is his custom, composed a verse with great pomp and grandeur. But he hasn't been able to add even as much as a grain of meaning to the theme; rather, the address to the sky in the first line is irrelevant:

manzil-e gor ab mujhe ai aasmaa;N dar-kaar hai
mardum-e biimaar ko naql-e makaa;N dar-kaar hai

[the destination of the grave is now, oh sky, suitable for me
for a sick man, changing his house is suitable.]

FWP:

SETS == MUSHAIRAH
MOTIFS
NAMES
TERMS

The sense of vaisaa as 'futile, vain, useless' (see the definition above) also works elegantly here. Just the way sick people restlessly or desperately try changing their houses in a (probably vain) quest for relief, so we go from life to death-- in a perhaps equally vain hope for relief.

SRF treats this verse as an extension of

{869,5},

with its included citation of {713,5}, and presents most of his discussion there. I've done the same.