===
1091,
4
===

 

{1091,4}

garm-raftan hai kyaa samand-e ((umr
nah lage jis ko baa))o kaa gho;Raa

1) how eagerly-going is the steed/courser of the lifetime
2) who would not be equalled by a 'horse of wind'

 

Notes:

S. R. Faruqi:

lagnaa = to be equal, to be comparable

'To ride on a horse of wind/air' [baa))o ke gho;Re par savaar honaa] means 'to show an extreme amount of arrogance'. Bringing to bear his own special style of cleverness/trickery, Mir has versified an idiom of idioms, and he has not let its dictionary meaning slip through his fingers either. The horse of the lifetime is so fast-moving that even a horse of wind (that is, the wind, which is swift-moving like a horse) cannot compare with it.

Arrogant people are called 'riders on a horse of wind' because they swiftly pass by, and also because ordinary people cannot obtain access to them. But the horse of the lifetime is fast-moving to such an extent that even a horse of wind-- that is, the speed of arrogant people-- cannot compare with it.

The word lage is also a zila with the word baa))o . Then, in the construction samand-e ((umr there's a grandeur, and on baa))o kaa gho;Raa there's a hominess. As though the superiority of the horse of the lifetime over the horse of wind is manifest even in this way.

FWP:

SETS
MOTIFS
NAMES
TERMS == IDIOM; IHAM; ZILA

The zila to which SRF refers, baa))o lagnaa , 'for the wind to begin to blow', is a bit of an iham as well, because it could misdirect the hearer of the second line into thinking that the line was about the blowing of the wind; not until hearing the very last word of the line could the listener realize the nature of the error.

For another creative use of the 'horse of wind' idiom, see

{1176,9}.

How can I possibly refrain from linking this verse to Ghalib's version of the same theme:

G{98,4}.

As so often, the best way to appreciate the brilliance of both poets' verses is to compare them to each other, and then to try to find just the right words (dream on!) for what each one achieves.