sho;xii-e rang-e ;hinaa ;xuun-e
vafaa se kab tak
aa;xir ay ((ahd-shikan tuu bhii pashemaa;N niklaa
1) the mischievousness of the color of henna, from
the blood/murder of faithfulness-- how long?
2) finally, oh promise-breaker, even/also you turned out to be penitent/regretful
sho;xii : 'Playfulness, fun, mischief; pertness, sauciness; coquetry, wantonness; forwardness, boldness, insolence'. (Platts p.736)
pashemaa;N : 'Penitent, sorry, repentant, remorseful, filled with regret; abashed, ashamed; disgraced'. (Platts p.264)
Raza p. 224. S. R. Faruqi's choices. This verse is from a different, complete, unpublished ham-:tar;h ghazal from the same year, and is included for comparison. In that ghazal, this was the sixth verse.
The beloved gets the 'mischievousness'-- a word that emphasizes her playfulness and frivolity-- of her brilliant red henna from the blood of her 'murder of faithfulness'. But how long can it last? Just as henna fades from the hands, her decorative bloodstains fade. The playful, frivolous murderer and 'promise-breaker' ceases to have bloody-red hands-- which the lover, at least, interprets as a sign of penitence or regret on her part. For more on henna, see {18,4}.
Compare the most famous 'repentance' verse, the irresistible {17,8}.
Gyan Chand:
The radiance of the red color of your henna is, in reality, the blood of faithfulness. That is, you didn't show faithfulness to us. But how long could this state of affairs have continued? Finally, the color of the henna faded-- from which it's clear that, oh oath-breaker, you've become penitent for shedding the blood of faithfulness. (71)