Ghazal 14, Verse 7

{14,7}*

dar pah rahne ko kahaa aur kah ke kaisaa phir gayaa
jitne ((ar.se me;N miraa lip;Taa hu))aa bistar khulaa

1a) she said to remain at the door-- and having said it, how she went back [inside]!
1b) she said to remain at the door-- and having said it, how she went back [on her word]!

2) in as much of a time-interval as my rolled-up bedding opened

Notes:

((ar.sah : 'Court, open area (of a house, — ... a space (of place or time), period, time, duration, term; an interval, a while'. (Platts p.760)

 

bistar : 'Bedding, mattress... carpet; bed, bolster, pillow'. (Platts p.155)

Nazm:

There's only the mention of a piece of mischief of the beloved's, and these are always the best themes of the ghazal. (15)

== Nazm page 15

Vajid:

Urdu text: Vajid 1902 {14}

Bekhud Dihlavi:

The verse is straightforward and clear. A picture of the beloved's perversity, mischievousness of temperament, and especially suspiciousness, has been drawn in simple words and shown to us. (30)

Bekhud Mohani:

In this verse the goal is to express the beloved's impudence and his own ill fortune and stupefaction. All these things are expressed in just one word, 'how'. (33)

FWP:

SETS == HUMOR
SPEAKING: {14,4}

HUMOR verses: {14,7}**; {19,4}; {20,3}; {20,11}*; {35,9}; {36,10}; {40,2}; {50,3}; {55,1}; {62,4}; {62,7}; {62,8}; {65,1}; {68,1}; {68,5}; {70,1}; {77,6}; {78,4}; {90,1}; {90,3}; {90,5}; {91,11}; {95,1}; {96,6}; {97,1}; {97,5}; {98,8}; {99,1}; {99,4}; {100,6}; {101,3}; {101,8}; {101,9}; {104,1}; {108,6}; {110,2}; {111,7}; {111,12}; {112,10}; {116,1}*, with 'cute' verses; {116,3}; {116,6}; {119,10}; {121,7}; {122,1}; {123,6}; {131,4}; {133,2}; {137,1}; {138,4}; {138,5}; {140,4}; {140,5}; {143,1}; {151,8}; {152,3}; {159,2}; {159,6}; {162,9}; {163,4}; {163,7}; {169,2}; {170,7}; {174,6}; {178,8}; {189,3}; {189,5}; {208,1-4}; {208,10}; {209,2}; {210,1}; {210,6}; {219,3}**; {231,2}; {231,3}; {231,4}; {233,5}; {234,2} // {267x,4}; {307x,7}; {323x,8}; {364x,5}; {396x,3}

Another charmer of a verse-- this is surely the same beloved who was cleverly loosening her veil in {14,6}. For more on her fickleness, see {46,1}.

Think how quickly and eagerly the lover would have unrolled his bedding-- how could she 'go back' (physically or verbally or both) that quickly? He is left in rueful astonishment. (But not, of course, in any real surprise.)

There are also the amusing implications-- the fact that the lover seems to be carrying his rolled-up bedding with him (for more on bistar , see {194,1}), just on the off-chance of being granted this rare permission. And what is the permission? To do something very uncomfortable and menial-- to remain humbly outside the door, on guard or in attendance, night and day, with no conveniences whatsoever. That doesn't sound like much of a favor-- yet how quickly the lover rushes to claim it, and how quickly it's withdrawn!