mu:trib-e dil ne
mire taar-e nafas se ;Gaalib
saaz par rishtah pa))e na;Gmah-e bedil baa;Ndhaa
1) the musician of the heart, with the thread/cord
of my breath, Ghalib
2) on the instrument, bound a string by way of the melody/song of Bedil
taar : 'Thread, string; the warp or threads extended lengthwise in a loom; wire, cord, string of a musical instrument; uninterrupted series, line, continuation, succession'. (Platts p.304)
saaz : 'Apparatus; instrument, implement; harness; furniture; ornament; concord, harmony; a musical instrument'. (Platts p.625)
rishtah : 'Thread, string, line; series; connexion, relationship, kin; relation by blood or marriage; alliance, affinity'. (Platts p.593)
na;Gmah : 'A soft, sweet voice; --a musical sound or tone; --melody; song; modulation; trill, shake'. (Platts p.1144)
SETS == POETRY;
WORDPLAY
MUSIC: {10,3}
Raza p. 126. S. R. Faruqi's choices. This verse is from a different, unpublished, ham-:tar;h ghazal from the same year, and is included for comparison. This is the ninth verse of that nine-verse ghazal. It's NOT one of SRF's choices, but I'm including it anyway because of the literary interest of its contents.
On the subtleties of nafas , see {15,6}. The wordplay of musical terms is obvious. For the 'musician of the heart' to make from Ghalib's breath a string for a 'heartless' [bedil] melody is also enjoyable, though undoubtedly the primary reference is to the poet Bedil.
Gyan Chand:
Ghalib likes Bedil's style. He says, the musician of my heart prepared to sing Bedil. For this purpose, he fixed up the instrument. That is, he strung a string on the instrument. What string? My breath, which with the instrument is singing the melody of Bedil. (76)