Ghazal 263x, Verse 3

{263x,3}*

bosah-e lab se milii :tab((a ko kaifiiyat-e ;haal
mai-kashiidan se mujhe nashshah-e tiryaak cha;Rhaa

1) from a kiss of the lips, my temperament attained a 'mood' of transcendence
2) from wine-drinking, in me the intoxication of opium mounted

Notes:

kaifiiyat : 'Quality, nature, character; mode, state, condition, circumstances; account, statement, remarks, report, particulars; relation, story, news; — exquisite state, flourishing state, enjoyableness, deliciousness, exquisite enjoyment; a sight to be seen, a beautiful view, &c.' (Platts p.889)

 

;haal : 'A state of ecstasy, frenzy, or religious transport; ... — good condition, prosperous circumstances'. (Platts p.473

 

mai-kashiidan : 'To quaff wine'. (Steingass p.1357)

 

tiryaaq (of which tiryaak is a variant): 'Theriac (also called 'treacle'), an antidote (for poisons, snake-bites, &c.); Bezoar stone; a sovereign remedy; opium (because it is a remedy for anxiety, &c.)'. (Platts p.321)

Gyan Chand:

On the beloved's lip was a beauty-spot [til]. When I took a kiss from her lips, then I also obtained the relish/taste of the beauty-spot. Red lips are like wine, and the black beauty-spot is like black opium [afyuun]. I drank the wine of the lips, but I obtained the intoxication of opium.

== Gyan Chand, p. 529

FWP:

SETS
WINE: {49,1}

For more on Ghalib's unpublished verses, see the discussion in {4,8x}. See also the overview index.

This verse is a reminder of how crucial it is to know the widest possible range of ghazal conventions and images. Before I read Gyan Chand's explanation, I was thinking about what contrasts there might be between the intoxication of wine and that of opium, especially with regard to mystical efficacy. I thought that perhaps there was a Sufistic distinction of some kind, linking them to different stages or stages on the seeker's path.

Nothing in the verse alerts us to the idea of a beauty-spot by the beloved's lip. This missing link creates almost the effect of a riddle. We have to bring all the background knowledge with us, and then manage to 'get' it. But after all, Ghalib treats us like this all the time. He often creates verses that hinge on an evocation of something not mentioned in the verse. It's part of his general practice of making us work, and then (usually) rewarding us. In this case, the reward is like the 'aha!' moment of having solved a riddle.

There's also the pleasure of seeing three forms of intoxication so elegantly juxtaposed.

For the only verse tiryaak verse in the divan, see {33,4}.