apnii jaulaa;N-gaah

Published in baal-e jibriil (The Wing of Gabriel) (1935).
From: kulliyaat-e iqbaal urduu (Lahore: Shaikh Ghulam 'Ali and Sons Publishers, 1973 (and later reprints), *p. 310*

a *ghazal*; *meter*: = - = = / = - = = / = - = = / = - =

Urdu spellings reflect adjustments made for the sake of the meter.
See the 'script bar' at the bottom of the page for viewing choices.
Here's *a serial glossary*.
   
1)
apnii jaulaa;N-gaah zer-e aasmaa;N samjhaa thaa mai;N
aab-o-gil ke khel ko apnaa jahaa;N samjhaa thaa mai;N
 
1) I had considered my field of action to be under the sky
2) I had considered the game of water and clay to be my world
 

= The clear implication is that I no longer believe these things; I now recognize my error
= The phrase 'water and clay' is a conventional metaphor for the physical world
   
2)
be-;hijaabii se tirii ;Tuu;Taa nigaaho;N kaa :tilism
ik ridaa-e niil-guu;N ko aasmaa;N samjhaa thaa mai;N
 
1) from your unveiledness, the enchantment of the glances broke
2) one blue-colored cloak, I had considered to be the sky
 
= The poet cleverly doesn't tell us whose glances-- mine? yours? those of both of us?
= A :tilism is not a mere magic spell, but an 'enchantment' or 'enchanted world' made by a powerful magician; the Persian/Urdu romance [dastan] tradition is full of these realms
= A ridaa (Platts p. 590) is a cloak or mantle.
   
3)
kaaravaa;N thak kar fa.zaa ke pech-o-;xam me;N rah gayaa
mihr-o-maah-o-mushtarii ko ham-((anaa;N samjhaa thaa mai;N
 
1) the caravan, having become tired, remained in the twists and turns of the atmosphere
2) I had considered the sun and moon and Jupiter to be rein-fellows
 

= The caravan of the stars and planets became tired and remained merely at a lower level (while I went onward beyond their range). The word fa.zaa literally means 'expanse, open area' (Platts p.782) but here plainly means the limiting, entangling, convoluted atmosphere of this world.
= ((anaa;N means 'rein' or 'bridle' (Platts p. 766); the intended image seems to be that the sun and moon and Jupiter and I were all riding together in the caravan; this is what I used to think, but I now realize that they either never were, or else could not remain, my fellow-riders on my long journey

   
4)
((ishq kii ik jast ne :tay kar diyaa qi.s.sah tamaam
is zamiin-o-aasmaa;N ko be-karaa;N samjhaa thaa mai;N!
 
1) one leap of passion traversed/settled the whole story
2) I had considered this earth and sky to be limitless
 

   
5)
kah ga))ii;N raaz-e mu;habbat pardah-daariihaa-e shauq !
thii fi;Gaa;N vuh bhii jise .zab:t-e fu;Gaa;N samjhaa thaa mai;N
 
1) the veiledness-maintainings of ardor went and told the secret of love
2) that too was a cry of pain, which I had thought was the restraining of a cry of pain
  = The word fu;Gaa;N (Platts p. 782) can mean any kind of groan, wail, lament, or cry of pain
   
6)
thii kisii darmaa;Ndah rah-rau kii .sadaa-e dard-naak
jis ko aavaaz-e ra;hiil-e kaaravaa;N samjhaa thaa mai;N
 
1) it was the pain-filled cry of some wearied traveler
2) which I had considered to be the call of the departure of the caravan
   
   

 

 
 
 

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