For those who have joined now, let me say few words about this Ghalib series.

Ghalib, his Ghazals, his poems, his genius, and his wits have always fascinated millions of Urdu lovers including myself. Those who want to read my previous work please Ctrl + click  or copy and paste in internet address window, the following link: http://www.mirza-ghalib.org  or, if you choose, you may send me an email request; I will email back my previous explanations just for asking.

 This is my 26th installment.  I have received excellent response from lot of friends; both Urdu and non-Urdu speakers. Please know that this is my own, Asghar Vasanwala’s, work and not a forwarding of someone else’s work as some you thought. Please forward this to your friends. Also please send me your comments/complements. I will appreciate if you forward me emails of your Urdu/non-Urdu friends.

Here is today’s verse (she'r) & its explanation in Urdu, Gujarati, and English                                             To listen to this Ghazal sung by Lata, please click here:  http://lists.elistx.com/archives/blank/200507/mp3EITZJjRNcv.mp3

Sabza-e-khat se, tera kakul-e-sar-kash na daba   Your green side burns could not suppress your rebellious tresses 'Yeh, zumurrd bhi harif-e-dam-e-afaee na hua       This magical Zumurrd was no match for this black cobra    Sabza= green    Khat= hair, line    Sabza-e-khat=near the age of puberty certain changes take place in a young human body; among them is growth of thin beautiful side burns. Urdu poets call them sabza-e-khat        Kakul=hair, tresses                        sar-kash=one who raises his head against, a rebel     Zumurrd =a magical jewel, if shined to a cobra or a snake it proves blinding           Harif= an adversary                   dam= a breath, life                    Afaee=a cobra, a serpent

This is the 2nd verse of Ghalib’s 9^th ghazal.  This ghazal is a popular ghazal. It has 7 verses and all of them are beautiful and are bursting with great thoughts. It has been sung by many artists including Lata. For audio, please click here http://lists.elistx.com/archives/blank/200507/mp3EITZJjRNcv.mp3

 Meaning: For understanding of this  verse, one must know the about idiom, simile, paradox, hyperbole, allegory, personification, and other figures of speech that an Urdu poet uses about a beloved’s hair, locks, or tresses. Imagine a picture drawn by an artist just of single braided long tresses of a damsel, without ears, cheeks, nose, or any other parts of face. It would look likea cobra stretching out its fang in an attack mode. Second, near the age of puberty certain changes take place in a human body; among them is growth of thin beautiful sideburns. Urdu poets call them Sabza or Sabza-e-khat, the green sideburns. There is also an anecdotal gem, green in color, called Zumurrd. If this gem is shined to a cobra or a snake, it proves instantly blinding; and, thus prevents a cobra from attacking. In short, this gem is an adversary that suppresses a rebellious cobra, by blinding. Since the concept of greenness is contained both in Sabza-e-khat the green side burns and Zumurrd, the green magical stone, Ghalib calls Sabza-e-khat, a Zumurrd. Building on this allegory, then he proceeds to conclude that even after the arrival of side burns or Zumurrd, the cobra of her shiny hair is still intact; so, is obvious that her rebellious tresses did not get suppressed by this  Zummurd or sideburns.

 The meaning of this verse is that, I hoped that your rebellious locks, which are just like a fang-stretched shiny black cobra, will be suppressed by the arrival of the Zumurrd, the green sideburns. But alas! it didn’t happen so. The fang of your tresses proved fatal to me

 The second meaning is that, if your sideburns had succeeded in suppressing your black shiny cobra like locks, it would have diminished your beauty. But that never happened. You still are as beautiful and as fresh as you were before.

 This Sh’er is a convincing proof of Ghalib’s mastery on his pen and colorful thoughts. The figures of speech that he so beautifully used, in this verse, are matchless. His play with the word green, and use of an anecdote or legend, to prove a point is Ghalib only! Appreciate the use of words Sar-kash= a rebel and Daba= suppress in the first line. How beautifully they oppose each other. In Urdu grammar, such opposition of words is called Tazad,