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 send me an email request; I will email back my previous explanations just for asking.

 This is my 40^th 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 of you thought. Please forward this to your friends. Also please send me your comments/complements. I will appreciate if you forward me email addresses of your Urdu/non-Urdu friends.                                                                                                                                                               Here is today’s verse (she’r) & its explanation in Urdu, Gujarati, and English

Please also visit my Ghalib west site www.Mirza-Ghalib.org for past issues and more. I guarantee you’ll enjoy it 

Rang-e-shikista, subh-e-bahar-e-nazzara hai                                                                              Watching broken-pale colored flower-buds at the day break bloom, is like watching a spring-morning of panorama                Yeh  waqt hai  shiguftan-e-gul-ha-e-naaz  ka

This is the time when gorgeous damsels in their bedrooms, also bloom.

 shikishta = broken, pale   subh-e-bahar-e-nazzara =day break of spring of panorama   shiguftan = blooming         gul= flower; gul-ha plural of gul, flowers  Naaz=classy     shiguftan-e-gul-ha-e-naz=blooming of flower like classy damsels

 This is the 2^nd verse of Ghalib’s 13^th ghazal. 

Meaning: In this verse Ghalib addresses beloveds of world ─the rose bodied graceful damsels. He says daybreak brings magical moments. In gardens, the light colored flower-buds bloom and become fully colored flowers. At these exact moments the rosy damsels are just rising from their beds. Their color is yet pale and wanting. But when they smilingly stretch up their bodies by raising their hands above the heads, all curves of their bodies leap out; now they look like flowers in blossom. That is why Ghalib calls these moments, spring-morning of panorama. He visions spring everywhere: from bedrooms to gardens.

 In this verse Ghalib is not talking just about his own beloved but he is alluding at all sweethearts of the world.

 Finer aspects of this verse: Ghalib likens rising of flower buds in garden into blooming flowers at daybreak to the damsels rising from their beds at the daybreak. This is an unsurpassed analogy.

 Ghalibologists’ opinions: Aasi, Saeed, Hasrat and others have given different explanations. I have excluded them for the sake of brevity

Asghar Vasanwala                                                                                                    asgharf@adelphia.net                                                                                                                       March 26, 2007