Ghazal 2, Verse 2x

Asi:

Because of heedlessness? Because of suspicion? No, no, not because of all this. Rather, because of my tough-lifedness the unveiled gaze of coquetry has come to fear that some harm might occur. The result of which has been that it was not able to reach me.

== Asi, p. 50

Zamin:

[Mirza wanted the merii to apply only to the sa;xt-jaanii , but he was constrained by the meter.] Thus the meaning emerged that seeing my heedlessness, my suspicion, and my tough-lifedness, the gaze of coquetry became fearful. The objection was raised that heedlessness and suspicion are beloved-like qualities, not lover-like ones. Thus the verse, with regard to meaning, is incorrect. For this very reason he omitted it.

== Zamin, p. 26

Gyan Chand:

First she showed heedlessness toward me, then she became suspicious-- since despite her heedlessness I was alive and well, so perhaps I was not a true lover. When after some time no harm had come to me, she saw my tough-lifedness and became afraid that on the contrary, some trouble might come to her own gaze.

She might also have thought that perhaps this person is some accomplished lover, so that even after so many cruelties he has remained well-- may the result of cruelty to him not be bad!

== Gyan Chand, pp. 62

FWP:

SETS == LIST
GAZE: {10,12}
VEIL: {6,1}

For background see S. R. Faruqi's choices. This verse is NOT one of his choices; I thought it was interesting and have added it myself. For more on Ghalib's unpublished verses, see the discussion in {4,8x}.

On 'tough-lifedness', see {1,2}.

Whose are the 'heedlessness' and the 'suspicion'? Asi cheerfully slides right over the question without answering it, Zamin says that they are (undesirably) the lover's, Gyan Chand treats them unproblematically as the beloved's. Here we see Ghalib being Ghalib: it's left up to us to decide for ourselves whose they are, and what relationship they have with the lover's weed-like hardiness and the beloved's fears about her unveiled gaze. They are simply given as a small 'list' (on this structure see {4,4}).

If the 'heedlessness' and the 'suspicion' are the beloved's, then they are linked to the second line: toward the lover's tough-lifedness, she has shown first heedlessness, then suspicion, and now panic. Why hasn't her unveiled gaze been sufficient to do him in, why is he still walking around unfazed? Does her magic not work on him? If he has such power, might he not even reverse the flow and bounce the dangerous gaze back at her unveiled face?

If the 'heedlessness' and the 'suspicion' are the lover's, then he has three qualities-- heedlessness, suspicion, tough-lifedness-- that unite to alarm the beloved's unveiled gaze. Has he now become distrustful, even hostile, toward her? Might her unveiled gaze might even somehow be in danger from some rash outbreak on his part?