Ghazal 15, Verse 9

Nazm:

That is, although the heart was restless, its restlessness was counterproductive. (16)

== Nazm page 16

Vajid:

Urdu text: Vajid 1902 {15}

Bekhud Dihlavi:

Wild rue is a black seed that people burn; then they expose children to its smoke, to protect them from the evil eye. Mirza Sahib says that last night there was absolutely no effect of the lament of the heart. My friend was in the gathering of the Other. That lament that was extremely restless, and because of its restlessness came to the tongue time after time-- for the gathering of the Other it became a black seed. That is, it was saving the gathering of the Other from the evil eye. The ineffectiveness of a lament has been shown with an entirely untouched thought, in new words. (33)

Bekhud Mohani:

In order to repel the evil eye, wild rue is used.... Last night, in our laments there wasn't even a trace of effect. And although the heart was restless, still its restlessness created no effect on the heart of the beloved or the Rival. Rather, in their enjoyment even more excess appeared. That is, from the effect of my laments, the beloved's heart ought to have melted, and there would have been interference with the Rival's enjoyment. But on the contrary-- both were delighted with my laments. (36)

FWP:

SETS
GATHERINGS: {6,3}
'UNION': {5,2}

This opening-verse appears, unusually, in the midst of the ghazal; or else, in the view of some, it introduces a new ghazal in the same pattern (although it is not preceded by any formal closing-verse). I follow Arshi in treating the whole set of fifteen verses as a single ghazal. For discussion of these complexities, see {15,1}.

The lover's restless heart, dark with sorrow, smolders and smokes; alas, its suffering is not merely ineffective, but is actually counterproductive. The lover here finds himself, as he does so often, in the worst of all possible worlds.

The thematic basis of the verse is the equation of the heart with the seeds of wild rue, in appearance (shrunken and blackened by grief), condition (burning and smoldering), and effect (contributing to the Other's wellbeing). The wonderfully suitable meaning of 'rue' in English (as in 'With rue my heart is laden') is, unfortunately, just a coincidence here. As Bekhud Dihlavi explains, wild rue was burned in order to create a smoke that could protect against the 'evil eye'.

The verse's chief charm is the excellently suitable adjective be-taab (see the definition above). The lament was the 'wild rue' of the gathering, although it was 'faint' (and thus couldn't make a suitable impression); and/or was 'powerless' (and thus couldn't ward off the evil eye); and/or was 'agitated' (and thus not suited for an elegant gathering); and/or was lusterless (like burnt-out dark seeds). The verse thus offers a kind of meditation on the meanings of be-taab .

Compare {153,5}, which also has to do with evening gatherings and the repelling of the evil eye. Other verses about wild rue: {326x,4}; {328x,2}.