Ghazal 19, Verse 5

{19,5}

gar kiyā nāṣiḥ ne ham ko qaid achchhā yūñ sahī
yih junūn-e ʿishq ke andāz chhuṭ jāveñge kyā

1) if the Advisor did/would imprison us, all right, so be it!

2a) will these styles of the madness of passion be let go?
2b) as if these styles of the madness of passion will be let go!

Notes:

andāz : 'Elegance, grace; mode, manner, style, fashion, pattern; carriage, bearing, gait'. (Platts p.90)

Nazm:

kyā is to be taken as marking a negative question, and the combining of qaid honā [to be imprisoned] and chhūṭ jānā [to be released] is not without pleasure. (20)

== Nazm page 20

Bekhud Dihlavi:

The fine point in this verse is that he has said that the Advisor puts him in prison. Although the Advisor doesn't put anyone in prison. He constantly advises the renunciation of passion. His repeated persuasions, and forcibly seating people beside him, Mirza Sahib has made into imprisonment. (41)

Bekhud Mohani:

If the Advisor puts us in prison, then, well, so be it. But the madness of passion is not something that can be erased. That is, the relationship of passion is with the heart; bodily imprisonment can have no effect on it. (47-48)

FWP:

SETS == KYA
BONDAGE: {1,5}
MADNESS: {14,3}

Nazm is right to emphasize the enjoyable wordplay between 'to be imprisoned' and 'to be released, to be let go.' The Advisor's putting the mad lover in prison doesn't mean much, because the lover will never 'release' his grip on the manners, styles-- and airs and graces (see the definition above)-- of madness.

In fact, the lover plumes himself on his madness, he flaunts it the way a beautiful beloved flaunts her beauty. His being imprisoned does not discourage him-- it merely provides one more proof of how radically effective are his 'styles' of madness. In prison, he will be at leisure to clutch his madness to his bosom and cherish it as it deserves.

For more on sahī , see {9,4}.

 

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