Ghazal 111, Verse 7

Nazm:

In this verse the verb ho gaʾīñ applies to the Pari-born ones. From this it's clear that by Pari-born ones women are meant. (118)

== Nazm page 117; Nazm page 118

Bekhud Dihlavi:

These beloveds who, in the world, cause us to burn with jealousy-- in Paradise, we will take our vengeance upon them, if through the Power, they become Houris and are given to us. (168)

Bekhud Mohani:

In brief, only this much needs to be said [about gender references in the ghazal]: that the beloved is the one whom the heart desires, and this is the basic principle. Many verses are such as to present praise of a male [beloved], and many are such as to present praise of a woman; and the largest number of verses are such that both man and woman can be used on appropriate occasions [as the beloved], and both aspects, human [majāzī] and divine [ḥaqīqī] [love], can emerge. Thus it is that in Persian and Urdu poetry the beloved has been kept ambiguous [mub'ham], and ought indeed to be kept just so. (221)

Arshi:

Compare {100,6}. (229)

FWP:

SETS == HUMOR
ISLAMIC: {10,2}

As Arshi notes, an ideal counterpart verse for comparison is {100,6}. In the present verse we find the same basic notion (though less amusingly because we miss the hauteur in the beloved's voice): that it would be a comedown for the beloved to become a 'mere' Houri, or celestial damsel of Paradise. Her present status, obviously, is much more lofty.

Thus the lover invokes the power of the protean term ḥaq (see the definition above) against these arrogant beloveds. This excellently chosen word gives at least three possible grounds for his claim:

=As 'justice' in the sense of requital for injury: since the beloveds have so tormented and wronged the lover in this world, they will owe him a recompense in the next.

=As the lover's 'right, fate, share': his bond with the beloveds is so strong, so indissoluble, and so legitimated by his sufferings for their sake, that he is entitled to be united with them in Paradise

=Through a direct appeal to 'God', who oversees all destinies and all requitals: since God controls Paradise, who but God could arrange for the beloveds this entirely appropriate fate?

The suggestion that it can be a punishment, an occasion for revenge, for the beloved to become a mere Houri, is one of a whole set of what might be called 'snide remarks about Paradise'; see {35,9} for others. There's also the enjoyable juxtaposition of the Persian notion of a parī with the Arabic/Qur'anic notion of a ḥūr .

Usually Paris are female, and Parizads are male, in the story tradition. Here we have the choice of taking the 'Pari-born' ones to be human female beloveds, or else to be beautiful youths (whose gender must then be changed, because both Houris and ho gaʾīñ are feminine). For more on the beloved as sometimes a beautiful youth, see {9,2}.

The verse is clearly one in which the beloved is not God; for others, see {20,3}.

On the use of the perfect verb form ( ho gaʾīñ ) as a subjunctive ( ho jāʾeñ ), see {35,9}.