Ghazal 132, Verse 8x

{132,8x}

mujhe ma((luum hai jo tuu ne mere ;haq me;N sochaa hai
kahii;N ho jaa))e jald ai gardish-e garduun-e duu;N vuh bhii

1) I know what you have thought/intended, with regard to me
2) may it come about quickly, oh circulation of the vile heavens/sphere-- even/also that!

Notes:

gardish : 'Going round, turning round, revolution; circulation; roll; course; period; turn, change; vicissitude; reversion; — adverse fortune, adversity; — wandering about, vagrancy'. (Platts p.903)

 

garduun : 'A wheel; the heavens, the firmament, the celestial globe or sphere; chance, fortune (and her revolving wheel)'. (Platts p.903)

 

duun : 'Low, base, vile, ignoble, grovelling, mean, paltry, poor, inferior, contemptible'. (Platts p.535)

Asi:

Oh circulation of the times, what you have intended with regard to me, and the level to which you want to bring me-- I know it too. Well, all this is acceptable to me, and now for me it's no new thing. May the Lord grant that that too should happen quickly, and that I should find salvation from this dreadful trouble.

== Asi, p. 217

Zamin:

That is, you've thought to bring down more disasters upon me; let them be brought down.

== Zamin, p. 320

Gyan Chand:

The suggestion is that you've thought/intended to kill me. Oh contemptible sky, go ahead and do this as well!

== Gyan Chand, p. 332

FWP:

SETS
SKY {15,7}
SOUND EFFECTS: {26,7}

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 For more on Ghalib's unpublished verses, see the discussion in {4,8x}.

Of course, the speaker is showing bravado or defiance toward the malevolent sky. Probably he just wants to get it over with. But as he abuses the sky, what elegant verbal effects he creates! How could any commentator ignore the enjoyably repetitive sound effects off gardish-e garduun-e duu;N ? It's almost like a tongue-twister ('a peck of pickled peppers'). It adds a quality of disdain-- the speaker is not only defying the sky, but taunting it as well.