132_09x

{132,9x}

na:zar raa;hat pah merii kar nah va((dah shab ke aane kaa
kih merii ;xvaab-bandii ke liye hogaa fusuu;N vuh bhii

1) an evil eye on my peace/repose-- don't make a promise/vow of coming at night!
2) for it will be a magic-spell for my 'sleep-binding'-- even/also that

Notes:

na:zar : 'Sight, vision, view; look, regard, glance; observation, inspection; supervision; — favourable regard, favour, countenance; ... — influence of an evil eye; ... na:zar lagnaa (- ko ), To fall under the gaze of a malignant eye; to be influenced by an evil eye'. (Platts p.1143)

fusuun : 'Enchantment, incantation, fascination, &c.'. (Platts p.781)

*Platts Dictionary Online*

Asi:

My God, don't destroy my peace/repose! Don't make me the promise of coming at night! This promise of yours will become a magic spell of 'sleep-binding', and I will get no sleep the whole night, I will remain restless.

== Asi, p. 217

Zamin:

That is, take thought for my peace/repose-- don't make a promise/vow of coming at night! Otherwise, my sleep will fly away-- and you don't come and go.

== Zamin, p. 321

Gyan Chand:

If you want me to have peace/repose, then this is not in a promise/vow of coming at night. Rather, it is in not promising to come at night. Because it's clear that even if you would promise, you won't come; and I will be awake all night, waiting. So to speak, even/also your promise will bind my sleep, the way an expression of not coming would. But through being aware of the actual state of affairs, my heart will remain restless.

== Gyan Chand, pp. 332-33

FWP:

SETS == EXCLAMATION
DREAMS: {3,3}
VOWS: {20,2}

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 For more on Ghalib's unpublished verses, see the discussion in {4,8x}.

The idea of a dangerous 'evil eye' has an ancient history; for more on this, see {106,3}. Normally it is created by the gaze of an envious/jealous person. Here, it's been given a twist, because the beloved's gaze might even be a 'favorable' expression of 'regard' or consideration (see the definition above). The commentators in fact read it that way: 'Pay attention to my peace/repose', or 'If you care about my peace/repose'.

Still, whether the beloved means it that way or not, if her gaze results in a promise/vow, then the gaze, and/or the promise, will become a magic spell [fusuu;N]-- thus the strong link to the magic power of the 'evil eye'. Magic spells can often 'bind' the victim; here, the lover's sleep would be 'bound'-- tied up, so that it couldn't come to him the whole night through. Even if the beloved means (momentarily at least) to be kind, the result will only be more cruelty-- the lover will toss and turn all night, and (of course!) she won't actually come.