Ghazal 210, Verse 8x

{210,8x}

puuchhe hai kyaa ma((aash-e jigar-taftagaan-e ((ishq
juu;N sham((a aap apnii vuh ;xuuraak ho ga))e

1) as if anyone asks about the livelihood of those liver-heated by passion!
2) like a candle, they became their own food

Notes:

puuchhe hai is an archaic form of puuchhtaa hai (GRAMMAR)

 

ma((aash : 'Living, life; — that whereby one lives, means of living, livelihood, subsistence'. (Platts p.1046)

 

taftah : 'Heated; melted; hot, burning; displeased, grieved; twisted'. (Platts p.328)

 

;xuuraak : 'Food, victuals, provisions; eatables; daily food, rations, diet, board, regulated allowance of food'. (Platts p.495)

FWP:

SETS
CANDLE: {39,1}
JIGAR: {2,1}

For background see S. R. Faruqi's choices. This verse is NOT one of his choices; mostly for the sake of completeness, I have added it myself. For more on Ghalib's unpublished verses, see the discussion in {4,8x}.

This verse is so similar to {210,5} that it might almost be considered a variant form of it; that is how some editors do consider it. But Raza (Raza 1995 p. 304) explains in a footnote that while it might indeed be taken to be an earlier, rejected form of {210,5}, in his own view it has 'a separate identity' [judagaanah ;hai;siyat]', so he has included it in his own compilation. Since I am following Raza's 1995 text, I am happy to respect his judgment.

All the more so since it's a chance for us to see the young poet's mind at work, casting about for possibilities, playing with different patterns of imagery that could convey a particular poetic idea.