Ghazal 280x, Verse 7

{280x,7}*

aahang-e asad me;N nahii;N juz na;Gmah-e bedil
((aalam hamah afsaanah-e maa daarad-o-maa hech

1) in the harmony of Asad is nothing apart from the melody of Bedil
2) 'the whole world knows/'has, holds' our story, and we are-- nothing!'

Notes:

maa : 'We; — us; our'. (Platts p.977)

 

daarad : 'A name of God; — dārad, He holds, has, is possessed of'. (Steingass p.496)

 

hech : 'Not any, none, no; nothing; — worthless, good-for-nothing; — shallow, superficial; — a mere trifle; — adv. Never; at no rate, on no account at all'. (Platts p.1244)

 

hech : 'Nothing; a mere trifle; lost, annihilated; never, at no rate, on no account at all'. (Steingass p.1520)

Asi:

In Asad's voice there's nothing except the melody of Bedil-- as he says, 'The whole world is telling our story, and when we look at ourself, then we are 'nothing'.

== Asi, p. 108

Zamin:

The meaning of the verse is clear. [A discussion of how Ghalib was wrong later to deprecate Bedil, since he remained so greatly indebted to him.]

== Zamin, p. 155

Gyan Chand:

In Asad's raga, except for the flute of Bedil there's no other idea of his own. That is, in Asad's poetry is the color/style of Bedil. In the world is our fame, but we are 'nothing', because our accomplishment is borrowed from another. The second line is Bedil's.

== Gyan Chand, p. 191

FWP:

SETS == POETRY
MUSIC: {10,3}

For more on Ghalib's unpublished verses, see the discussion in {4,8x}.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

This is one more of the extravagant tributes the young Ghalib paid to the great Indo-Persian poet Bedil-- only then to omit most of them from his divan. For discussion of his evolving attitude, see {8,5x}.