apnī jaulāñ-gāh

Published in bāl-e jibrīl (The Wing of Gabriel) (1935).
From: kulliyāt-e iqbāl urdū
(Lahore: Shaikh Ghulam 'Ali and Sons Publishers, 1973 (and later reprints), *p. 310*

a *ghazal*; *meter*: = - = = / = - = = / = - = = / = - =

Urdu spellings reflect adjustments made for the sake of the meter.
See the 'script bar' at the bottom of the page for viewing choices.

Here's *a serial glossary*.
   
1)
apnī jaulāñ-gāh zer-e āsmāñ samjhā thā maiñ
āb-o-gil ke khel ko apnā jahāñ samjhā thā maiñ
 
1) I had considered my field of action to be under the sky
2) I had considered the game of water and clay to be my world
 

= The clear implication is that I no longer believe these things; I now recognize my error
= The phrase 'water and clay' is a conventional metaphor for the physical world

   
2)
be-ḥijābī se tirī ṭūṭā nigāhoñ kā t̤ilism
ik ridā-e nīl-gūñ ko āsmāñ samjhā thā maiñ
 
1) from your unveiledness, the enchantment of the glances broke
2) one blue-colored cloak, I had considered to be the sky
 
= The poet cleverly doesn't tell us whose glances-- mine? yours? those of both of us?
= A t̤ilism is not a mere magic spell, but an 'enchantment' or 'enchanted world' made by a powerful magician; the Persian/Urdu romance [dastan] tradition is full of these realms
= A ridā (Platts p. 590) is a cloak or mantle.
   
3)
kāravāñ thak kar faẓā ke pech-o-ḳham meñ rah gayā
mihr-o-māh-o-mushtarī ko ham-ʿanāñ samjhā thā maiñ
 
1) the caravan, having become tired, remained in the twists and turns of the atmosphere
2) I had considered the sun and moon and Jupiter to be rein-fellows
 

= The caravan of the stars and planets became tired and remained merely at a lower level (while I went onward beyond their range). The word faẓā literally means 'expanse, open area' (Platts p.782) but here plainly means the limiting, entangling, convoluted atmosphere of this world.
= ʿanāñ means 'rein' or 'bridle' (Platts p. 766); the intended image seems to be that the sun and moon and Jupiter and I were all riding together in the caravan; this is what I used to think, but I now realize that they either never were, or else could not remain, my fellow-riders on my long journey

   
4)
ʿishq kī ik jast ne t̤ay kar diyā qiṣṣah tamām
is zamīn-o-āsmāñ ko be-karāñ samjhā thā maiñ!
 
1) one leap of passion traversed/settled the whole story
2) I had considered this earth and sky to be limitless
 

   
5)
kah gaʾīñ rāz-e muḥabbat pardah-dārīhā-e shauq !
thī fiġhāñ vuh bhī jise ẓabt̤-e fuġhāñ samjhā thā maiñ
 
1) the veiledness-maintainings of ardor went and told the secret of love
2) that too was a cry of pain, which I had thought was the restraining of a cry of pain
  = The word fuġhāñ (Platts p. 782) can mean any kind of groan, wail, lament, or cry of pain
   
6)
thī kisī darmāñdah rah-rau kī ṣadā-e dard-nāk
jis ko āvāz-e raḥīl-e kāravāñ samjhā thā maiñ
 
1) it was the pain-filled cry of some wearied traveler
2) which I had considered to be the call of the departure of the caravan
   
   

 

 
 
 

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