12qasidah

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(12) Qasidah in praise of Navab 'Imad ul-Mulk	== This translation and these annotations are greatly indebted to a set of internal SOAS teaching materials, author(s) unidentified, produced in the 1970's; these were never formally published, but were made available in small booklets for SOAS students. These SOAS materials have provided an excellent jumping-off point.
	[meter: = - = = / - - = = / - - = = / = =], with the permissible variant of two short syllables replacing the penultimate long syllable. Formally speaking, this whole qa.siidah is one long ghazal.
	*modern Urdu page 1*
1) At the crack of dawn today, when my eyes fluttered Happiness came right then and gave a knock at the door of my heart.
2) I asked, "Who is it?" She said, "I am she, oh heedless one, In ardor for whom the ardent one's eyelids would never close.	== Sauda uses some common transitive verbs in the perfect form without ne ; the verb then agrees with its subject in gender and number. This archaic practice was common in the 1600's and continued sporadically well into the 1700's.
3) My name is Happiness, I am dear to hearts, The sweetness of life in the world is to the extent of me.
4) Open the embrace of the heart and take me quickly, ignorant one! The Lord knows when the sky would again show you this day."
5) Having heard these life-giving good tidings, when I opened my eyes, In my view was the radiance of something like a ray of light.
	*modern Urdu page 2*
6) Having rubbed my eyes, when I looked, then-- a brocade-clad one Who from head to foot is drowned in jewels.	== The reduplicative kar ke is often found in Sauda's poetry.
7) Beauty such that the [full] moon of the fourteenth Having suddenly seen it, would for some time remain amazed.	== Notice the repetition of yak , and the way chand suggests chaa;Nd , 'moon'.
8) In her face is such heat, that night and day The garment-hem of the eyelashes does nothing but keep fanning it.	== baa))o is an archaic word for havaa .
9) Her curls, dishevelled over her face, demanded the heart The way two children would quarrel over a single toy.
10) Her curls, such a disaster that, if they would come to be braided/entangled, their every wave In order to drown the houses of lovers, would be the River Attock.	== The Attock River, which frequently changed its course, was considered very dangerous to those who lived on its banks.
11) The female snake, having come into the midst of them, would not [even have time to] ask for water [before dying] In the same way, the male black-snake would play [with his life], if her hanging tresses would bite him.	== Her dark twisting locks are thus more deadly than the deadliest snakes.
12) Her forehead such that the moon's liver would be wounded when through comparison to it, the sky would give it precedence.	== The crescent moon would be envious of the superior radiance of her forehead.
13) There would not be this power of murdering in a scimitar Until one would make of it a likeness to her eyebrow.	== The scimitar is crescent-shaped like her eyebrows.
14) Her boldness/insolence is that arrow from which there is no refuge in the world Her eye is that Turk who would be of the Uzbek tribe [qaum].	== Reading tiir instead of the inappropriate tez , on the strength of other editions. == An Uzbek would be considered particularly cruel and violent.
15) The turbulence/rebelliousness of that eye is such that, through the bloodthirsty eyelashes Finding it constantly rising up, she always slaps it down.	== Reading fitnah instead of the obviously incorrect qand , on the strength of other editions.
16) Through her beauty, there is such pleasure in her earring that It is like a dewdrop prepared to drip from a rose.
17) It's as if a fish of the ocean of excellence/beauty is [trapped] in a net When anyone would see the twitching of her nostril in the circle of the nose-ring.
18) By reason of narrowness, her mouth was not visible to her nose Although it had fashioned, from its own nostrils, eyeglasses	== There's the wordplay of biinii , the Persian for nose, and the Persian verbal root biin , to see.
19) Her missi-stained lips were live embers in the bottom of a brazier That from the breeze of her speaking, flared up.	== The black powder called missii is applied to the gums to darken them and make the teeth look whiter. == The better reading su;xan karne kii has been adopted from other editions.
20) A string of pearls would buy brightness from those teeth, Lightning would beg for the glitter of the wave of her smile.
21) Both cheeks are, so to speak, glasses of rose-colored wine, The chin between them is like a sweet relish in a salt-dish.
22) In praise of her spiciness/piquancy I would recite an opening-verse [ma:tla((] Compared to which the rising [ma:tla((] of the sun would have no salt/relish	== The name for a formally defined 'opening-verse' in a ghazal is derived from the rising of the sun.
SECOND MATLA'
23) The gleam of gold would be embarrassed before the color of her cheek The luster of gold would be abashed before the flesh beneath her chin.	== Thisopening-verse [ma:tla((] introduces a new section of the qasidah. == ;Gab;Gab is the loose flesh beneath the chin; here it is imagined as so brilliantly white that the luster of gold would suffer by comparison.
24) Her loose hair-arrangement has so increased the beauty of her neck As if a candle would be showing its glory/appearance beneath the skirt of a net [for hunting].	== The word order represented by us ke ne is no longer accepted. == Candles were placed under hunting-nets to attract animals. The whiteness of her neck showing beneath the dishevelled strands of hair resembles such a candle.
25) Her hennaed wrists and hands have such movements The way bending would come to a rose-branch from the blowing of the wind.
	*modern Urdu page 3*
26) If anyone would see her breasts, then he would believe That the army of desire/Kam has settled here and pitched its tents.
27) Or they are two little boxes of fortifying drugs/opiates*, such that From touching them the angels' souls would be excited.	== A potion that increased sexual vigor; even angels, who have no sexual drive, would be affected.
28) They would seem so very lovable to the eyes that the gaze Would wish never to slide away from their neighborhood.
29) A man without arms would seek to put his hands on them, In a lame man man's heart would come the urge to run and pounce upon them
30) The estimate I formed of the beauty of her navel-- It embedded itself in my heart that without any doubt or question,
31) There must be some narcissus-eyed one, whose eye Was applied to her breast, and because of its smoothness slid down.	== That is, slid down to become her navel.
32) I didn't see her waist, that I would describe it; For the deer of the heart, it was the pounce of a cheetah.	== The waist ideally is so slender that it's invisible. The cheetah is proverbial for its slender waist. Note that ne has been omitted.
33) Beyond this I cannot say anything in her praise; Shame says to me, "Enough! Now don't babble any more."	== Beyond this [aage] means both in further words, and concerning any other parts of her body.
34) Thus what can I say about her knees--they are mirrors, The eyes couldn't tear themselves away, if they once became fixed on them.
35) In the gathering in which her crystal knees are mentioned The spiciness of the radiance of the candle is overcome by jealousy.	== Literally, the candle has namak , 'saltiness'.
36) The arch of her foot would snatch the heart of Majnun away from the face of Laila; That henna-stained foot would always want from Shirin the blood of Farhad.
37) At the time of gazing, when my searching glance Went from the head to the feet of that attractive-statured one,
38) The red-stained tips of her toes began to say, "You will not have seen Before this, a globe-amaranth blossoming from the root of a cypress."	== Her henna-stained toes seemed to be amaranth flowers blossoming from the root of a cypress; her tall, swaying stature is often compared to that of a cypress.
39) Her stature is such that at the time of walking If Doomsday would come before, it [=the stature] would say, 'Out of the way!'.	== There's an obvious play on qaamat , 'stature', and qiyaamat , 'Doomsday', the day when the dead will 'rise up'.
40) She would put her foot down in such a manner that it might be The tumult that caused the beginning of the world: the tinkling of her ankle-bells.	== Her power extends from the end of the world in the previous verse, to the beginning of it here.
41) The way she would walk zigzaggingly, out of wantonness-- Even the waves of the sea, if they would see her, would remain stupefied.
42) In her clothing there is such a shimmer and a lightning, that I might call it a flash of lightning, or call it a flicker of fire.
43) Just in the elegant style in which she wore a rose garland around her neck, In the same style was the scent of perfume, so much was the fragrance of the unguent
44) There is intoxication to such an extent in her manner of speaking that To one she calls out, 'Away with you'; to another, 'Make room'.
45) Words wandered from her mouth so pleasurably, The way wine spashes out of an overflowing glass.
46) In short, she had such an appearance, that infidel, That I looked toward my heart and said, 'God be with you'.
	*modern Urdu page 4*
47) Suddenly that mischievous one said to me, 'Oh Sauda, Now smash the glass of the wine of sadness with a stone.
48) 'Is this any way to live on the earth, oh fool? Is your life any style of living, under the heavens?
49) 'I have never seen a dance taking place in your house, Nor, having come to your door, have I ever heard the beat of a drum.
50) 'A man requires some warmth of companionship, to be human, Is he a man in the world at all, who would be so cold?
51) 'Although your heart is downcast at the style of the age, Nevertheless we have come into your house--just take a bit of a look this way.
52) 'It's necessary that such a guest be entertained with care and respect, Fill a glass with wine, place some sweet relish in a salt-dish and bring it.
53) 'Arrange a gathering, and call the musicians and dancers. Place us in a seat next to you, make everyone happy, be happy yourself.
54) 'Today is a day when, whichever house you look in, in it Somewhere there is bhagat, somewhere there is olak.	== Here bhagat probably refers to Hindu devotional singing. == The meaning of olak is uncertain; it may be a corruption of uluuq , a sect of dancing dervishes. Here it probably refers to Muslim religious dancing.
55) 'So much so that Shaikh and Brahman are absorbed in music, In the temple resounds the bass-drum; in the mosque, the kettle-drum.
56) 'It is not a string of the tanbur, it is only a sacred thread, Even the prayer-beads have been attached to the frets of the sitar.
57) 'Now, although the Mullah wouldn't drink wine from the hand of the tavern-keeper, Nevertheless he's willing to have it accidentally splashed on his clothing.
58) 'The drunkard goes along rubbing shoulders with the Censor, The tavern-keeper's son would fearlessly come to stand before the Qazi.'	== The 'Censor' [mu;htasib] was, under the Mughals, an actual officer, charged with the protection of public morality.
59) Having heard this, I said to her, 'Oh essence of coquetry! Are you well? Speak with understanding, don't babble so much!
60) 'How would I, without reason, abandon the love of sadness? In what way would I expel from my heart the friendship of grief?
61) 'If there would be any reason, then express it to me, If there would be any cause, then tell it to me, so that I too might hear a bit about it.'
62) Having heard this inquiry from he, she said, 'Perhaps This good news has not yet reached your hearing.
63) 'Today is the celebration of the birthday of that person Who in appearance is a human, and in behavior is an angel.
64) 'That is, the Navvab who is Sulaiman Far and whose name is Asif Jah, Who in this age is the pride of old and young.	== 'Radiance of Solomon' and 'Glory of Asif' (the name of the minister of Solomon) were among the titles of 'Imad ul-Mulk.
65) 'What chance is there of anyone holding out his hand before anyone else? Even a baby is born with his fists closed.	==' Imad ul-Mulk is so generous that in his realm no one needs to beg; the fact that babies are born with closed fists is given as a proof of his generosity.
66) 'His justice is such that in this age, every physician As the cooling-agent for the fire of a fever, would write caltrops.	== 'Caltrops' [;xaar-e ;xasak] is an herb used as a cooling agent [tabriid] for fever. The word ;xasak also means 'straw', something that through wordplay is made to seem as if it couldn't safely be put into the 'fire' [shu((lah] of a fever-- except for 'Imad ul-Mulk's powerful protection.
67) 'His justice would not allow people to stitch up a rip in gossamer Until they unwound the skein of the moon for thread.	== The mythical gossamer-light fabric called katan is said to be so fine that moonbeams can tear it. In 'Imad ul-Mulk's realm moonbeams can be unwound like a 'skein' of thread and used for such repairs.
	*modern Urdu page 5*
68) 'Compassion is so customary that the panther Considers the gazelle to be like his adopted son.
69) 'In his age, forbidden things are [considered] so disgraceful, There is a tumult over wine, always; hashish is under the pestle.	== The 'tumult' over wine could be either to forbid it, or else to obtain it; similarly if hashish is 'under the pestle', the intent could be either to destroy it, or to grind it up for use. The expression nit u;Th is archaic for 'always'.
70) 'If you would look at his courage, then within a single moment This matla' comes two hundred times from the heart.'
THIRD MATLA'
71) Not only is everyone on the face of the earth indebted to you, From the weight of your kindness, the back of the sky is bent double.
72) If the spring raincloud, bearing pearls, would be before you, The lightning, smiling, would throw a wink at it:	== Naisan is the name of the seventh Syrian month, corresponding to April/May. If the spring rain falls into an oyster shell, it is believed to turn into pearls; in the mouth of a snake it turns to poison. As the lightning flashes, it seems to 'wink' ironically at the pearl-laden rainclouds, since 'Imad ul-Mulk has more pearls than they could even imagine.
73) Before your hand of generosity, an oyster-shell full of pearls Is the fist of him on whom many smallpox-marks have emerged.	== The fist covered with smallpox-marks is compared to a fistful of pearls given by 'Imad ul-Mulk; tujh is archaic for tere .
74) The scheme of a learned man cannot prevail in any action Until he would obtain the license of the seal of your approval.	== Here dastak means 'license, permit'. Since muhr-e ;hakiim was a technical term for an 'official seal', ;hakiim can also be read as 'a government official'.
75) The office of the realms [of nature], from the hand of the universe, Would disperse, from the terror of your wrathful shout.	== Here mavaalid , literally 'offspring', probably stands for the animal, vegetable, and mineral realms. Sauda may be playing on Mughal bureaucratic terminology.
76) To push aside an elephant is not at all the task of a gnat; It would require a bit of aid from your help and strength.	== The fact that ;haul and quvvat are used in the common Arabic expression laa ;haul va laa quvvat illa billaahii , 'there is not help or strength except in God', seems to suggest that 'Imad ul-Mulk may have divine powers.
77) If from the sky some substance equal in weight to your forbearance Some angel would drop, influenced by oversight and mistake,
78) Such a shock would happen to the neck of the Cow of the earth, That although it might have its limbs massaged, the sprain would not depart.	== According to some Islamic folk traditions, the earth is sustained on the horns of a mighty cow. The cow itself stands on the back of a fish.
79) To challenge you in in the battlefield of the ranks of heroes Which petty man is there, who would [dare to] come before you?
80) You are such a warrior that before you, even Rustam Would tuck his 'ox-head' mace under his arm and take to his heels.	== In the Shah-namah, this club actually belongs to Faridun.
81) And even if someone would stand for a moment, then the Lord has given To your arm and shoulder, strength to such an extent,
82) Having brought your steed up to his steed, Having put your hand on his belt, and jerked him up from the ground,
83) When you would strike him with force, having whirled him around, to the ground, The waist of the sphere of dust [=the earth] would receive such a jolt,
84) That when every mountain, having bounced up, settled back to the ground, Having broken the face of the heavens, would pulverize the back of the Fish.	== The reference is to the Fish on which the Cow stands.
85) Why would you not beat, every moment, the drum of ''To whom is dominion', When in your sword is the temper of sharpness to such an extent,	== That is, the drum that proclaims victory.
86) When you grasp it and draw it from your waist, and would strike one blow with it, Like a pair of kettle-drums, the sky would be split into two parts.
	*modern Urdu page 6*
87) Now the pen would not move forward, nor would the ink flow, Until some description of your wind-footed [steed] is made.
88) Having mounted on it, if the thought would enter your mind, If from the pommel you just gently lift the rein a bit,
89) One moment it [=the horse] would be visible, the next moment it would vanish from sight, Then amidst the air that night-colored [steed] is the flash of a firefly.
90) Face to face with a mirror, that rosy-colored [steed] If you would ride full tilt from east to west,
91) In such an interval of time it would come back, believe me, That its reflection wouldn't even have time to disappear from the mirror.
92) What can I say of the grandeur and splendor of your elephant? Like the new moon on the wheel of the heavens, is the goad on its forehead.	== The goad is envisioned as crescent-shaped, and as resting on the elephant's head.
93) In description of its excellence, I would recite a matla'; Let those who understand poetry listen a bit, with the ear of the heart.
FOURTH MATLA'
94) Oh God, the way his tassel-ornament hangs over his face, The way the Milky Way would be apparent in the sky on the longest night of the year.
95) In sitting, he's a mountain; in standing up, he's a black cloud, In height he's the highest heaven, and moving he's like tireless sky.
96) On his face would be the glory of the tree of Tur, At the time when they would color his forehead for adornment.	== The glory of the tree on Mount Tur dazzled Moses, when he asked God to show himself there.
97) How would I express the beauty of the spangles on his elephant-cloth? The way the stars would remain, at night, shining in the darkness.
98) If he would pick up and swing his chains with his trunk, Anyone who might be clever would consider about his tusks,
99) That Laila has put her hands out from the dark tent, For the reception of Majnun, having heard the clanking of the chains on his feet.
100) If you see him on the day of the battlefield, then he's so courageous, He wouldn't move, from a place from where even the earth would move.	== The battlefield is so terrible that even the earth would move to escape from it; thus there's an evocation of an earthquake as well.
101) Before him would [seem to] be released a string of firecrackers, If a hundred cannons would all fire and hit him at once.
102) What is a catherine-wheel, that he would pay it any heed? If the shaft of a crack of lightning would ever approach him,	== A char;xii is a kind of wheel-like fireworks.
103) He would break and chew the pole like sugarcane, Having taken its straw top in his trunk, he would begin to tickle his feet [with it].
104) He is light-sepping to such an extent that if ever, while walking, From his feet, even the heart of an ant would feel no tremor.
105) His gait is dignified to such an extent, as if In the sun, from the coming of a cloud, there would be the gradual moving of a shadow.
106) Having seen you on his howdah, all creation would consider On the throne of the highest heaven is, in the form of a man, an angel.
	*modern Urdu page 7*
107) How would I mention your magnificent tent? Where the small tent of your retinue would be erected,
108) They would not put the pole-less sky underneath it, For it [=the sky] is extremely old and very small/ragged.	== kochak means 'small' in Persian, and 'ragged' in Hindi.
109) God, God, the marvel of your kitchen! Of which The tray of leftovers is bigger than the platter of the face of the earth.
110) There, for the cumin, the produce of Kirman would not be enough, In it, the produce of India wouldn't be enough for the salt.	== Kirman was famous for its cumin, so the direct meaning of ma;h.suul as 'produce' works well. But since the word can also mean 'revenue', there's a secondary meaning of expense as well.
111) The heavens and the mountain-ranges are stunned by the usage there, Having found themselves likened to onions and ginger.	== The vault of the sky consists of seven heavens, arranged in layers like an onion. Ginger is a triangular, lumpy root that might suggest a mountainous landscape. The heavens and the mountains fear they might be taken for onions and ginger and chopped up in this prodigious kitchen.
112) From among the villages that supply its [=the kitchen's] expenditure, Establish for your praiser too a plate.	== A sahnak is a plate or pot of food given as an offering to Fatima.
113) Now you yourself please do, in your heart, justice to my petition, To which door would anyone go [to beg], having arrived at such a door [as yours]?
114) Forehead-rubbing is the test, here, for the gold of a man, The stone of your doorsill is better than the philosopher's stone.	== The rubbing of the forehead on 'Imad ul-Mulk's doorsill is like the rubbing of a metal on a touchstone, to see whether it's true gold or not. == The philosopher's stone [sang-e ma;hak] supposedly turns base metals into gold.
115) Now end this poem with a benediction, Sauda! This speech/poem The angels have gone to the 'gate of acceptance' to say 'Amen'.	== The baab-e ijaabat is where prayers go to be answered.
116) Oh God! This which is your lamp of prosperity-- To eternity, may the candle of the heavens remain illumined by it.
117) Until Doomsday may that place remain worshipped by all creation, On which the quilt of your splendid throne would be spread.
118) He who now is your friend, on the mirror of the world, May his reflection never manage to be erased.
119) The writer of the hand of destiny-- the form of your enemy, May he erase from the page of existence, like a mistaken word.
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