*back to section 1a*
(we're now on page *jīm , continued*)

Umrao Jan: (the moment she saw me) By God, Mirza Sahib, you've forgotten us entirely!
I: Who knew in which 'Mount Qaf' you've been pleased to live?
Umrao Jan: Well, I've often heard your voice, but I never had the courage to send for you. But today your ghazal made me restless. Uncontrollably, 'vah' emerged from my mouth; while some sahib said, 'please come here'. For my part, I myself was embarrassed. It occurred to me to remain silent, but then my heart didn't consent. Finally, for the sake of former associations, I put you to the trouble of coming. Please pardon me. Indeed, just please recite that verse again.
I: There will be no pardon, nor will I recite the verse. If you are an enthusiast, then please graciously come over there.

===========
=='Mount Qaf' is the legendary land of Paris and Devs, well-known from the Dastan-e Amir Hamzah and other such Persian and Urdu romances. Here of course it suggests that Umrao Jan had been out of touch with her friends.

umrāʾo jān :: ( dekhte hī ) allâh mirzā ṣāḥib āp to hameñ bhūl hī gaʾe -
maiñ :: yih maʿlūm kise thā kih āp kis koh-e qāf meñ tashrīf rakhtī haiñ -
umrāʾo jān :: yūñ to maiñ akṡar āp kī āvāz sunā kartī thī - magar kabhī bulāne kī jur:at nah huʾī - magar āj āp kī ġhazal ne be-chain kar diyā - be-sāḳhtah muñh se vāh vā nikal gayā - udhar kisī ṣāḥib ne kahā - yahāñ āʾiye - maiñ apnī jagah par āp hī sharmindah huʾī -jī meñ āyā - chup ho rahūñ - magar phir dil nah mānā - āḳhir aglī ḳhaṣūṣiyatoñ ke liḥāz̤ se āp ko taklīf dī - muʿāf kījiyegā - hāñ vuh shiʿr żarā phir paṛh dījiye -
maiñ :: maʿf to kuchh bhī nah hogā - aur nah maiñ shiʿr sunāʾūñgā - agar āp ko shauq ho to vuhīñ tashrīf le chaliye -

Umrao Jan: I have no objection to going, but I fear that perhaps my going might not be pleasing to the owner of the room, or to some other gentleman.
I: Are you in your senses? As if I would invite you to such a place! It's an informal gathering, your going there will increase the enjoyment.
Umrao: That's true, but let there not somehow be too much informality.
I: No ma'm, there nobody can treat you informally except me!
umrāʾo jān :: mujhe chalne meñ koʾī ʿużr nahīñ - magar yih ḳhiyāl hai kih ṣāḥib-e ḳhānah yā aur kisī ṣāḥib ko merā jānā nā-gavār nah ho -
maiñ :: āp ke ḥavās durust haiñ ? bhalā aisī jagah maiñ āp ko chalne ke liye kyūñ kahtā - be-takalluf ṣuḥbat hai - āp ke jāne se aur lut̤f hogā -
umrāʾo :: yih to sach hai magar kahīñ ziyādah be-takallufī nah ho -
maiñ :: jī nahīñ - vahāñ sivā mere koʾī āp se be-takalluf nahīñ ho saktā -

Umrao: All right then, I'll come tomorrow.
I: Why don't you come along right now?
Umrao: Oh no, not now! Just look at the state I'm in!
I: There's no need for a 'performance' there, it's an informal group-- come right along.
Umrao: Oh dear, Mirza Sahib, you're a peerless persuader! All right, you go along; I'm just coming.
I rose and came away. After a little while Umrao Jan Sahibah, having arranged her hair and such, and changed her clothes, came along.
In a few words I had acquainted my companions with her taste for poetry and her excellence in musical skill and so on. People had become eager to see her. When she came, then it was decided that everyone would recite his own poetry, and she too would recite. In short, a very enjoyable gathering took place.

===========
==A mujrā is a professional performance by a courtesan.
==The verb paṛhnā literally means 'to read', but the emphasis here is on oral recitation; the poet may or may not actually be reading from a written notebook.

umrāʾo :: achchhā to kal āʾūñgī -
maiñ :: abhī kyūñ nahīñ chaltīñ -
umrāʾo :: ay hai abhī - dekhiye to kis ḥaiṡiyat se baiṭhī hūñ -
maiñ :: vahāñ koʾī mujrā to nahīñ hai - be-takalluf ṣuḥbat hai , chale chaliye -
umrāʾo :: ūhī mirzā ṣāḥib āp kī to bāteñ lājavāb hotī haiñ - achchhā , chaliye maiñ ātī hūñ -
maiñ uṭh ke chalā āyā - thoṛī der ke baʿd umrāʾo jān ṣāḥibah żarā kanghī-vanghī kar ke kapṛe badal ke āʾīñ -
maiñ ne aḥbāb se chand alfāz̤ meñ un ke mażāq-e shiʿr-o-suḳhan aur kamāl-e fan-e mausīqī vaġhairah kī taʿrīf kar dī thī - log mushtāq ho gaʾe the -jab vuh tashrīf lāʾīñ - to yih ṭhahrī kih sab ṣāḥib apnā apnā kalām paṛheñ - aur vuh bhī paṛheñ - ḳhilāṣah yih kih baṛe [*jīm*] lut̤f kā jalsah huʾā -

From that day, usually Umrao Jan came in the evening. For hours together the session would continue. Sometimes there was a gathering for poetry recitation, sometimes she sang something. The friends were delighted. The mood of one such gathering we here record. In those mushairahs no rhyming-pattern was fixed, nor were pledges [of participation] taken from many people. Only close friends gathered together, and recited their freshly composed ghazals.

===========
==No rhyming-pattern was fixed: that is, people could recite any ghazal they wanted, without having its formal qualities prescribed by a pre-set 'pattern line' [miṣraʿ-e t̤arḥ] to which all ghazals had to conform, as in an official 'tarahi' mushairah.

us din se umrāʾo jān akṡar shām ko chalī ātī thīñ - ghañṭah dar-ghañṭah tak nishist rahtī thī - kabhī shiʿr shāʿirī kā jalsah huʾā - kabhī unhoñ ne kuchh gāyā - aḥbāb maḥz̤ūz̤ huʾe - aisī hī ek jalse kī kaifiyat ham yahāñ likhe dete haiñ - in mushāʿiroñ meñ koʾī t̤araḥ nahīñ muqarrar kī jātī thī - aur nah bahut se logoñ se vaʿde liye jāte the - ṣirf be-takalluf aḥbāb jamʿa ho jāte the - aur apnī apnī tāzah taṣnīf ġhazaleñ paṛhte the -
  *on to section 2a*

 
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