SECTION 3a *back to section 2j-3*
(we're now on page *siin , continued*)     
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After the mushairah was over, iced falsa was set out. The friends ate a couple of small plates of it apiece. They all betook themselves to their homes. After that the dining-cloth was spread. Munshi Sahib and I and Umrao Jan ate dinner. 
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mushaa((irah ;xatm hone ke ba((d faalsah kii barf jamaa))ii ga))ii _ us kii do do qafliyaa;N a;hbaab ne nosh kii;N _ sab apne apne makaan ko tashriif le gaye _ us ke ba((d dastar-;xvaan bichhaa _ munshii .saa;hib ne aur mai;N ne aur umraa))o jaan ne khaanaa khaayaa _
Munshi Sahib: (to Umrao Jan) Please just recite that opening-verse of yours that you had recited before. 
munshii .saa;hib :: ( umraa))o jaan se ) ;zaraa apnaa vuh ma:tla(( to pa;Rhiye jo aap ne pahle pa;Rhaa thaa _

Umrao Jan:
to whom would we recite the state of the sorrowful heart, oh Ada
in wandering we strolled through the world/age 
kis ko sunaa))e;N ;haal-e dil-e zaar ay adaa
aavaaragii me;N ham ne zamaane kii sair kii
Munshi Sahib: There's no doubt that your vicissitudes must be very interesting indeed! Since you've recited this opening-verse, I've been thinking so. If you would tell your life-story, then it won't be devoid of pleasure. 
munshii .saa;hib :: is me;N shak nahii;N kih aap ke ;haalaat bahut hii dilchasp ho;Nge _ jab se aap ne yih ma:tla(( pa;Rhaa hai _ mujhe yihii ;xiyaal hai _ agar aap apnii sar-gu;zisht bayaan kare;N to lu:tf se ;xaalii nah hogaa _

I too supported the Munshi Sahib's words. But Umrao avoided the subject.

Our gracious Munshi Sahib had had from his earliest years a great ardor for stories and tales. In addition to the Thousand and One Nights and the dastan of Amir Hamzah, all the volumes of Bustan-e Khiyal had passed before his gaze. There was no novel that he wouldn't have looked at.

mai;N ne bhii munshii .saa;hib ke kalaam kii taa))iid kii _ magar umraa))o pahluu bachaatii thii;N _
hamaare munshii .saa;hib-e mihrbaan ko ibtidaa-e sin se qi.s.sah kahaaniyo;N kaa ba;Raa shauq thaa _ alf lailah , amiir ;hamzah kii daastaan ke ((alaavah buustaan-e ;xiyaal kii kul jilde;N na:zar se gu;zrii hu))ii thii;N _ko))ii naavil aisaa nah thaa jo aap ne nah dekhaa ho _
But after staying for some days in Lucknow, when he realized the excellence of the real colloquial speech of educated people, most novelists' groundless stories, artificial language, and imitative, foolishly melodramatic utterances, had lost their place in his heart. 
magar lakhna))uu me;N chand roz rahne ke ba((d jab ahl-e zabaa;N kii a.slii bol-chaal kii ;xuubii khulii _ ak;sar naavil-naviiso;N ke be-take qi.s.se _ ma.snuu))ii zabaan _ aur ta((.s.sub-aamez aur be-huudah josh dilaane-vaalii taqriire;N aap ke dil se utar ga))ii thii _

The speech of Lucknow's people of taste pleased him extremely. That opening-verse of Umrao Jan's had given rise in his heart to that idea to which allusion has been made above. In short, from Munshi Sahib's ardor, and my concurrence, Umrao Jan was under duress, and she became willing to tell her life-story.
lakhna))uu ke baa-ma;zaaq logo;N kii guftaguu bahut hii pasand aa))ii thii _ umraa))oo jaan ke us ma:tla(( ne aap ke dil me;N vuh ;xiyaal paidaa kiyaa _ jis kaa ishaarah uupar kiyaa gayaa hai _ al-qi.s.sah munshii .saa;hib ke shauq aur merii ishti((aalak ne umraa))o jaan ko majbuur kiyaa _ aur vuh apnii sar-gu;zisht kahne par raa.zii ho ga))ii _
There's no doubt that Umrao Jan's speech was very pure, and why would it not be? First, she was literate; second, she was educated among prostitutes of a high rank. She had frequented the company of princes and navabs' sons. She had access even to royal palaces. What she had seen with her own eyes, other people wouldn't even have heard with their ears. 
is me kuchh shak nahii;N kih umraa))o jaan kii taqriir bahut shustah thii _ aur kyuu;N nah ho _ avval to [*((ain*] ;xvaandah , duusre a((l;aa darje kii ra;Ndiiyo;N me;N parvarish paa))ii _ shahzaado;N aur navaab-zaado;N kii .su;hbat u;Thaa))ii _ ma;hlaat-e shaahii tak rasaa))ii hu))ii _ jo kuchh unho;N ne aa;Nkho;N se dekhaa aur logo;N ne kaano;N se nah sunaa hogaa _
To the extent that she kept telling her life-story, I secretly kept writing it down. After it was complete, I showed her the manuscript. At this Umrao Jan became very angry. But now what could be done? Finally she came to a kind of understanding, and fell silent. She herself read it; and here and there, whatever [errors? omissions?] remained, she corrected.
apnii sar-gu;zisht vuh jis qadar kahtii jaatii thii;N mai;N un se chhupaa ke likhtaa jaataa thaa _ tamaam hone ke ba((d mai;N ne musavvadah dikhaayaa _ us par umraa))o jaan bahut big;Rii;N _ magar ab kyaa hotaa thaa _ aa;xir kuchh samajh buujh ke chup ho rahii;N _ ;xvud pa;Rhaa aur jaabajaa jo kuchh rah gayaa thaa _ use durust kar diyaa _
I've known Umrao Jan since that time when she used to keep company with the Navab Sahib. In those days, I too used to have my 'sittings' there. Whatever has been described in this life-story, I have no doubt of its being word-for-word true. But this is my personal opinion. Readers are free to form their own supposition as they wish. 
mai;N umraa))o jaan ko us zamaane se jaantaa huu;N _ jab un se navaab .saa;hib se mulaaqaat thii _ unhii;N dino;N merii nishast bhii ak;sar vahaa;N rahtii thii _ us sar-gu;zisht me;N jo kuchh bayaan hu))aa hai mujhe us ke ;harf ba-;harf .sa;hii;h hone me;N ko))ii shak nahii;N hai _ magar yih merii ;zaatii raa))e hai _ naa:ziriin ko i;xtiyaar hai jo chaahe;N qiyaas kar le;N _

-- Mirza Rusva

Lucknow
March 1899

-- mirzaa rusvaa

lakhna))uu
maarch 1899 ((i _
 
 

 
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