हज़ारों ख़्वाहिशें ऐसी - My first attempt to explain a poem

Recently one of my friends chanced upon my blog and has managed to convince me into writing an explanatory note on some Ghazals of Ghaalib. I must start with the disclaimer that neither am I an expert on Ghalib, nor on Urdu language. In fact, I am not even an expert on poetry. So all which ways, I am not qualified to write. But as a famous couplet goes

"NaaKhudaa door, hawaa tez, qaree.n kaam-e-naahang

waqt hai, phenk de lehro.n me.n safeenaa apnaa"

"नाख़ुदा दूर, हवा तेज़, क़रीं कामे नाहंग 

वक़्त है फेंक दे लहरों में सफ़ीना अपना"

i.e. the boatman is far away, the winds are blowing fast, crocodiles are close by with their open mouths

ok, time to throw your boat to the waves"

I know a lot of Internet based experts will rip me apart (like crocodiles). But as Salman said in Wanted (or Vijay in Pokkiri) - 'ek baar maine commitment kar lii, to phir mai.n apne aap kii bhii nahee.n suntaa'(एक बार मैंने कमिट्मॅंट कर ली, तो फिर मैं अपने आप की भी नहीं सुनता) or "oru vaaTTi mudivu paNNiTTen naa en pechhai naane kekka maaTTen (ஒரு வாட்டி முடிவு பண்ணிட்டேன் நா என் பேச்சை நானே கேட்க மாட்டேன் )". So here goes.

"Hazaaro.n Khwaahishe.n aisee ki har Khwaahish pe dum nikle

bahut nikle mire armaan lekin phir bhii kum nikle"

हज़ारों ख़्वाहिशें ऐसी कि हर ख़्वाहिश पे दम निकले 

बहोत निकले मेरे अरमान लेकिन फिर भी कम निकले 

This is an oft used couplet which is the first couplet of this famous Ghazal. The first couplet is called 'matlaa' in poetic terms. There are no difficult words in this couplet. Hence getting down to the meaning.

A thousand desires - and each desire is worth dying for

Many of my desires have been fulfilled, but the heart yearns for more"

Life is a quaint mixture of goals and desires. The goals do not consume us as much as the desires do sometimes. It is largely because any corporate or personal goal setting would limit the number of goals. But there is no such limit to desires. They multiply, they grow - often wantonly - and like the many headed Hydra do not cease after being fulfilled. In my 5th standard book I was taught that the essence of Buddhism was 'Desire is the root cause of all evils'. But I do feel sometimes, that it gives you a reason to live.

I am not moving in the proper order. Rather going by an arbitrary order. I will complete this Ghazal in 3 posts. The next couplet - another very popular one is

"nikalnaa Khuld se aadam kaa sunte aaye hai.n lekin

bahut beaabroo hokar tere kooche se hum nikle"

निकलना ख़ुल्द से आदम का सुनते आये हैं लेकिन 

बहोत बेआबरू होकर तेरे कूचे से हम निकले

"We used to hear of the exit of Adam from paradise,
but the exit from your neighbourhood (my beloved) is very ignominous"

Khuld is the Arabic word for Paradise. This is a reference to the Original Sin for which Adam was sent out of the Garden of Eden. The Jews, Christians and Muslims share their religious characters , which are referred to in their respective religious books, and hence are referred to as 'ahl-e-kitaab' or countrymen of the book. So the story has more universal appeal. God turned Adam out of the Garden of Eden for refusing to adhere to his guidelines. I am reminded of another line from Iqbal

'kho diye inkaar se toone makaamaate bulund'

खो दिये इंकार से तूने मकामाते बुलन्द 

"you have lost the right to be at high places due to your refusal to abide by rules"

Hence while Adam had all the happiness in paradise, he did not have the freedom to do what he wanted. He had to comply, he had to abide. He probably made the mistake of believing that he was genuinely free. Hence Ghaalib refers to that ignominous exit of the forefather of all men from paradise. However, he adds, that ignominous exit pales in comparison to the way you (my beloved) have turned me out of your neighbourhood.  The area where the beloved stays has been cleverly likened to paradise in this couplet.This second line has almost attained the status of a proverb. 

And now the last couplet of the Ghazal

"kahaa.n maiKhaane kaa darvaazah Ghaalib, aur kahaa.n vaaiz 

par itnaa jaante hai.n kal vuh jaataa thaa, kih hum nikle"
कहां मयख़ाने का दरवाज़ह ग़ालिब, और कहां वाइज़
पर इतना जानते हैं कल वो जाता था कि हम निकले

Urdu poets generally write in praise of sharaab and shabaab, and have a bone to pick with those who exhort them not to indulge in these, especially the former. So they take potshots at such people using words like 'naaseh' or 'vaaiz'(नासेह/वाइज़). There is no equivalent in Hindi or English poetry of such words. Upadeshak(उपदेशक)  is the nearest equivalent literally but this word is not used in Hindi poetry. At least not as often as in Urdu poetry. Literally the word is an Arabic word and means 'admonisher or preacher'. MaiKhaana (मयख़ाना) is a more common word. It  is a word of Persian origin and it means a pub or a tavern or a bar.

So the poet says,

"The preacher has no linkage whatever with the tavern
But yesterday, as I was leaving the tavern I saw him passing by."

Ghaalib does not explicitly say that he saw the preacher enter the tavern, but that is what he is insinuating. Taverns did not generally exist in respectable places (like they do in Bangalore and Mumbai these days :)) and hence even by association such an insinuation arises. Anand Bakshi got a little explicit in his Amar Prem song which was actually a remake of the Nishi Padma song "Jaa Khushi ora bole bolook (যা খুশি ওরা বলে বলুক )". He wrote

"hamko jo taane dete hai.n, ham khoye hai.n in rang raliyo.n me.n

hamne unko bhi chhup chhup ke aate dekhaa in galiyo.n me.n"

हमको जो ताने देते हैं, हम खोये हैं इन रंग रलियों में 

हमने उनको भी छुप छुपके आते देखा इन गलियों में

Same thought. 

I think this post has already become quite long. The remaining I will cover in two further installments.

Let me know your feedback, suggestions for further such explanations. Did you find this too complex, difficult or too simple. I am all ears. Go ahead, make my day!

Update:

In the last few days, this post is getting a lot of hits. Hence this update. Please do let me know your feedback about this post. The other parts of this topic can be read here. 

Part - 2
Part - 3