67. Rah Bakshtam: Habba Khatoon

 

راہ بخشتم سٲری پروردگارو

ژٕہ کہو واتہ یو میٲنی مرنۓ

  

Rah bakshtam saaer Parvardigaro

Che Kyoho waatiyo myani marnai

Rah: راہ: Fault, Sin, Shortcomings 

Oh my Sustainer, forgive all of my faults,

What will you gain from my death.

Explanation:

An entreaty to the God to forgive the shortcomings in loving Him and reciprocate the love. In remorse the lover may die but the beloved will not get anything out of this death and infact beloved will lose a sincere lover.

ہؠنہٕ بو آیس، دؠن کہو بریو

وؠنہٕ کُۓ رنگ گوم خاص ببرے

لۄلہ سُے تھوتھمو لولہ وُن نارو

ژٕہ کہو واتہ یو میٲنی مرنۓ

Hyene bo aayas denn kyoho bariyo,

Wenkui rang goam khaas Babray

Lolli sui thovtham lalvun naaro,

Che kyoho waatiyo Myani marnei

Hyene yun: ہؠنہٕ یُن: To get caught in quagmire of anything. Here it's quagmire of love.

Denn:  دؠن برُن: To tide over the day i.e., in dire or difficult circumstances. Here it may mean the difficulty of quagmire of love.

Wenne: وؠنہٕ: Wild peppermint. It has a whitish gray gloss over its leaves. Connotes the fading of good youthful colours.

Babir: ببٕر: Sweet Basil. It's leaves are green. Connotes youthfulness as against the wild peppermint leaves.

Lollih: لۄلہ: It means lap or near bosom i.e., heart 

Lollawun: لۄلوُن: to keep fire alive or kindled.

I am deep caught in quagmire, how will I tide over the day,

The wild peppermint colour took over my Sweet Basil like hue.

You kept the fondling fire within my bosom kindled,

What will you gain from my death.

Explanation:

I am caught in quagmire of love and I am not able to tide over even a day. This difficulty in love faded my youthfulness and turned it pale. The beloved kept the love in my heart aflame. If my love remains unrequited, I may die but then it will be of no gain to the beloved.

لٔدی لٔدی دراہمو مال کھچالو

ژھرِ اتھٕ ساونۓ لرِ قبرے

ادہٕ کونہ مدٕی وتھہمو لۄکچارو

ژٕہ کہو واتہ یو میٲنی مرنۓ

Laedd laedd drahamo maal e khachalo,

Chhari athhe saawnai larri qabray.

Addeh koane maddih woth-hamo lokchaaro,

Che kyoho waatiyo myaeni marnai.

Laedd laedd: لٔدی لٔدی: To load many things on something tightly.

Maal e khachalo: مال کھچالو:The loaded Donkey/pony

Maddih wasun: مدٕی وسُن: to descend from pride or intoxication.

U continue to pack donkey-loads (of things/desires),

Empty handed you will be laid in the grave.

Why then didn't you sobered up, O my youthfulness,

What will you gain from my death.

Explanation:

The youthfulness that was supposed to be in love and find its meaning is after the worldly gains. The poetess has grudge with here wasted youthfulness which may lead to her death which again will not be of any gain to her conceited youthfulness.

سِپارہٕ ترٚہہ مرہ پرؠم اکہ آنو

پھیرہ نو کُنہ گوم زیرِ زبرے

عشقُن خط کانسہ پۆر نہ یکبارو

ژٕہ کہو واتہ یو میٲنی مرنۓ

Sipaar trih mar parem aki aano,

Phaire nou kuni goam zer zabray.

Ashqun khat kansi pour na yakbaro,

Che kyoho waatiyo myaeni marnai.

I read around all the thirty parts(of Qur'an) in an instant,

I didn't erred in any of the diacritics.

Nobody reads the love letter all at once,

What will you gain from my death.

Explanation:

The most intense stanza of the poem. Poetess says that she read the Holy Book of Qur'an in an instant without erring even slightly despite it being the heaviest message in the universe. However, she finds a love letter from her beloved very tough to read all at once. Pertinent to mention that in poetic circles, love is basis of all things and thus the poetess has put the love letter on higher pedestal than the Holy Book. It's just an imagination and should not be interpreted in the literal sense. E.g., Ghalib's imagination in one of the couplets has created a creature that doesn't exist at all but to give meaning to another non-existent thing he first created a non-existent creature. 

میں عدم سے بھی پرے ہوں ورنہ غافل بارہا

میری آہ آتشیں سے بال عنقا جل گیا

I exist beyond the non-existence and O Ignorant otherwise,

Because of my fiery pain, the wings of Phoenix burnt many a times.

Phoenix is a non-existent creature which is considered to resurrect infinite times in mythologies. Here Ghalib shows his existence even beyond the world of Phoenix, a non-existent creature.

Moreover, when a person is in love, the emotions take over and the consistency is defeated by such emotions. 

تپھ چُھم بدنس حبہٕ خوتونے

ادہٕ نو آہام زانہہ تہ خبرے

تیلہ یِکھاہ یؠلہٕ ترٚاونم اند مزارو

 ژٕہ کہو واتہ یو میٲنی مرنۓ

Taph chhum badnas Habbe Khotoonay,

Adde no aahaam zanh ti khabray.

Telle yikha yelli traavnam andh mazaaro

Che kyoho waatiyo myaeni marnai.

I, Habbe Khotoon, has body burning in fever,

And not once did you come to ease my pain,

Will you come when I am laid in a corner of graveyard,

What will you gain from my death.

Explanation:

Again a stanza of unrequited love where the lover has regret that despite she being burning in love, her love remain unrequited. She further says

 that if her love remains unrequited, she may die but then her death will bestow no gain onto the beloved.