Verse 3after 1816aakih yuu;N
G15
1
in the nighttime, having drunk wine, having taken the Rival along--
2
that she would come here, may the Lord grant; but may the Lord not grant-- like this!
| References | |
|---|---|
| Arshi, Imtiyaz Ali | Ghazal# 85 |
| Raza, Kalidas Gupta | 294 |
| Nuskhah-e-Hamidiyah | 142-143 |
| Hamid Ali Khan | Open Image |
May the Lord grant that she would come, but may the Lord not grant that she would come like this: at night, having drunk wine, etc. In this verse there is convolutedness in the structure [bandish]-- but this ground is conducive to that. (125)
== Nazm page 125
He says, it's our heartfelt longing that that mischievous one would set foot in our house. But may the Lord not cause her to come like this! (176)
May the Lord bring her here, but not in that way-- that she would have drunk wine, and that the Rival would be with her. (235)
The lover's problem is twofold: (1) the beloved pays scarce attention to his entreaties and never pays him a visit; (2) the beloved prefers the company of the rival and enjoys torturing the lover. The lover finds a solution to this dilemma by first asking God for something which is most likely to be granted, and then adding a second wish (an afterthought, as if), hoping that if the first wish is granted then the second is also likely to be granted, or at least should be granted. (1972, p. 15)
This is one of the 'cute' verses discussed in 116,1 . It also has an excellent internal rhyme. And it's a verse in which the beloved surely seems not to be God; for others, see 20,3 .
In addition to offering metrical and rhythmic swinginess, the verse is a triple-plated platinum classic mushairah verse. Hearing the first line, you realize that the scene has been set for some smashingly lurid drama, and you're consumed with curiosity-- a curiosity which, under mushairah performance conditions, will be tantalized for a suitable time before finally being satisfied. And like a true mushairah verse, this one withholds its punch-phrase, , until so much the last second that it itself constitutes the refrain .
And then, also like a true mushairah verse, when it's over it's over all at once, with nothing left-- no need to go back and think about it for even a single moment more. What a crowd-pleaser it must have been! And for that matter, what a crowd-pleaser it still is.
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