Verse 8x1816amdekhte hai;N
G12
1
the line of the heart-fragments, [as] a whole/'penful', we see
2
the eyelashes, [as] a calligrapher/'jewel-writer', we see
t>> : 'A line, a streak, or stripe, a mark; lineament; — writing, character, handwriting chirography; a letter, epistle; — down on the face, incipient beard, &c.'.
'Jewels, gems, precious stones; a jewel, gem; — essences, substance'.
'Mark, sign, price-mark; writing, hand-writing, character'.
| References | |
|---|---|
| Arshi, Imtiyaz Ali | Ghazal# 88 |
| Raza, Kalidas Gupta | 202-203 |
| Nuskhah-e-Hamidiyah | 148-149 |
| Asi, Abdul Bari | 163-164 |
| Gyan Chand | 261-262,538-539 |
| Hamid Ali Khan | Open Image |
The drops of blood that have come and settled on the eyelashes, he has construed as lines of heart-fragments. is a wordplay with -- that is, 'from end to end'.
== Zamin, p. 234
= entirely, wholly. In tears we see a line of heart-fragments-- that is, along with the tears, pieces of the heart come and pause on the eyelashes. Thus our eyelashes in the true sense have become a 'jewel-writer'. Calligraphers are given the title of 'jewel-writer'-- that is, their writing shines like a jewel. On the eyelashes the heart-fragments are like jewels; thus the eyelashes have become 'jewel-writers'.
== Gyan Chand, p. 262
For background see S. R. Faruqi's choices . This verse is NOT one of his choices; I thought it was interesting and have added it myself. For more on Ghalib's unpublished verses, see the discussion in 4,8x .
On expressions compounded with , see 11,1 .
Well, it's not too inspiring a verse. The eyelashes are like miniature pens, and they drip with a radiant red 'ink' consisting of bloody tears containing small bits of the heart; thus they practice a kind of 'jewel-writing'. The verse has only wordplay (including 'we see' to go with the eyelashes). It's not even vivid enough to rise to the level of grotesquerie.
Another verse with calligraphy imagery: 76,3x .
The work of a modern Pakistani calligrapher, 'Maqsood Ali Jawahir Raqam':
graphics/javahir.jpg