Monday, August 07, 2006

Well-known couplets, lesser known poets

1. tamannaa thii to bas yeh thii tamannaa aaKhiri apnii
 ki voh saahil pe hote aur kashtii duubtii apnii 
 [She'ri Bhopali] 
 تمنا تھی تو بس یہ تھی تمنا آخری اپنی 
کہ وہ ساحل پہ ہوتے اور کشتی ڈووبتی اپنی 
شعری بھوپالی
 तमन्ना थी तो बस यह थी तमन्ना आख़िरी अपनी 
कि वो साहिल पे होते और कश्ती डूबती अपनी 
शे'अरी भोपली
 2. chal saathi, ki hasrat dil-e-mahruum se nikle 
 aashiq ka janaaza hai zara dhuum se nikle 
 Whose couplet is this? It's Mirza Mohammad Ali Fidvi who is mentioned as early as in 1838 when Gulshan-e-beKhaar was published. 

3. vaabasta merii yaad se kuchh talKhiyaaN bhi thiiN achchha kiyaa jo tumne faraamosh kar diya It is often considered as Sahir Ludhianvi's couplet [because Sahir's diivan was named TalkhiyaaN] but this is Hasan Latifi's couplet. 

4. 'tandarusti hazaar ne'mat hai' Haven't we heard this line numerous times. This is a line from Mirza Qurban Ali Salik's ghazal and the couplet mostly quoted is: tang-dasti agar na ho ghaalib/ tandarusti hazaar ne'mat hai.

Now don't confuse 'ghalib' with Mirza Ghalib as it is not 'maqta' where the 'taKhallus' is used. Ghalib is a  word that means dominance. [UPDATE: Here, it is the word Saalik, though one mostly finds the word Ghalib used in this couplet]. Saalik was the maternal grandfather of Maulana Maudoodi۔  [tang-dasti=poverty]