11) If the time of prayer came right in the midst of battle, the community of the Hijaz became Kabah- facing and earth- kissing. ==The Hijaz is the region containing Mecca and Medina, so the community of the Hijaz refers to all Muslims. ==Earth-kissing of course means that they prostrated themselves in prayer. In one single line became standing, Mahmud and Ayaz, No servant remained, nor any master (servant- protector). ==Mahmud Ghaznavi famously had a favorite slave called Ayaz. Elsewhere Iqbal uses them as an exemplary pair of ideal lovers, but here its only the difference in their rank thats important. Servant and master, and poor and rich, became one! When they arrived in Your dominion, then they all became one! * Urdu: stanzas 12-15 * 12) In the gathering of all creation, dawn and dusk we wandered Having taken the wine of Oneness, like a glass, we wandered. ==All creation is like an elegant social gathering, a party where wine would be served. == That is, they wandered all around the way wine-glasses circulate and are passed around. In mountain, in desert, having taken Your message, we wandered, And You know-- was it ever in vain that we wandered? Deserts are [merely] deserts-- we didnt leave aside even seas! We galloped our horses in the Sea of Darkness! ==That is, deserts are nothing much, deserts are hardly worth mentioning by comparison. ==The Sea of Darkness is an especially terrifying realm drawn from romance and story tradition. .... 13) From the page of the world we erased falsehood We freed the human species from slavery. ==Compare Javab, stanza 11. With our foreheads we established/ populated Your Kabah We pressed Your Quran to our bosoms. Nevertheless, there is this complaint to us, that we are not faithful-- If we are not faithful, then You too are not gracious/ affectionate [ dil-daar ]! ==It would also be possible to read tuu bhii to (instead of to bhii tuu ). But the latter reading has the advantage of the colloquial to bhii , even then, which responds to the if clause. ==The range of meanings for dil- daar includes: Possessing or winning the heart, delighting the heart, charming; -- having heart, encouraged; --a lover, mistress, sweetheart (Platts p.523). 14) There are other communities too-- there are sinners in them too, There are weak/ wretched ones, there are those intoxicated with the wine of pride. In them there are lazy ones too, heedless ones, alert/ aware ones too, There are hundreds too, who are disaffected with Your name. Your mercies are on the houses of the Others-- If/when lightning falls, then its on the poor Muslims! ==The Other, the ;Gair , has a strong and mostly negative range in the ghazal world. .... 15) The idols in the idol- houses say, the Muslims have gone. They feel happiness, that the guardians of the Kabah have gone. == Literally, the Muslims went. This is one more example of how the tenses in Urdu and English, seemingly so parallel, dont always line up exactly. From the halting-place of the world, the drivers of camels have gone, Having taken the Quran under their arm [to carry it safely], they have gone. ==A manzil neednt be a final destination, it can be a halting-place on a long journey. ==A ;hudii-;xvaan is one who gives a special cry [;hudii ] that makes the camel get up and move. ==Literally, having pressed it in the armpit. Infidelity is smiling/ laughing-- do You feel it, or not? Do You have any respect for Your Oneness, or not? ==Its not the infidels who are smiling or laughing, but infidelity itself. ==Iqbal is definitely hectoring God here, nagging at Him to have more respect for His own divinity
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 14:58:39 +0000