Ek ahl-e-dard ne sunsaan jo dekha kafas
Bola ab aati nahin hai kyun sadaa-e-andaleeb
On perceiving an empty cage, an empathetic being asked, why can I not hear the sounds of the nightingale any more.
Ahl = person, individual
Dard = pain, grief, anguish, sorrow
Ahl-e-dard = one who can empathize the anguish
Sunsaan = deserted, desolate; the philosophical meaning is lifeless
Dekha = see, observe, perceive
Bola = said
Sadaa = sound, echo
Andaleeb = nightingale, lover
Sadaa-e-andaleeb = sound of the nightingale, voice of the lover
Aati nahi kyun = why not anymore
Again, this verse can be interpreted as – on perceiving the lifeless unmoving form of a loved one, an empathetic being who understands the pain and anguish, asked why is my loved one talking no more.
Baal-o-par do chaar dikhla kar kaha saiyyaad ne
Ye nishaani reh gayee hai ab bajaaye andaleeb
The keeper of the birds indicated to a few feathers, a broken wing remaining, and said, these are the relics that now exist, the nightingale is gone, has flown away.
Baal-o-par = feathers and wings
Do = two
Chaar = four
Dikhla kar = showed, pointed towards, indicated
Kaha = thus said
Nishaani = remnants, remembrance; in philosophical terms, refers to the mortal remains of a human person
Ab = now
Reh gayee hai ab = it now remains, it is now leftover
Bajaaye = instead of
Andaleeb = nightingale, lover; in this context, it is also 'the soul'
Again, this verse can be interpreted as – the messenger of death pointed towards the mortal remains of the loved one and said, the soul has flown away, and this is what now remains of what once was a loved one.
Kaun veeraane mein dekhega bahaar
Phool jungle mein khile kin ke liye
Who can say they can see the spring in the desert. Why-fore and for whom the flowers of spring would bloom in the wilderness.
Kaun = who
Veeraana = desert, a place bereft of any person or habitation; in this context once again refers to the mortal remain, bereft of life
Mein = in
Dekhega = will see, can see
Phool = flowers
Jungle = forest, wilderness
Khile = bloom, blossom
Kin ke liye = for whom
Again, this verse can be interpreted as – once the wilderness has set in, no flowers will ever bloom here again. Once the soul has left the body, no one can bring life back into the mortal remains.
Dil ka zaaman tu, tera kyaa aitbaar
Pehle ik zaaman ho zaaman ke liye
Dil = heart, life, source of vital energy
Ka = of
Tu = you
Tera = your
Kyaa = what
Aitbaar = confidence, trust, belief
Pehle = first, afore
Ik zaaman ho zaaman ke kiye = a guarantee for the guarantor
What guarantee can there be (or that there can be no guarantee) for the life force that drives the human person. First, before I can trust this guarantee, find me a guarantor for this guarantee.
How can we be sure that the guarantee will hold; who is the guarantor of this guarantee.
Or that there is no guarantor of such a guarantee, it is just a make believe, a pretension to deceive oneself.
Laash par ibrat ye kehti thee 'ameer'
Aaye thhe duniyaa mein is din ke liye
Laash = mortal remain, dead body
Par = on, upon
Ibrat = caution, warning
Kehti thee = thus it said
The context of this word can also be understood, in terms of the normal meaning of this word. Ameer is a rich person, in this context, ameer is a person who still is alive (as opposed to one who is no longer alive). With this context, the verse is now addressed to the living beings, and as such it is a warning, a caution that beware, this fate awaits even you.
Aaye thhe = came here
Duniya = world, creation
Mein = in, into
Is = this
Din = day
Em>ke liye = for
For the perceptive, they can read the inscription on the mortal remains, a reminder of the assured truth of this world. That we all came into this world, for the destiny of this day – all of us will have to leave this mortal body and depart from this world. It is inevitable.
Some will say this is a depressing philosophy, a disheartening consideration. But yet, that is also the unshakable truth of life, no matter how one perceives it or how one presents it. Once again, in Saigal Saab's voice, the meaning of this ghazal touches a profundity, that is not achievable, simply on reading these words.