Bari der tak raha

Composed by Mohammad Farooq written by Ashfaq Ahmad Saim This is an exceptionally beautiful, enchanting and emotionally rich ghazal, in which the beginning of love, its sweetness, memories and then the bitterness of a relationship's end are described with great simplicity and depth. Complete Commentary of the Ghazal She remained available to me for a long time; I remained her choice for a long time Commentary: In this opening couplet, the poet recalls the beauty of time gone by. He says there was a time when my beloved was always present for me and I was her greatest choice. This couplet reminds us of that time when love was at its peak. She turned and looked at me once, then my eyes held turmoil for a long time after Commentary: The effect of the beloved's single glance is described. When parting, or as she was leaving, when the beloved turned back and looked just once, that single gaze stirred such restlessness and anxiety in heart and mind that the poet's eyes lost their peace and sleep for a long time. Fragrance was trapped in the web of words; in her letter a rose remained for a long time Commentary: This couplet speaks of old letters and tokens of love. In the letter that came from the beloved, a rose was enclosed which withered with time, but its fragrance remained forever imprisoned among those love-filled words. This is a beautiful metaphor for treasuring old memories. Weariness of longing spread across her face; a dream remained on my eyelids for a long time Commentary: The poet had long held a dream in his eyes of living with the beloved. But when that dream was pursued to become reality, the journey and the world's circumstances were so harsh that the fatigue of that struggle became visible on his face. In the beginning, love's etiquette was this too; I was "you" and she was "madam" for a long time Commentary: This is a very sweet and truthful couplet of the ghazal. The poet speaks of the shyness, formality and respect that exist at the start of love. In the beginning, both addressed each other with great courtesy as "you" and "sir/madam." This is a beautiful reflection of love's initial and innocent phase. Like rain, that person poured upon me; becoming a cloud, she lingered for a long time Commentary: Cloud means 'cloud.' In this couplet, the beloved's boundless attention and affection (or perhaps her anger and tears) are mentioned. She came like a cloud and poured upon the poet, expressing her feelings fully and abundantly for a long time. Then until morning the stars remained on the roof; moonlight stayed in the window for a long time Commentary: The poet has likened the beloved's beauty to the moon. The beloved sat in the window for so long that it seemed as though the stars themselves remained on the roof all night. This speaks of a long, beautiful and sleepless night when the beloved was present. At her question, all words died; then tears answered for a long time Commentary: The beloved asked such a piercing or emotional question (perhaps about the reason for parting or the truth of their bond) that the poet had no words left to speak. His tongue fell silent and the tears flowing from his eyes alone answered that question for a long time. She counted and counted her kindnesses upon me; then on my fingertips I kept the reckoning for a long time Commentary: In this closing couplet, a bitter truth of a relationship's end is expressed. As the beloved left, she reminded me of her love and sacrifices as if they were debts, and afterward I kept counting these favors on my fingertips for a long time. This couplet expresses the pain of a broken heart and the sting of someone reminding you of their kindness. The Heart of It (Summary) This ghazal is a touching and true story of the entire journey of love—from the sweetness and shyness of its beginning to the bitterness of a relationship's end and the sting of being reminded of someone's kindness.