Ghalib's apologia or 'ma'azeratnaama'

Ghalib's apologia or 'ma'azeratnaama'

It so happened that Bahadur Shah Zafar's favorite wife, 

Begum Zeenat Begum asked Ghalib to write a 'sehra' (a tribute, if you will,) for her son,

Shehzada Mirza Jawan Bakhth's wedding. Complying with the Begum's wish, 

Ghalib wrote a 'sehra' whose maqt'a said:

'hum sukhan-fehm hain, Ghalib ke tarafdaar nahin 

dekhen keh de koi is sehre se barh kar sehra' 

(I'm someone who appreciates poetry, am not partial to Ghalib

Let's see if there's anyone who can write a better 'sehra')

It's believed that the Emperor wasn't pleased with the maqt'a.

He was told that it was a dig at Shaikh Ibrahim Zauq, Zafar's ustaad.

Taunting the 'ustaad' was tantamount to slighting the Emperor and his taste,

and all the rest of it. Zafar asked Zauq to write a 'sehra' as well and Zauq's 'sehra' had a maqt'a

which was something of retort to Ghalib's maqt'a:

jin ko daawa ho sukhan ka yeh sunaa do unko 

dekh is tarah se kehte hain suhkhanwar sehra 

(Tell those who claim to be poets

This is how poets write a maqta'a)

Ghalib wrote his celebrated apology, 'qat'a-e-ma'azerat' in response to the Emperor's reaction,

clarifying his position. The most interesting part is that the great master laced every single 'shayr'

with veiled irony in his inimitable style and didn't leave a single opportunity to take a dig at 'Zauq':

manzoor hai guzaarish-e-ahvaal-e-waaqa'aii 

apna bayaan-e-husn-e-tabii'yat nahin mujhe

sau pusht se, hai pesha-e-aaba sipahgari 

kuchh shayari, zari'ye-e-izzat nahin mujhe

aazaadah rau hun, aur mira maslak hai sulh-e-kul 

hargiz kabhi kisi se adaawat nahin mujhe

kya kam hai yeh sharaf ke Zafar ka Ghulaam hun

maana ke jaah-o-mansab-o-sarwat nahin mujhe

ustaad-e-shah se ho mujhe parkhaash ka khayaal 

yeh taab, yeh majaal, yeh taaqat nahin mujhe

jaam-e-jahaan-numa hai shahenshaah ka zameer 

saugand aur gawaah ki haajat nahin mujhe

main kaun, aur rekhta, haan is se mudda'a 

juz inbisaat-e-khaatir-e-hazrat nahin mujhe

sehraa likhaa gaya ze-rah-e-imtisaal-e-amr 

dekhaa ke chaarah ghair ita'at nahin mujhe

maqt'e mein aa pari hai sukhan gustaraana baat 

maqsood is se qat'a-e-mohabbat nahin mujhe

roo-e-sukhan kisi taraf ho, tau roo-siyaah 

sauda nahin, junoon nahin, vehshat nahin mujhe

qismat buri sahii, par tabii'yat buri nahin 

hai shukr ki jagah, ke shikaayat nahin mujhe

saadiq hun apne qaul mein Ghalib Khuda-gawaah

kehta hun sach ke jhoot ki a'adat nahin mujhe