خبرِ تحیّرِ عشق سُن
ḳhabar-e-tahayyur-e-ishq sun
Hear the news of the wonder of love
سراج اورنگ آبادی
خبرِ تحیّرِ عشق سُن نہ جنوں رہا نہ پری رہی نہ تو تُو رہا نہ تو میں رہا جو رہی سو بے خبری رہی
ḳhabar-e-tahayyur-e-ishq sun na junūñ rahā na parī rahī na to tū rahā na to maiñ rahā jo rahī so be-ḳhabarī rahī
Hear the news of the wonder of love: neither madness remained, nor the Fairy (beloved); Neither you remained, nor I remained; what remained was just oblivion.
شہِ بے خودی نے عطا کیا مجھے اب لباسِ برہنگی نہ خرد کی بخیہ گری رہی نہ جنوں کی پردہ دری رہی
shah-e-be-ḳhudī ne atā kiyā mujhe ab libās-e-barahnagī na ḳhirad kī baḳhiya-garī rahī na junūñ kī parda-darī rahī
The King of Rapture has now granted me the robe of nakedness; Neither Intellect's stitching remains, nor Madness's curtain-tearing.
چلی سمتِ غیب سیں کیا ہوا کہ چمن ظہور کا جل گیا مگر ایک شاخِ نہالِ غم جسے دِل کہو سو ہری رہی
chalī samt-e-ġhaib siiñ kyā havā ki chaman zuhūr kā jal gayā magar ek shāḳh-e-nihāl-e-ġham jise dil kaho so harī rahī
What wind blew from the direction of the Invisible, that the garden of manifestation burned down? But one branch of the sapling of sorrow, which you call the heart, remained green.
نظرِ تغافلِ یار کا گلہ کس زباں سیں بیاں کروں کہ شرابِ صد قدح آرزو خمِ دِل میں تھی سو بھری رہی
nazar-e-taġhāful-e-yār kā gila kis zabāñ siiñ bayāñ karūñ ki sharāb-e-sad-qadah aarzū ḳhum-e-dil meñ thī so bharī rahī
In what language should I complain of the beloved's neglectful gaze? For the wine of a hundred cups of desire was in the heart's vat, and it remained full (untouched).
وہ عجب گھڑی تھی میں جس گھڑی لیا درس نسخۂ عشق کا کہ کتاب عقل کی طاق پر جوں دھری تھی تیوں ہی دھری رہی
vo ajab ghaḌī thī maiñ jis ghaḌī liyā dars nusḳha-e-ishq kā ki kitāb aql kی taaq par juuñ dharī thī tyuuñ hī dharī rahī
It was a strange moment when I took the lesson from the tome of Love; That the book of Intellect, just as it had been placed on the shelf, remained placed (unopened).
ترے جوشِ حیرتِ حُسن کا اثر اس قدر سیں یہاں ہوا کہ نہ آئینے میں رہی جلا نہ پری کوں جلوہ گری رہی
tire josh-e-hairat-e-husn kā asar is qadar siiñ yahāñ huā ki na aa.ine meñ rahī jilā na parī kuuñ jalvagarī rahī
The effect of the intensity of wonder at your beauty was such here, That neither polish remained in the mirror, nor did the Fairy have any display left.
کیا خاک آتشِ عشق نے دِلِ بے نوائے 'سراجؔ' کوں نہ خطر رہا نہ حذر رہا مگر ایک بے خطری رہی
kiyā ḳhaak ātish-e-ishq ne dil-e-be-navā-e-'sirāj' kuuñ na ḳhatar rahā na hazar rahā magar ek be-ḳhatarī rahī
The fire of love turned the destitute heart of 'Siraj' to ashes; Neither danger remained nor caution remained; only a state of dangerlessness remained.
📖Metaphorical & Poetic Meaning
This ghazal is a definitive text on the Sufi state of Tahayyur (bewilderment/wonder).
Dissolution of Duality
The opening couplet sets the theme. In the state of divine wonder, all binaries dissolve. There is no 'Mad Lover' (junūñ) and no 'Beautiful Beloved' (parī), no 'You' and no 'I'. There is only an all-encompassing oblivion (be-ḳhabarī).
The Robe of Nakedness
A brilliant paradox. The 'King of Rapture' grants the poet a 'robe of nakedness.' In Sufism, being 'naked' means being stripped of all worldly pretenses and ego. Once in this state, the eternal struggle between Intellect (which tries to 'stitch' and fix things) and Madness (which 'tears the veils' of propriety) becomes irrelevant.
The Heart Eternal
The material world (chaman zuhūr kā - garden of manifestation) is temporary and can be burned by winds from the unseen. Only the heart, which is the vessel of divine sorrow (nihāl-e-ġham), is eternal and remains 'green' (alive).
Intellect vs. Love
Siraj emphasizes that once one begins to read the 'tome of Love,' the 'book of Intellect' is rendered useless and is left gathering dust on the shelf.
Fearlessness through Annihilation
The poem ends with Fana (annihilation). When the fire of love burns the heart to ashes, there is nothing left to lose. When there is nothing left to lose, there is no fear (ḳhatar) or need for caution (hazar), resulting in absolute spiritual freedom.
📖Glossary of Highlighted Words
Meaning: News of the wonder/bewilderment of love.
Meaning: Madness; frenzy (symbol of the lover).
Meaning: Fairy (symbol of the beautiful beloved).
Meaning: Unawareness; oblivion.
Meaning: The King of Rapture/Selflessness.
Meaning: The robe of nakedness.
Meaning: Intellect; reason.
Meaning: Stitching; mending (the work of reason).
Meaning: Tearing the veil/curtain (the work of madness).
Meaning: Direction of the Invisible/Unseen.
Meaning: The garden of manifestation (the visible, material world).
Meaning: Branch of the sapling of sorrow.
Meaning: The beloved's neglectful/ignoring gaze.
Meaning: A hundred cups.
Meaning: The vat (large vessel) of the heart.
Meaning: The tome/prescription of Love.
Meaning: Shelf; niche in a wall.
Meaning: Intensity of the wonder of beauty.
Meaning: Polish; brightness; reflective quality.
Meaning: Display; showing off one's splendor.
Meaning: Fire of love.
Meaning: Destitute/voiceless heart.
Meaning: Danger; fear.
Meaning: Caution; wariness.
▶️Listen to the Poem
Sung by Abida Parveen. Note: This ghazal uses Deccani Urdu dialect, where 'siiñ' means 'se' (from/with), 'kuuñ' means 'ko' (to), and 'juuñ/tyuuñ' means 'jaise/vaise' (as/so).