Ghalib goes for vaccination after Shakespeare is vaccinated!

-




These uncles, both Shakespeare and Ghalib have given us so much joy, the latest being through my humble effort at: 

http://anindecisiveindian.blogspot.com/2021/05/shakespeare-for-laymen-and-ghalib-today.html 

"Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle  toward my hand?"(from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, spoken by Macbeth). Well, for ‘Taming of the Flu’, we better say, “Is this a needle which I see before me? Then, not the barrel or the plunger, but the needle better be toward my arm?” So, taking off, they would not mind, for sure, if we have some fun at their expense.

Somebody sent this to me on Whatsapp, writer unknown: 

William Shakespeare is here to get vaccinated.

Nurse: Which arm? 

Shakespeare: As You Like It 

Nurse: Was that painful? 

Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing.

Nurse: You will have to have a second jab. 

Shakespeare: Measure For Measure.

Nurse: So what do you think of the general awareness with regard to Covid? 

Shakespeare: Comedy Of Errors.

Nurse: I heard your wife Anne decided to get vaccinated in the company of her friends?

Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Nurse: Did you try convincing her? 

Shakespeare: Love’s Labour Lost. 

Nurse: Wouldn’t she listen to you? 

Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

Nurse: So what happened at the other vaccination centre? 

Shakespeare: The Tempest. 

Nurse: But it worked out? 

Shakespeare: The Taming Of The Shrew. 

Nurse: So it is okay then? 

Shakespeare: All’s Well That Ends Well. 

Shakespeare:  Will I've any adverse effects? 

Nurse: Wait until The Twelfth Night.

To the above, I have added this:

Learning of Shakespeare’s vaccination, Ghalib follows suit.

Nurse: Which arm?

Ghalib: ḳhudā sharmā.e hāthoñ ko ki rakhte haiñ kashākash meñ            

(Kashākash: dilemma) 

Nurse: Huh, anyway roll up your shirt. 

Ghalib: Chipak rahā hai badan par lahū se pairāhan            

(pairāhan: clothes, dress) 

Nurse: let me stop drops of blood from oozing. 

Ghalib: Jab aañkh hī se na Tapkā to phir lahū kyā hai 

Nurse: Was that painful? 

Ghalib: Koī mere dil se pūchhe tire  tīr-e-nīm-kash ko

              ye ḳhalish kahāñ se hotī jo jigar ke paar hotā           

(tīr-e-nīm-kash: half-drawn arrow, ḳhalish: uneasy prick) 

Nurse: Well, sorry but the pain will go away. 

Ghalib:  Dard se mere hai tujh ko be-qarārī haa.e

               kyā  huī   zālim  tirī  ġhaflat-shi.ārī  haa.e 

(ġhaflat-shi.ārī: accustomed to being careless) 

Nurse:  And the jab wound will heal. 

Ghalib: Zaḳhm ke bharte talak nāḳhun na baḌh jāveñge kyā 

Nurse: You will have to have a second jab. 

Ghalib:  Behtar,  suntā nahīñ huuñ baat mukarrar kahe baġhair            

(mukarrar: repeated) 

Nurse:  So what do you think of the general violation of Covid-appropriate behaviour by public at large? 

Ghalib:  Bāzīcha-e-atfāl hai  duniyā  mire  aage

              hotā hai shab-o-roz tamāshā mire aage

              aur isiliye,

              Banā kar faqīroñ kā ham bhes 'ġhālib'

              tamāshā-e-ahl-e-karam  dekhte  haiñ 

(Bāzīcha-e-atfāl: children’s play, ahl-e-karam: (so called) people of kindness) 

Nurse:  Are you able to meet your love, Mughal Jaan, now that she is symptomatic and therefore in isolation? 

Ghalib:  Ishq  se tabī.at  ne  ziist  kā mazā paayā

              dard kī davā paa.ī dard-e-be-davā paayā 

(ziist: life) 

Nurse:  How do you balance between your wife and your lover? 

Ghalib:  Aashiq huuñ pa māshūq-farebī hai mirā kaam

              majnūñ ko burā kahtī hai lailā mire aage 

(māshūq-farebī: bluffing the beloved) 

Nurse: Strange, do you do anything except philandering and writing poetry? 

Ghalib: Ishq ne Ghālib  nikammā  kar diyā

             varna ham bhī aadmī the kaam ke 

Nurse:  So what happened at the other vaccination centres? 

Ghalib: Dekhne ham bhī ga.e the pa tamāshā na huā 

Nurse:  Do you think we will overcome this pandemic? 

Ghalib:  Fikr-e-duniyā meñ sar khapātā huuñ

              maiñ   kahāñ   aur  ye   vabāl  kahāñ 

(vabāl: calamity) 

Nurse:  In spite of this vaccination, you still have to take precautions. 

Ghalib: Go maiñ rahā rahīn-e-sitam-hā-e-rozgār

              lekin  tire ḳhayāl  se  ġhāfil  nahīñ  rahā 

(rahīn-e-sitam-hā-e-rozgār: pledged to injustices of life) 

Nurse:  You are protected but there be some side effects. 

Ghalib: Tañgi-e-dil kā gila kyā ye vo kāfir-dil hai

              ki  agar  tañg na hotā to pareshāñ hotā 

Nurse : Ok , enough, now remain on abstinence for one week. 

Ghalib:  Go haath ko jumbish nahīñ āñkhoñ meñ to dam hai

               rahne     do     abhī     sāġhar-o-mīnā     mire   aage 

(jumbish: movement, sāġhar-o-mīnā: galss and decanter) 

Nurse:  Well, go, suit yourself.

             Ye   masā.il-e-tasavvuf   ye  tirā  bayān  Ghālib

              tujhe ham valī samajhte jo na bāda-ḳhvār hotā 

(masā.il-e-tasavvuf: mystical matters, valī: great saint, bāda-ḳhvār: wine-drinker) 

Ghalib: Koi baat nahin, rañg lāvegī hamārī fāqa-mastī ek din 

(fāqa-mastī: cheerfulness in starvation) 


Cheers, readers! And be safe 😀

…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IRMS, a cure worse than the disease: Infinitely Redundant Management Service

-
Image
  IRMS, often humorously dubbed the Indian Railway Mismanagement Service, serves a rather unique purpose—one might say it is the ultimate Innovative Redundancy Management Scheme . It keeps the practically redundant railway executives in a state of confused bliss, humorously elevating them with a sense of importance even as their roles are being made increasingly marginalised. I have explored this subject extensively in my blogs and newspaper columns, both with serious analysis and a tongue-in-cheek approach (some references in the end). Soon, I resigned to the realization that the IRMS was a dice too firmly cast or a goose too far cooked and held my peace. But recently, my interest was reignited upon stumbling across this intriguing news item:   https://theprint.in/india/governance/as-reform-of-railway-services-merger-unravels-murmurs-of-demerger-gain-ground/2242702/   A bit of background, very briefly.  No one can downplay the need for a positive resolution of...
Read more

Guard Your Legacy, ICF! Why Surrender Your Crown?

-
Image
I have long maintained that, in the absence of any significant technological advancement in the Vande Bharat train technology since the prototype in 2018—aside from some cosmetic enhancements here and there—it is high time for ICF to shift gears and focus on designing and developing an indigenous 240-250 kmph train for Standard Gauge. My blog connects: http://anindecisiveindian.blogspot.com/2024/03/export-of-vande-bharat-trains-south.html This would not exactly send the Japanese scrambling to slash their reportedly sky-high prices they have offered for the High-Speed Railway (HSR) trains, given that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR corridor is being built for speeds of 320 kmph. Nevertheless, it would channel India’s indigenous capabilities in the right direction, including a great opening in the field of exporting trains to   middle-income countries. So, the Railway Board’s decision asking ICF to take on this challenge was a breath of fresh air. With the right leadership and unwaver...
Read more

High-Speed Talgo Trains in Uzbekistan Much faster than Vande Bharat!

-
Image
  High-Speed Talgo Trains in Uzbekistan Much faster than Vande Bharat! Sudhanshu Mani I recently visited Uzbekistan with my wife and some friends. For me, a lifelong wish to experience the land of the invader Amir Timur, or Tamerlane (1336-1405), who never lost a battle and to decipher the intrigue. A Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid in areas which are now Central Asia, Agghanistan, Iran and even Russia, o ne of the greatest, albeit also one of the most brutal, military leader in history, yet also reputed as a great patron of art and architecture. He was the only one to have defeated the Ottomons and of course, we all know about his plunder and massacres in India after defeating the Rajputs and the Delhi sultanate in India. And added to this intrigue was the quest to know about Babur, his much-maligned descendant, who conquered Delhi and established the Mughal empire.   The experience was quite rewa...
Read more