Abhi na parda giraao (Pukhraaj)

A totally amateurish sketch of Gulzar by me

I've presented two interpretations of this gair-filmi nazm in paragraphs marked (1) and (2). Which one, if any, do you think makes more sense?

Like many other poets, Gulzar's fascination with death is quite apparent in many of his couplets and poems. Also apparent is his fascination with stage and characters (most famously heard in the brilliant Rajesh Khanna monologue from the movie Anand (1971)) - the latter probably resulting from his being a director and screenplay writer.

(1) In this nazm, he seems to be talking about the death of a person. The pain of someone who has lost a near one, and is not ready to let go just now. (Like the song 'Na leke jaao mere dost ka janaaza hai' from Fiza (2000)). Para-1 of the nazm supports this version.

(2) He could also possibly be talking about putting an end to a thought. Sometimes, when a writer/poet has been playing with a thought for long enough, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere, it's a predicament - whether to carry forward an idea probably long dead, or letting it die when something good could come out of it. This idea is particularly reinforced by the second para of the nazm.

अभी न पर्दा गिराओ

अभी न पर्दा गिराओ, ठहरो, कि दास्ताँ आगे और भी है
अभी न पर्दा गिराओ, ठहरो!
अभी तो टूटी है कच्ची मिटटी, अभी तो बस जिस्म ही गिरे हैं
अभी तो किरदार ही बुझे हैं
अभी सुलगते हैं रूह के ग़म, अभी धडकते हैं दर्द दिल के
अभी तो एहसास जी रहा है

ये लौ बचा लो जो थकके किरदार की हथेली से गिर पड़ी है
ये लौ बचा लो यहीं से उठेगी जुस्तजू फिर बगूला बन कर
यहीं से उठेगा कोई किरदार फिर इसी रौशनी को लेकर
कहीं तो अंजाम-ओ-जुस्तजू के सिरे मिलेंगे
अभी न पर्दा गिराओ, ठहरो!

Word-bank:

अंजाम = Anjaam = Result
जुस्तजू = Justjoo = Search, Desire
बगूला = Bagoola = Whirlwind. Bagoola is different from Bagula (बगुला) = Crane (the bird)

Translation:

Wait, don't bring the curtains down, there's more to the story
Stop, don't bring the curtains down yet!
It's just the clay breaking down, only the bodies falling
Just the characters being extinguished
Smoldering still are sorrows of the soul; pain in the heart still throbbing
Feelings are not dead yet

Save this flame that has fallen off the tired character's grip
Save this flame! From it a whirlwind of desire will grow once more
From here a new character will take shape again,
This search has to end somewhere*
Wait, don't bring the curtains down just now!

My two cents:

1. I could not quite make out what the line marked with * meant. Any comments?

2. No comments on the clumsy sketching please :D! It's just a fan-girl thing. Also, after all, the blog is not about my amateurish sketching; it's about the amateurish writing - and you are free to comment upon that! :P

Abhi na parda giraao
Abhi na parda giraao, thahro, ki daastaan aage aur bhi hai
Abhi na parda giraao, thahro!
Abhi to tooti hai kachchi mitti, abhi to bas jism hi gire hain
Abhi to kirdaar hi bujhe hain
Abhi sulagte hain rooh ke gham, abhi dhadakte hain dard dil ke
Abhi to ehsaas jii raha hai

Ye lau bacha lo jo thak-ke kirdaar ki hatheli se gir padi hai
Ye lau bacha lo yahin se uthegi justjoo phir bagoola bankar
Yahin se uthega koi kirdaar phir isi roshni ko lekar
Kahin to anjaam-o-justjoo ke sire milenge
Abhi na parda giraao, thahro!
.