Ghazal
Woh Rashk-e-chaman Kal Jo Zeb-e-chaman Tha
woh rashk-e-chaman kal jo zeb-e-chaman tha
Source: Kulliyaat-e-Nazeer Akbarabadi (1922) · HI
Listen
1
वो रश्क-ए-चमन कल जो ज़ेब-ए-चमन था
चमन जुम्बिश-ए-शाख़ से सीना-ज़न था
That envy of the garden, who yesterday was the garden's adornment—
the garden, through the trembling of its boughs, was beating its breast in grief.
The one who yesterday was the garden's adornment and the envy of the whole garden—in his grief the garden, through the swaying of its branches, was beating its breast.
2
गया मैं जो उस बिन चमन में तो हर गुल
मुझे उस घड़ी अख़्गर-ए-पैरहन था
When I went to that garden without her, then every rose
was, in that moment, a glowing ember upon my robe to me
When I went into the garden without her, at that moment every rose felt to me like a burning ember upon my robe.
3
ये ग़ुंचा जो बे-दर्द गुलचीं ने तोड़ा
ख़ुदा जाने किसका ये नक़्श-ए-दहन था
This bud that the heartless flower-picker has plucked—
God alone knows whose lips' lovely imprint it was.
This flower-bud that the pitiless flower-picker has plucked—God knows whose lips' imprint it was.
4
तन-ए-मुर्दा को क्या तकल्लुफ़ से रखता
गया वो तो जिस से मुज़य्यन ये तन था
Why should I adorn this corpse of a body with such care?
Gone is the one by whom this body was ever made fair.
Why bother keeping this dead body with such care and ceremony, when the one by whom this body was adorned has already gone away.
5
कई बार हमने ये देखा कि जिन का
मशीन बदन था मुअत्तर कफ़न था
So many a time we have witnessed this—that those
whose body was machine had a perfumed shroud
We have observed many times that those whose body was like a machine had a shroud fragrant with perfume.
6
जो क़ब्रें उनकी उखड़ी तो देखा
ना उज़्व-ए-बदन था ना तार-ए-कफ़न था
When their graves were uprooted and we looked within,
No limb of body remained, nor a single thread of the shroud.
When their graves were dug up and we looked, neither any limb of the body remained nor a single thread of the shroud.
7
नज़ीर आगे हमको हवस थी कफ़न की
जो सोचा तो नाहक़ का दीवाना-पन था
Nazeer, before this we had longed only for a shroud;
but when we thought it through, it was mere senseless madness.
Nazeer, earlier we had desired only a shroud; but when we thought about it, it was nothing but pointless madness.
Comments · 0
Free — just your email. You'll come right back here.
No comments yet. Be the first.