For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
تجھ کو رازداں اپنا ۔ مرلی دھر شادؔ
۱
گری وہ دوڑ کر بجلی، جلا وہ آشیاں اپنا
بہار آتے ہی بن بیٹھا مخالف آسماں اپنا
۲
بنایا ہے تری رحمت کو ہم نے پاسباں اپنا
رواں صبر و سکوں کے ساتھ ہوگا کارواں اپنا
۳
محبّت ہے، عداوت ہے، شرارت ہے بتا کیا ہے
بنایا تو نے کیوں تربت کو میری آستاں اپنا
۴
محبّت میری پردے میں ہے اُن کی چال تو دیکھو
وہ کہتے ہیں کہ ہم کو بھی بنا لو رازداں اپنا
۵
جہاں روٹھا جہاں بگڑا کسی سے اُس میں آ ٹھہرا
غنیمت ہے کہ وہ سمجھا مرے دل کو مکاں اپنا
۶
کھٹک کیا کیا ہمیں یادِ مژہ میں لطف دیتی ہے
تمہارے تیر کا پیکاں بنا آرامِ جاں اپنا
۷
وہ فرماتے ہیں ہم ہر روز تجھ کو یاد کرتے ہیں
یقیں ہے آج ہی دم توڑ دیں گی ہچکیاں اپنا
۸
قیامت تک نہ رنج ایسے اُٹھاتے عشقِ دشمن میں
بنا لیتے اگر وہ شادؔ تجھ کو رازداں اپنا
तुझ को राज़्दां अपना – मुर्लीघर शाद
१
गिरी वो दौढ कर बिजली, जला वो आशियां अपना
बहार आते हि बन बैठा मुख़ालफ़ आस्मां अपना
२
बनाया है तेरी रहमत को हम ने पास्बां अपना
रवां सब्र ओ सुकूं के साथ होगा कारवां अपना
३
मोहब्बत है, अदावत है, शरारत है बता क्या है
बनाया तू ने क्यूं तुर्बत को मेरी आस्तां अपना
४
मोहब्बत मेरी पर्दे में है उन की चाल तो देखो
वो कहते हैं के हम को भी बना लो राज़्दां अपना
५
जहां रुठा, जहां बिग्ढा किसी से उस में आ ठहरा
ग़नीमत है के वो समझा मेरे दिल को मकां अपना
६
खटक क्या क्या हमें याद-ए मिज़्शा में लुत्फ़ देती है
तुम्हारे तीर का पैकां बना आराम-ए जां अपना
७
वो फ़र्माते हैं हम हर रोज़ तुझ को याद करते हैं
यक़ीं है आज हि दम तोढ देंगी जिच्कियां अपना
८
क़यामत तक न रंज ऐसे उठाते इश्क़-ए दुश्मन में
बना लेते अगर वो शाद तुझ को राज़्दां अपना
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. murli dhar shaad (~1910?-1950). His diivaan was published posthumously by his uncle, shaNkar lal shaNkar, who was himself a shaa’er and died soon afterwards (~1952). shaad’s father, founder of lyallpur mills and later DCM, established the ‘shaNkar-shaad Memorial Trust’ which organizes annual hind-pak mushaa’era (with political interruptions in 1965 and covid in 2020), aimed at promoting urdu and communal harmony. shaad also organized annual mushaa’era in lyallpur in the 1940s inviting shu’ara from all over India, for the employees of the textile mills. This Ghazal is in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘zikr us parivash ka aur phir bayaaN apna’ and like several others is linked to ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’ on the Theme Index page.
1
giri vo dauR1 kar bijli, jalaa vo aashiyaaN2 apna
bahaar aate hi ban baiTha muKhaalif3 aasmaaN4 apna 1.running, immediately 2.nest 3.opposed, annoyed 4.sky, fate
It is a common trope in urdu poetic tradition to portray the poet as a bird and for lightning to strike the poet/bird’s nest. In this case, lightning immediately struck and destroyed it because as soon as spring arrived the sky/fate became annoyed with the poet/bird.
2
banaaya hai teri rahmat1 ko ham ne paasbaaN2 apna
ravaaN3 sabr4 o sukooN5 ke saath hoga kaarvaaN apna 1.benevolence, kindness 2.protector, guardian 3.flow, travel 4.patience, tranquility 5.comfort, security
(O god) we have made your benevolence our protector. Now (because of your kindness/protection) our journey (through life) will proceed in peace and tranquility.
3
mohabbat hai, adaavat1 hai, sharaarat2 hai, bataa kya hai
banaaya tuu ne kyuN turbat3 ko meri aastaaN4 apna 1.enmity 2.mischief 3.grave, gravestone 4.doorsill
The poet/lover is dead and has been buried. But this does not prevent him from composing verse. The beloved (who remains forever young) has used his gravestone as her doorsill. That implies that she steps on it every time she goes and in and out. Is this because you still love me, are angry with me or simply out of mischief to continue to tease me. He wants to know.
4
mohabbat meri parde1 meN hai, un ki chaal2 to dekho
vo kahte haiN keh ham ko bhi banaa lo raazdaaN3 apna 1.veiled, hidden 2.trickery 3.confidant
The poet/lover does not speak openly about his love for fear of annoying or of maligning the reputation of the beloved. She simply ignores his professions of love. So it remains hidden/veiled. But look at her trickery, she asks him to make her his confidant i.e., asks him to share his secrets with her. The implication is that she wants to know if he loves anyone else.
5
jahaaN rooTha1, jahaaN bigRa2 kisi se us meN aa Thahra
Ghaniimat3 hai keh vo samjha mere dil ko makaaN4 apna 1.miffed, offended 2.got angry 3.at least, fortunate 4.home, refuge
Whenever she was miffed at or angry with someone, she comes here to take refuge. The ‘here’ means the poet/lover’s heart. He thinks that it is his good fortune that she considers his heart to be her home of last resort where she can go whenever she is miffed or angry.
6
khaTak1 kya kya hameN yaad-e mizshaa2 meN lutf3 deti hai
tumhaari tiir ki paikaaN4 banaa aaraam5-e jaaN apna 1.pain, irritation 2.eyelashes 3.pleasure 4.point of the arrow 5.comfort
The eyelashes of the beloved are like arrows. The pain/irritation of the wound in his heart brings back such memories of her eyelashes that this pain is the comfort of his life.
7
vo farmaate1 haiN ham har roz tujh ko yaad karte haiN
yaqiiN2 hai aaj hi dam toR-deNgi3 hichkiyaaN4 apna
1.announces, decrees 2.certain 3.give up life 4.hiccups
It is commonly believed that if someone remembers you, then you get hiccups. If the beloved were to remember the poet/lover every day, then he would be hiccupping uncontrollably and lose his life. Thus, in a bit of sarcasm he says, now that the beloved has declared that she remembers him every day, he is sure that his hiccups will cause him to give up his life.
8
qayaamat1 tak na ranj2 aise uThaate ishq3-e dushman4 meN banaa lete agar vo shaad5 tujh ko raazdaaN6 apna
1.doomsday, end of the world 2.sorrows 3.love 4.enemy, rival 5.pen-name of the poet 6.confidant
O shaad, if only she had made me her confidant, if she had confided in me about her love for the rival, then I would have been able to warn her about his insincerity. In this case, she would not have had to bear such sorrow at the hands of the rival because of his deception.
murli dhar shaad (~1910?-1950). His diivaan was published posthumously by his uncle, shaNkar lal shaNkar, who was himself a shaa’er and died soon afterwards (~1952). shaad’s father, founder of lyallpur mills and later DCM, established the ‘shaNkar-shaad Memorial Trust’ which organizes annual hind-pak mushaa’era (with political interruptions in 1965 and covid in 2020), aimed at promoting urdu and communal harmony. shaad also organized annual mushaa’era in lyallpur in the 1940s inviting shu’ara from all over India, for the employees of the textile mills. This Ghazal is in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘zikr us parivash ka aur phir bayaaN apna’ and like several others is linked to ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’ on the Theme Index page.
1
giri vo dauR1 kar bijli, jalaa vo aashiyaaN2 apna
bahaar aate hi ban baiTha muKhaalif3 aasmaaN4 apna
1.running, immediately 2.nest 3.opposed, annoyed 4.sky, fate
It is a common trope in urdu poetic tradition to portray the poet as a bird and for lightning to strike the poet/bird’s nest. In this case, lightning immediately struck and destroyed it because as soon as spring arrived the sky/fate became annoyed with the poet/bird.
2
banaaya hai teri rahmat1 ko ham ne paasbaaN2 apna
ravaaN3 sabr4 o sukooN5 ke saath hoga kaarvaaN apna
1.benevolence, kindness 2.protector, guardian 3.flow, travel 4.patience, tranquility 5.comfort, security
(O god) we have made your benevolence our protector. Now (because of your kindness/protection) our journey (through life) will proceed in peace and tranquility.
3
mohabbat hai, adaavat1 hai, sharaarat2 hai, bataa kya hai
banaaya tuu ne kyuN turbat3 ko meri aastaaN4 apna
1.enmity 2.mischief 3.grave, gravestone 4.doorsill
The poet/lover is dead and has been buried. But this does not prevent him from composing verse. The beloved (who remains forever young) has used his gravestone as her doorsill. That implies that she steps on it every time she goes and in and out. Is this because you still love me, are angry with me or simply out of mischief to continue to tease me. He wants to know.
4
mohabbat meri parde1 meN hai, un ki chaal2 to dekho
vo kahte haiN keh ham ko bhi banaa lo raazdaaN3 apna
1.veiled, hidden 2.trickery 3.confidant
The poet/lover does not speak openly about his love for fear of annoying or of maligning the reputation of the beloved. She simply ignores his professions of love. So it remains hidden/veiled. But look at her trickery, she asks him to make her his confidant i.e., asks him to share his secrets with her. The implication is that she wants to know if he loves anyone else.
5
jahaaN rooTha1, jahaaN bigRa2 kisi se us meN aa Thahra
Ghaniimat3 hai keh vo samjha mere dil ko makaaN4 apna
1.miffed, offended 2.got angry 3.at least, fortunate 4.home, refuge
Whenever she was miffed at or angry with someone, she comes here to take refuge. The ‘here’ means the poet/lover’s heart. He thinks that it is his good fortune that she considers his heart to be her home of last resort where she can go whenever she is miffed or angry.
6
khaTak1 kya kya hameN yaad-e mizshaa2 meN lutf3 deti hai
tumhaari tiir ki paikaaN4 banaa aaraam5-e jaaN apna
1.pain, irritation 2.eyelashes 3.pleasure 4.point of the arrow 5.comfort
The eyelashes of the beloved are like arrows. The pain/irritation of the wound in his heart brings back such memories of her eyelashes that this pain is the comfort of his life.
7
vo farmaate1 haiN ham har roz tujh ko yaad karte haiN
yaqiiN2 hai aaj hi dam toR-deNgi3 hichkiyaaN4 apna
1.announces, decrees 2.certain 3.give up life 4.hiccups
It is commonly believed that if someone remembers you, then you get hiccups. If the beloved were to remember the poet/lover every day, then he would be hiccupping uncontrollably and lose his life. Thus, in a bit of sarcasm he says, now that the beloved has declared that she remembers him every day, he is sure that his hiccups will cause him to give up his life.
8
qayaamat1 tak na ranj2 aise uThaate ishq3-e dushman4 meN
banaa lete agar vo shaad5 tujh ko raazdaaN6 apna
1.doomsday, end of the world 2.sorrows 3.love 4.enemy, rival 5.pen-name of the poet 6.confidant
O shaad, if only she had made me her confidant, if she had confided in me about her love for the rival, then I would have been able to warn her about his insincerity. In this case, she would not have had to bear such sorrow at the hands of the rival because of his deception.
