For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
لطفِ جستجو کیا ہے ۔ نریش کمار شادؔ
۱
دل و نظر میں یہ پُر درد گفتگو کیا ہے
سکوتِ یاس کے پردے میں ہاؤ ہُو کیا ہے
۲
بہار اپنے مقدّر پہ خود ہے نوحہ کناں
لہو ہے لالہ و گل کا یہ رنگ و بو کیا ہے
۳
نگاہِ اہلِ محبّت کا فیض ہے ورنہ
تری نظر کو بھی کیا عِلم تھا کہ تُو کیا ہے
۴
جو بن پڑے تو بھٹک جا رہِ محبّت میں
سفر ہو سہل تو پھر لطفِ جستجو کیا ہے
۵
اگر نہ گریۂ شبنم کا رنگ شامل ہو
کلی کلی کے تبسّم کی آبرو کیا ہے
۶
نگاہ و دل میں اگر مستیِ شباب نہیں
یہ رقص و رنگ یہ پیمانہ و سبو کیا ہے
۷
تری قسم تجھے پا کر بھی میں تو شادؔ نہیں
خبر نہیں کہ مرے دل کی آرزو کیا ہے
लुत्फ़-ए जुस्तजू क्या है – नरेश कुमार शाद
१
दिल ओ नज़र में ये पुर-दर्द गुफ़्तगू क्या है
सुकूत-ए यास के पर्दे में हा’ओ-हू क्या है
२
बहार अपने मुक़द्दर पे ख़ुद है नौहा कुनां
लहू है लाला ओ गुल का ये रंग ओ बू क्या है
३
निगाह-ए अहल-ए मोहब्बत का फ़ैज़ है वरना
तेरी नज़र को भी क्या इल्म था के तू क्या है
४
जो बन पढे तो भटक जा रह-ए मोहब्बत में
सफ़र हो सहल तो फिर लुत्फ़-ए जुस्तजू क्या है
५
अगर न गिर्या-ए शबनम का रंग शामिल हो
कली कली के तबस्सुम की आब्रू क्या है
६
निगाह ओ दिल में अगर मस्ती-ए शबाब नहीं
ये रक़्स ओ रंग ये पैमाना ओ सुबू क्या है
७
तेरी क़सम तुझे पा कर भी मैं तो शाद नहीं
ख़बर नहीं के मेरे दिल की आर्ज़ू क्या है
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. naresh kumar shaad (1927-1969) prolific poet, writer, translater. Member Progressive Writers’ Association. Socialist/Communist. Educated and worked in rawalpindi and lahore before partition and then moved to India. Many of his composition are a reflection of what the PWA asked poets/writers to do … write less about the beloved and more about social justice. This Ghazal in the style of Ghalib’s ‘tumhiiN kaho ke ye andaaz-e guftagu kya hai’ is more in the classical tone.
1
dil o nazar1 meN ye pur-dard2 guftagu3 kya hai
sukoot4-e yaas5 ke parde6 meN haa’o-huu7 kya hai 1.eyes, vision 2.painful 3.conversation 4.silence, stillness 5.yearning 6.veil 7.loud noise/sound which may be either celebratory or sorrowful
What is the tumultous/sorrowful sound behind the veil of the silence of yearning. Is it the sound of a painful conversation between the heart and the eyes? Here are some possibilites – (a) the heart may be an intense desire (say) for social justice and eye may be seeing the reality of pain and suffering. So there is a painful conversation going on between the two (b) the eye/vision may represent a dream of social justice and the heart represents hope or maybe even hopelessness and that is the painful conversation (c) the heart may be love of the beloved and the eye sees that she is not interested or maybe even cavorting with the rival, hence the painful conversation.
2
bahaar1 apne muqaddar2 pe Khud hai nauha-kunaaN3
lahu4 hai lala5 o gul6 ka ye raNg o buu7 kya hai 1.spring 2.fate 3.wailing, crying 4.blood 5.tulip 6.rose 7.fragrance
The fate of spring is that it will end into a dry season and all growth will wilt away. So it is weeping tears of blood at its own sorry fate. The red colour and fragrance of the tulip and rose are nothing but a sign of that weeping.
3
nigaah1-e ahl2-e mohabbat ka faiz3 hai varna4
teri nazar ko bhi kya ilm5 tha keh tuu kya hai 1.sight, discerning/selective tast 2.people of 3.kindness 4.otherwise 5.knowledge
Even the poet himself did not have the fine taste to know what kind of a poet he was. It is the kindness of the tasteful encouragement of loving people that showed it to him, otherwise he would not have himself.
4
jo ban-paRe1 to bhaTak2 jaa rah3-e mohabbat meN
safar4 ho sahal5 to phir lutf6-e justajuu7 kya hai 1.become possible 2.wander, lose yourself 3.pathway 4.journey 5.easy 6.pleasure 7.trying, struggle
The ideal lover wanders the desert ala majnuN looking for his beloved. It is not possible for everyone to be able to do this. But, if it is possible, lose yourself, wander through the pathway of love. How can there by any pleasure of struggle, if the journey were easy.
5
agar1 na giriya2-e shabnam3 ka raNg4 shaamil5 ho
kali kali me tabassum6 ki aabru7 kya hai 1.if 2.weeping 3.dew 4.style, character 5.mingled, mixed 6.smile 7.respect, dignity
When the unopened bud blooms (smiles) early in the morning it has dew drops on it, which give it its real character. The dew drops are the tears/weeping of the night. It is the character of this weeping that is mixed with the smile of the bud that gives it dignity, otherwise it would have that kind of respect.
6
nigaah1 o dil meN agar2 masti3-e shabaab4 na ho
ye raqs5 o raNg ye paimaana6 o subuu7 kya hai 1.eyes, glances 2.if 3.intoxication 4.youth 5.dance 6.measure, cup 7.flask, decantor
The beloved’s sidelong glances and playfulness, the poet/lover’s heart/love – if they don’t have the intoxication of youth, how can there be this dance, colourful teasing, cup and flask of wine!
7
teri qasam1 tujhe paa2 kar bhi maiN to shaad3 nahiN
Khabar4 nahiN keh mere dil ki aarzu5 kya hai 1.swear by 2.obtain, achieve 3.pen-name of the poet, happy, content 4.awareness 5.yearning
It is not at all clear who or what the ‘teri’ is. Whatever it is the poet swears by it that even after achieving it he not satisfied. There is something nagging him, and he doesn’t know what his heart yearns for. Thus, we are left with two mysteries – what is it that the poet has achieved and what is it that he still yearns for. We can fill in the gaps with our favourite choices.
naresh kumar shaad (1927-1969) prolific poet, writer, translater. Member Progressive Writers’ Association. Socialist/Communist. Educated and worked in rawalpindi and lahore before partition and then moved to India. Many of his composition are a reflection of what the PWA asked poets/writers to do … write less about the beloved and more about social justice. This Ghazal in the style of Ghalib’s ‘tumhiiN kaho ke ye andaaz-e guftagu kya hai’ is more in the classical tone.
1
dil o nazar1 meN ye pur-dard2 guftagu3 kya hai
sukoot4-e yaas5 ke parde6 meN haa’o-huu7 kya hai
1.eyes, vision 2.painful 3.conversation 4.silence, stillness 5.yearning 6.veil 7.loud noise/sound which may be either celebratory or sorrowful
What is the tumultous/sorrowful sound behind the veil of the silence of yearning. Is it the sound of a painful conversation between the heart and the eyes. Here are some possibilites – (a) the heart may be an intense desire (say) for social justice and eye may be seeing the reality of pain and suffering. So there is a painful conversation going on between the two (b) the eye/vision may represent a dream of social justice and the heart represents hope or maybe even hopelessness and that is the painful conversation (c) the heart may be love of the beloved and the eye sees that she is not interested or maybe even cavorting with the rival, hence the painful conversation.
2
bahaar1 apne muqaddar2 pe Khud hai nauha-kunaaN3
lahu4 hai lala5 o gul6 ka ye raNg o buu7 kya hai
1.spring 2.fate 3.wailing, crying 4.blood 5.tulip 6.rose 7.fragrance
The fate of spring is that it will end into a dry season and all growth will wilt away. So it is weeping tears of blood at its own sorry fate. The red colour and fragrance of the tulip and rose are nothing but a sign of that weeping.
3
nigaah1-e ahl2-e mohabbat ka faiz3 hai varna4
teri nazar ko bhi kya ilm5 tha keh tuu kya hai
1.sight, discerning/selective tast 2.people of 3.kindness 4.otherwise 5.knowledge
Even the poet himself did not have the fine taste to know what kind of a poet he was. It is the kindness of the tasteful encouragement of loving people that showed it to him, otherwise he would not have himself.
4
jo ban-paRe1 to bhaTak2 jaa rah3-e mohabbat meN
safar4 ho sahal5 to phir lutf6-e justajuu7 kya hai
1.become possible 2.wander, lose yourself 3.pathway 4.journey 5.easy 6.pleasure 7.trying, struggle
The ideal lover wanders the desert ala majnuN looking for his beloved. It is not possible for everyone to be able to do this. But, if it is possible, lose yourself, wander through the pathway of love. How can there by any pleasure of struggle, if the journey were easy.
5
agar1 na giriya2-e shabnam3 ka raNg4 shaamil5 ho
kali kali me tabassum6 ki aabru7 kya hai
1.if 2.weeping 3.dew 4.style, character 5.mingled, mixed 6.smile 7.respect, dignity
When the unopened bud blooms (smiles) early in the morning it has dew drops on it, which give it its real character. The dew drops are the tears/weeping of the night. It is the character of this weeping that is mixed with the smile of the bud that gives it dignity, otherwise it would have that kind of respect.
6
nigaah1 o dil meN agar2 masti3-e shabaab4 na ho
ye raqs5 o raNg ye paimaana6 o subuu7 kya hai
1.eyes, glances 2.if 3.intoxication 4.youth 5.dance 6.measure, cup 7.flask, decantor
The beloved’s sidelong glances and playfulness, the poet/lover’s heart/love – if they don’t have the intoxication of youth, how can there be this dance, colourful teasing, cup and flask of wine!
7
teri qasam1 tujhe paa2 kar bhi maiN to shaad3 nahiN
Khabar4 nahiN keh mere dil ki aarzu5 kya hai
1.swear by 2.obtain, achieve 3.pen-name of the poet, happy, content 4.awareness 5.yearning
It is not at all clear who or what the ‘teri’ is. Whatever it is the poet swears by it that even after achieving it he not satisfied. There is something nagging him, and he doesn’t know what his heart yearns for. Thus, we are left with two mysteries – what is it that the poet has achieved and what is it that he still yearns for. We can fill in the gaps with our favourite choices.
