For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
مجھی کو نہ گھر ملے ۔ قمرؔ جلالوی
۱
کرتے بھی کیا حضور نہ جب اپنے گھر ملے
دشمن سے ہم کبھی نہ ملے تھے مگر ملے
۲
بلبل پہ ایسی برق گری آندھیوں کے ساتھ
گھر کا پتہ چلا نہ کہیں بال و پر ملے
۳
ان سے ہمیں نگاہ کرم کی امید کیا
آنکھیں نکال لیں جو نظر سے نظر ملے
۴
وعدہ غلط، پتے بھی بتائے ہوئے غلط
تم اپنے گھر ملے نہ رقیبوں کے گھر ملے
۵
افسوس ہے یہی مجھے فصلِ بہار میں
میرا چمن ہو اور مجھی کو نہ گھر ملے
۶
چاروں طرف ہے شمعِ محبت کی روشنی
پروانے ڈھونڈ ڈھونڈ کے لائی جدھر ملے
۷
جن کو کیا تھا صبح ازل میں مرے سپُرد
ہر شام آسماں پہ وہ تارے قمرؔ ملے
मुझी को न घर मिले – क़मर जलालवी
१
करते भी क्या हुज़ूर न जब अपने घर मिले
दुश्मन से हम कभी न मिले थे मगर मिले
२
बुल्बुल पे ऐसी बर्क़ गिरी आँधियों के साथ
घर का पता चला न कहीं बाल-ओ-पर मिले
३
उन से हमें निगाह-ए-करम की उमीद क्या
आँखें निकाल लें जो नज़र से नज़र मिले
४
वादा ग़लत, पते भी बताए हुए ग़लत
तुम अपने घर मिले न रक़ीबों के घर मिले
५
अफ़्सोस है यही मुझे फ़स्ल-ए बहार में
मेरा चमन हो और मुझी को न घर मिले
६
चारों तरफ़ है शम’अ-ए मोहब्बत की रौशनी
परवाने ढूँड ढूँड के लाई जिधर मिले
७
जिन को किया था सुबह अज़ल में मेरे सुपुर्द
हर शाम आस्मां पे वो तारे क़मर मिले
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mohammed husain qamar jalaalavi (1887-1968), was born in jalaali, near aligaRh, moved to pakistan after partition/independence. He was popularly known as ‘ustad’, for his expertise in repairing bicycles, which is how he earned his living and lived in penury, in spite of his excellence as a poet. He wrote Ghazal is chaste classical style, many of which have been put to music. This is one of several that he has composed using the same radeef-qaafiya as Ghalib. In this case, ‘mera salaam kahiyo agar naamabar mile’ and is linked to that icon under ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’ on the Theme Index page.
1
karte bhi kya huzuur1 na jab apne ghar mile
dushman2 se ham kabhi na mile the magar mile 1.respected person, used here for the beloved 2.enemy, used here for the rival
The poet/lover has gone to the house of the beloved to meet her. Perhaps she had promised to be there for him. Not finding her at home, he suspected that something was going on and went to the rival’s house. Thus, what else could I have done when I did not find you at home. I had never been to the rival before, but I had to go.
2
bulbul pe aisi barq1 giri aaNdhiyoN ke saath
ghar ka pata2 chalaa na kahiN baal-o-par3 mile 1.lightning strike 2.trace, clue 3.feathers and wings
It is a tradition in urdu poetry that the poet/lover has very bad luck. He is depicted as the ‘bulbul’ – the nightingale and lightining always strikes his nest and burns it. But this time, along with storms such a lightning bolt struck that there was no trace of the nest or of feathers and wings.
3
un se hameN nigaah1-e karam2 ki umiid3 kya
aaNkheN nikaal leN jo nazar4 se nazar mile 1.glance 2.kindness, favour 3.hope 4.eyes, sight
It is a poetic tradition that the poet/lover does not look the beloved in the eye. He may steal a glance at her now and then, when she is not looking. Here he seems to be annoyed at that tradition as well as with the beloved. How can I hope to see any kind glance from her. She will pull my eyes out if I were to look directly at her eyes.
4
vaada1 Ghalat2, pate3 bhi bataa’e hue Ghalat
tum apne ghar mile na raqiiboN4 ke ghar mile 1.promise 2.wrong, false 3.addresses 4.rivals
The beloved promises to meet the poet/lover, but of course, she never keeps her promise. This is always a false promise. This time it seems like he extracted some alternative addresses from her about where else she might be. It turns out that she has given him wrong addresses. Neither could he find her at her home nor at any rival’s home.
5
afsos1 hai yahi mujhe fasl2-e bahaar3 meN
mera chaman ho aur mujhi ko na ghar mile 1.sorrow, compaint 2.season 3.spring
If I have a complaint about spring, it is this – they say this garden is mine, and I don’t get a home here. This could possibly be his feelings about not getting patronage in his adopted homeland – pakistan. Alternatively, it could mean – India was my garden, but I could not find a home in it and so I was forced to migrate.
6
chaaroN taraf1 hai sham’a2-e mohabbat ki raushni3
parvaane4 DhuuND5 DhuuND ke laa’ii jidhar6 mile 1.directions 2.lamp, candle 3.light 4.moths 5.search 6.wherever
All directions in which the light of the lamp/candle of love reaches it finds moths and attracts them to itself. The “sham’a-e mohabbat” is probably “universal love”. Whereever it spreads it attracts adherants. Alternatively, it could be the beloved that attracts/gathers admirers. But it is not typical to characterize the beloved as “sham’a-e mohabbat”. Conventionally, she would be called “sham’a-e husn”.
7
jin ko kiya tha sub’h azal1 meN mere supurd2
har shaam aasmaaN pe vo taare qamar3 mile 1.beginning of time 2.given for safekeeping 3.pen-name of the poet, full moon
This is a very witty use of the pen-name/taKhallus of the poet. There are many such examples collected under ‘taKhallus ka khel’. He implies that he (or the moon) was given the stars of the sky for safekeeping. Every evening he meets those stars. Beyond this literal word meaning and witticism, I don’t see what this can mean. Does he mean that he was given exclusive ownership of all beautiful creatures! I am not sure.
mohammed husain qamar jalaalavi (1887-1968), was born in jalaali, near aligaRh, moved to pakistan after partition/independence. He was popularly known as ‘ustad’, for his expertise in repairing bicycles, which is how he earned his living and lived in penury, in spite of his excellence as a poet. He wrote Ghazal is chaste classical style, many of which have been put to music. This is one of several that he has composed using the same radeef-qaafiya as Ghalib. In this case, ‘mera salaam kahiyo agar naamabar mile’ and is linked to that icon under ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’ on the Theme Index page.
1
karte bhi kya huzuur1 na jab apne ghar mile
dushman2 se ham kabhi na mile the magar mile
1.respected person, used here for the beloved 2.enemy, used here for the rival
The poet/lover has gone to the house of the beloved to meet her. Perhaps she had promised to be there for him. Not finding her at home, he suspected that something was going on and went to the rival’s house. Thus, what else could I have done when I did not find you at home. I had never been to the rival before, but I had to go.
2
bulbul pe aisi barq1 giri aaNdhiyoN ke saath
ghar ka pata2 chalaa na kahiN baal-o-par3 mile
1.lightning strike 2.trace, clue 3.feathers and wings
It is a tradition in urdu poetry that the poet/lover has very bad luck. He is depicted as the ‘bulbul’ – the nightingale and lightining always strikes his nest and burns it. But this time, along with storms such a lightning bolt struck that there was no trace of the nest or of feathers and wings.
3
un se hameN nigaah1-e karam2 ki umiid3 kya
aaNkheN nikaal leN jo nazar4 se nazar mile
1.glance 2.kindness, favour 3.hope 4.eyes, sight
It is a poetic tradition that the poet/lover does not look the beloved in the eye. He may steal a glance at her now and then, when she is not looking. Here he seems to be annoyed at that tradition as well as with the beloved. How can I hope to see any kind glance from her. She will pull my eyes out if I were to look directly at her eyes.
4
vaada1 Ghalat2, pate3 bhi bataa’e hue Ghalat
tum apne ghar mile na raqiiboN4 ke ghar mile
1.promise 2.wrong, false 3.addresses 4.rivals
The beloved promises to meet the poet/lover, but of course, she never keeps her promise. This is always a false promise. This time it seems like he extracted some alternative addresses from her about where else she might be. It turns out that she has given him wrong addresses. Neither could he find her at her home nor at any rival’s home.
5
afsos1 hai yahi mujhe fasl2-e bahaar3 meN
mera chaman ho aur mujhi ko na ghar mile
1.sorrow, compaint 2.season 3.spring
If I have a complaint about spring, it is this – they say this garden is mine, and I don’t get a home here. This could possibly be his feelings about not getting patronage in his adopted homeland – pakistan. Alternatively, it could mean – India was my garden, but I could not find a home in it and so I was forced to migrate.
6
chaaroN taraf1 hai sham’a2-e mohabbat ki raushni3
parvaane4 DhuuND5 DhuuND ke laa’ii jidhar6 mile
1.directions 2.lamp, candle 3.light 4.moths 5.search 6.wherever
All directions in which the light of the lamp/candle of love reaches it finds moths and attracts them to itself. The “sham’a-e mohabbat” is probably “universal love”. Whereever it spreads it attracts adherants. Alternatively, it could be the beloved that attracts/gathers admirers. But it is not typical to characterize the beloved as “sham’a-e mohabbat”. Conventionally, she would be called “sham’a-e husn”.
7
jin ko kiya tha sub’h azal1 meN mere supurd2
har shaam aasmaaN pe vo taare qamar3 mile
1.beginning of time 2.given for safekeeping 3.pen-name of the poet, full moon
This is a very witty use of the pen-name/taKhallus of the poet. There are many such examples collected under ‘taKhallus ka khel’. He implies that he (or the moon) was given the stars of the sky for safekeeping. Every evening he meets those stars. Beyond this literal word meaning and witticism, I don’t see what this can mean. Does he mean that he was given exclusive ownership of all beautiful creatures! I am not sure.
