For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
شامِ غریباں ہونا ۔ سکندر علی وجدؔ
۱
رونقِ گُلشنِ ہستی کِسی عنواں ہونا
گُل بداماں نہ سہی، خار بداماں ہونا
۲
خُوں ہوا قلبِ چمن جب وہ شگوفے نہ کِھلے
جن کے انداز سے پیدا تھا گُلِستاں ہونا
۳
اہلِ ہِمّت کو بَلاؤں پہ ہنسی آتی ہے
ننگِ ہستی ہے مصیبت میں پریشاں ہونا
۴
اور میعادِ اسیری کو بڑھا دیتا ہے
نو گرفتارِ مصیبت کا پریشاں ہونا
۵
اے صبا لالۂ کم ظرف سے اتنا کہہ دے
دل کی توہین ہے داغوں کا نمایاں ہونا
۶
دیر تک یادِ وطن وجدؔ کو تڑپائے گی
اتنی دلچسپ نہ اے شامِ غریباں ہونا
शाम-ए ग़रीबां होना – सिकंदर अली वज्द
१
रौनक़-ए गुल्शन-ए हस्ती किसी उन्वां होना
गुल ब-दामां न सही, ख़ार ब-दामां होना
२
ख़ूं हुआ क़ल्ब-ए चमन जब वो शगूफ़े न खिले
जिन के अंदाज़ से पैदा था गुलिस्तां होना
३
अहल-ए हिम्मत को बलाऔं पे हंसी आती है
नंग-ए हस्ती है मुसीबत में परेशां होना
४
और मे’आद-ए असीरी को बढ़ा देता है
नौ-गिरफ़्तार-ए मुसीबत का परेशां होना
५
अए सबा, लाला-ए कम-ज़र्फ़ से इतना कहना
दिल की तौहीन है दाग़ौं का नुमायां होना
६
देर तक याद-ए वतन वज्द को तढ़पाए गी
इतनी दिलचस्प न अए शाम-ए ग़रीबां होना
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. sikandar ali vajd (1914-1983) was a progressive, thoughtful poet from hyderabad, and a contemporary of maKhdoom. He qualified for the Hyderabad Civil Service and served as munsif magistrate and later as sessions judge. He got absorbed into the maharashTra state service when auraNgabad was split away from the erstwhile hyderabad state into maharashTra. He was elected to the rajya sabha and awarded padma shri. Unlike my previous impression which was based on a reading of his political compositions, I have come to realize that there is a healthy sufiyaana content in vajd’s composition. This Ghazal is written with the same radeef-qaafiya as Ghalib’s ‘aadmi ko bhi mai’assar nahiN insaaN hona’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
raunaq1-e gulshan-e-hasti2 kisi unvaaN3 hona
gul4 ba-daamaaN5 na sahi, Khaar6 ba-daamaaN5 hona 1.brilliance 2.garden of existence, world 3.theme, topic, conditions 4.rose 5.collected in the hem of the robe/apron 6.thorns
The poet wants his life to be the brilliance of the ‘garden of existence’ under any condition (any theme). If he cannot collect roses in the hem of his robe, at least he should collect thorns and become known for that.
2
KhooN1 hua qalb2-e chaman jab vo shaguufe3 na khile4
jin ke andaaz5 se paida tha gulistaaN6 hona 1.Khoon hona is to bleed, sorrowful 2.heart 3.unopened buds 4.blossom 5.style 6.garden
It appears to me that he is not talking about all ‘shaguufe’ but a few selected ones, the ones whose style created the ambience of the garden. When these ‘shaguufe’ did not bloom, the heart of the garden bled in sorrow. If the garden is the world or the homeland, then what are these selected shaguufe that failed to bloom? Why did they fail to bloom? What was it that made them so important that their style gave the ‘garden’ its ambience? There are too many unanswered questions and not enough context to meaningfully speculate on possible answers.
3
ahl-e-himmat1 ko balaa’oN2 pe haNsi aati hai
naNg3-e hasti4 hai musiibat5 meN pareshaaN6 hona 1.people of courage 2.calamities, misfortune 3.shame, insult 4.being, life 5.difficulties 6.worried
The courageous laugh at calamities. It is an insult to life to be worried about difficulties.
4
aur me’aad1-e asiiri2 ko baRha deta hai
nau-giraftaar3-e musiibat4 ka pareshaaN5 hona 1.promise (of release), term of sentence 2.captivity 3.newly captured 4.difficulties 5.worried
If the one who is newly captured in difficulties gets worried, then the period of his captivity increases even more.
5
aye sabaa1, laala2-e kam-zarf3 se itna kahna
dil ki tauhiin4 hai daaGhoN5 ka numaayaaN6 hona 1.morning breeze 2.tulip 3.low capability, incapable 4.insult 5.scars, wounds 6.prominent, visible
The tulip has dark spots inside the base of the petals and they show up when the flower blooms. Flowers bloom when the morning breeze caresses them and wakes them up. Thus, the poet is using the same morning breeze as a messenger to tell the tulip that it is an insult to display the scars of the heart. They should be kept private. Stoicism is valued.
6
der tak yaad-e vatan1 vajd2 ko taRpaayegi3
itni dilchasp4 na aye shaam-e GhariibaaN5 hona 1.homeland 2.pen-name of the poet 3.cause pain 4.interesting 5.being away from home
I cannot meaningfully interpret beyond straightforward word meanings. It appears that the poet is away from home, someplace interesting. It is so interesting that it reminds him of home. He appears to saying … O evening away from the homeland, don’t be so interesting otherwise you will memories of the homeland will cause pain for a long time to come. Assuming for a moment that he considered hyderabad his home, he may be participating in a mushaa’era somewhere in maharaashTra and is paying a compliment to the interesting evening of the mushaa’era. Alternatively, he considers auraNgabad his home and finds being in hyderabad much more interesting. Consider his she’r (from a nazm called ‘hyderabad’ posted on urdushahkar) …
teri yaad, yaad-e vatan se hai Khush-tar
tera zikr taskin-e qalb-e haziN hai
Thus, he is addressing hyderabad (or a gathering in hyderabad) asking it to be not so interesting otherwise he will remember his homeland. I am not sure.
sikandar ali vajd (1914-1983) was a progressive, thoughtful poet from hyderabad, and a contemporary of maKhdoom. He qualified for the Hyderabad Civil Service and served as munsif magistrate and later as sessions judge. He got absorbed into the maharashTra state service when auraNgabad was split away from the erstwhile hyderabad state into maharashTra. He was elected to the rajya sabha and awarded padma shri. Unlike my previous impression which was based on a reading of his political compositions, I have come to realize that there is a healthy sufiyaana content in vajd’s composition. This Ghazal is written with the same radeef-qaafiya as Ghalib’s ‘aadmi ko bhi mai’assar nahiN insaaN hona’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
raunaq1-e gulshan-e-hasti2 kisi unvaaN3 hona
gul4 ba-daamaaN5 na sahi, Khaar6 ba-daamaaN5 hona
1.brilliance 2.garden of existence, world 3.theme, topic, conditions 4.rose 5.collected in the hem of the robe/apron 6.thorns
The poet wants his life to be the brilliance of the ‘garden of existence’ under any condition (any theme). If he cannot collect roses in the hem of his robe, at least he should collect thorns and become known for that.
2
KhooN1 hua qalb2-e chaman jab vo shaguufe3 na khile4
jin ke andaaz5 se paida tha gulistaaN6 hona
1.Khoon hona is to bleed, sorrowful 2.heart 3.unopened buds 4.blossom 5.style 6.garden
It appears to me that he is not talking about all ‘shaguufe’ but a few selected ones, the ones whose style created the ambience of the garden. When these ‘shaguufe’ did not bloom, the heart of the garden bled in sorrow. If the garden is the world or the homeland, then what are these selected shaguufe that failed to bloom? Why did they fail to bloom? What was it that made them so important that their style gave the ‘garden’ its ambience? There are too many unanswered questions and not enough context to meaningfully speculate on possible answers.
3
ahl-e-himmat1 ko balaa’oN2 pe haNsi aati hai
naNg3-e hasti4 hai musiibat5 meN pareshaaN6 hona
1.people of courage 2.calamities, misfortune 3.shame, insult 4.being, life 5.difficulties 6.worried
The courageous laugh at calamities. It is an insult to life to be worried about difficulties.
4
aur me’aad1-e asiiri2 ko baRha deta hai
nau-giraftaar3-e musiibat4 ka pareshaaN5 hona
1.promise (of release), term of sentence 2.captivity 3.newly captured 4.difficulties 5.worried
If the one who is newly captured in difficulties gets worried, then the period of his captivity increases even more.
5
aye sabaa1, laala2-e kam-zarf3 se itna kahna
dil ki tauhiin4 hai daaGhoN5 ka numaayaaN6 hona
1.morning breeze 2.tulip 3.low capability, incapable 4.insult 5.scars, wounds 6.prominent, visible
The tulip has dark spots inside the base of the petals and they show up when the flower blooms. Flowers bloom when the morning breeze caresses them and wakes them up. Thus, the poet is using the same morning breeze as a messenger to tell the tulip that it is an insult to display the scars of the heart. They should be kept private. Stoicism is valued.
6
der tak yaad-e vatan1 vajd2 ko taRpaayegi3
itni dilchasp4 na aye shaam-e GhariibaaN5 hona
1.homeland 2.pen-name of the poet 3.cause pain 4.interesting 5.being away from home
I cannot meaningfully interpret beyond straightforward word meanings. It appears that the poet is away from home, someplace interesting. It is so interesting that it reminds him of home. He appears to saying … O evening away from the homeland, don’t be so interesting otherwise you will memories of the homeland will cause pain for a long time to come. Assuming for a moment that he considered hyderabad his home, he may be participating in a mushaa’era somewhere in maharaashTra and is paying a compliment to the interesting evening of the mushaa’era. Alternatively, he considers auraNgabad his home and finds being in hyderabad much more interesting. Consider his she’r (from a nazm called ‘hyderabad’ posted on urdushahkar) …
teri yaad, yaad-e vatan se hai Khush-tar
tera zikr taskin-e qalb-e haziN hai
Thus, he is addressing hyderabad (or a gathering in hyderabad) asking it to be not so interesting otherwise he will remember his homeland. I am not sure.
