Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. shaiKh mohammed amjad najmi (1899-1974) kaTTak, oRissa. It is very unusual to find an urdu poet from this region of India. I was delighted to see this expanded footprint of urdu. This Ghazal is linked to others of the same radeef to the icon ‘kaun kare’ on the ‘refrain’ page.
1
jab dil hi nahiN hai pahlu¹ meN phir ishq ka sauda² kaun kare
ab un se mohabbat kaun kare ab un ki tamanna³ kaun kare   1.side, lap, breast 2.trade 3.desire, longing
This is a classic catch-22. If you fall in love, you give up your heart. If you give up your heart, you no longer have it in your bosom and you cannot love. Thus, when I don’t have a heart in my bosom, how can I engage in love. How can I love her, how can I long for her.
2
ab hijr¹ ke sadme² sahne ko patthar ka kaleja³ kaun kare
in lambi lambi raatoN ka mar mar ke savera kaun kare    1.separation 2.tragedies, sorrows 3.liver, fortitude
In urdu poetic tradition the liver is the seat of courage and fortitude. It takes rock like fortitude to bear the sorrow of separation. How can I develop such fortitude. Why would I die (suffer through) long nights for dawn.
3
ham rasm¹-e vafa² ko maante haiN aadaab³-e mohabbat jaante haiN
ham baat ki tah⁴ pahchaante haiN phir aap ko rusva⁵ kaun kare   1.traditions 2.fidelity 3.ways, traditions 4.layer, depth 5.embarrass
The poetic tradition requires the poet/lover to be stoic, to hide his pain and his love so as not to cause disrepute to the beloved. Thus, we believe in the traditions of fidelity, we know the ways of love, we understand the depths of thought behind such words, how can we then embarrass you.
4
aye jazba¹-e ulfat² tu hi bata kuchh had³ bhi hai is naakaami⁴ ki
maayus⁵ nigaahoN⁶ se un ka mahfil⁷ meN nazaara⁸ kaun kare    1.sentiment, emotion 2.love 3.limit 4.failure, helplessness 5.disappointed, hopeless 6.eyes 7.gathering 8.looking at
The only thing that the poet/lover can do is hang out in the beloved’s gatherings and look at her from a distance. Thus, O Emotion of Love, you tell me, is there any limit to my helplessness. All I can do is look at her in the gathering with disappointed eyes.
5
ham dekh chuke haaN dekh chuke dastoor¹ tumhaari mahfil² ka
jab shukr³ pe ye paabandi⁴ hai phir jur’at⁵-e shikva⁶ kaun kare   1.traditions, rules 2.gathering 3.thanks 4.restrictions 5.daring 6.complaint
We have seen, yes we have seen, the rules of conduct in your gatherings. When even an expression of thanks (for past favours) is forbidden, who can dare complain. The thanks is for past favours and the complaint for the recent and current neglect.