Recitation
بیتے دن – معین احسن جذبی
بیتے ہوے دنوں کی حلاوت کہاں سے لائیں
اِک میٹھے میٹھے درد کی راحت کہاں سے لائیں
ڈھونڈھیں کہاں وہ نالہ شب تاب کا جمال
آہِ صحر گہی کی صباحت کہاں سے لا ئیں
سمجھائیں کیسے دِل کی نز ا کت کا ماجرا
خاموشیِ نظر کی خطابت کہاں سے لائیں
ترکِ تعلقات کا ہو جس سے احتما ل
بیباکیوں میں اتنی صداقت کہاں سے لائیں
افسر د گی ضبطِ الم آ ج بھی سہی
لیکن نشاطِ ضبطِ مسرت کہاں سے لائیں
ہر فتح کے غرور میں بے وجہ بے سبب
احساسِ اِ نفعالِ ہز یمت کہاں سے لائیں
آ سو د گیِ لطف و عنا یت کے ساتھ ساتھ
دِل میں دبی دبی سی قیامت کہاں سے لائیں
وہ جوشِ اِضطراب پہ کچھ سو چنے کے بعد
حیرت کہاں سے لائیں، ندامت کہاں سے لائیں
ہر لحظہ تا زہ تا زہ بلا ئو ں کا سا منا
ناآزمودہ کار کی جرأت کہاں سے لائیں
ہے آج بھی نگاہِ محبت کی آرزو
پر ایسی اِک نگاہ کی قیمت کہاں سے لائیں
سب کچھ نصیب ہو بھی تو ائے شو رشِ حیات
تجھ سے نظر چرانے کی عادت کہاں سے لائیں
बीते दिन – मोईन एहसन जज़्बी
बीते हुए दिनों की हलावत कहाँ से लाएँ
एक मीठे मीठे दर्द की राहत कहाँ से लाएँ
ढूंढें कहाँ वो नाला ए शबताब का जमाल
आह ए सहर गहि की सबाहत कहाँ से लाएँ
समझाएँ कैसे दिल कि नज़ाकत का माजरा
ख़ामोशी ए नज़र कि खिताबत कहाँ से लाएँ
तर्क ए ता’अलुकात का हो जिस से एहतेमाल
बेबाकियों में इतनी सदाक़त कहाँ से लाएँ
अफ़्सुर्दगी ए ज़ब्त ए अलम आज भी सही
लेकिन निशात ए ज़ब्त ए मस्सरत कहाँ से लाएँ
हर फ़तेह के गुरूर में बे वजह बे सबब
एहसास ए इन्फ़े’अल ए हज़ीमत कहाँ से लाएँ
आसूदगी ए लुत्फ़ ओ इनायत के साथ साथ
दिल में दबी दबी सी क़यामत कहाँ से लाएँ
वो जोश ए इज़तेराब पे कुछ सोचने के बाद
हैरत कहाँ से लाएँ, निदामत कहाँ से लाएँ
हर लहज़ा ताज़ा ताज़ा बलाओं का सामना
ना आज़्मूदा कार कि जुरा’अत कहाँ से लाएँ
है आज भी निगाह ए मोहब्बत कि आरज़ू
पर ऐसी एक निगाह कि क़ीमत कहाँ से लाएँ
सब कुछ नसीब हो भी तो ए शोरिश ए हयात
तुझ से नज़र चुराने कि आदत कहाँ से लाएँ
beete din – moin ehsan jazbi
Click here for overall comments and on any passage for meanings and discussion. This is not only nostalgia for the simplicity of past ages but also an expression of some very nice values and wishes.
beete hue dinoN ki halavat1 kahaaN se laaeN
ek meeThe meeThe dard ki raahat2 kahaaN se laaeN
DhunDheN kahaN vo naala3-e shabtaab4 ka jamal
aah-e sahar gahi5 ki sabaahat6 kahaaN se laaeN1. sweetness 2. comfort 3. cry, song 4. early morning … it is customary in Urdu poetry to think that the best compositions occur to the poet in the early morning hours 5. sigh of dawn – sigh here means the composition of the poet 6. freshness, beauty
Where do I find the lost sweetness of days gone by. Where is that pleasure of the sweet pain of separation. “Sweet pain” (the pain of separation in love) used to give him balm. He longs for the cure that the sweetness of the pain itself used to provide. Where do I look for lament in my song of dawn. Where do I find freshness for my early morning poems. He is despondent that he has lost the ability to compose sweet songs and wants to bring back the songs he used to be able to compose in early mornings and give them the freshness and beauty of dawn.
samjhaaeN kaise dil ki nazaakat7 ka maajra8
Khaamoshi-e nazar ki Khitaabat9 kahaN se laaeN
tark10-e ta’aluqaat11 ka ho jis se ehtemaal12
bebaakiyoN13 meN itni sadaaqat14 kahaN se laaeN7. tenderness 8. scenario, story 9. speech 10. quit, break off 11. relationship 12. probability, suspicion, fear 13. daring 14. credibility
How can I explain the story of my aching heart. Where can I find the art of speaking with glances. He has lost the ability to speak with “silent eyes” and bemoans the inability to express the delicacy of the affairs of heart (because it is not customary to speak of them openly). That they may create an apprehension of breaking off of relationships, how can I give such credibility to my daring glances. He wants the beloved to give some credibility to his “threatening” glances that he is going to break off relationships and hopes that this may cause her to show him some favours. He bemoans the loss of the ability to make his daring glances credible.
afsurdagi1-e zabt-e alam2 aaj bhi sahi
laikin nishaat3-e zabt-e massarat4 kahaN se laaeN
har fateh5 ke Ghuroor6 meN be vajah7 be sabab8
ehsaas9-e infe’aal10-e hazimat11 kahaN se laaeN1. sorrow, regret 2. bear misfortune, stoicism 3. pleasure 4. control/express joy with equanimity 5. victory 6. arrogance 7. cause 8. reason/cause 9. feeling 10. shame, embarrassment 11. defeat
I might still be able to stoically bear misfortune, but how can I find the strength to express joy with equanimity. Along with the joy of winning, for no particular reason at all, how can I always recall the embarrassment of defeat. This has echoes of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” in which he says
“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same”
aasoodagi12-e lutf o inaayat13 ke saath saath
dil meN dabi dabi14 si qayamat15 kahaN se laaeN
vo josh-e izterab16 pe kuchh sochne ke baad
hairat17 kahaN se laaeN, nidaamat18 kahaN se laaeN12. comfort 13. pleasure and plenty 14. subtle, faint 15. most often it is used to mean the day of reckoning. Literally it can mean standing, established. But it is also used to mean sorrow, difficulties 16. gusto/warmth of impatience 17. wonder 18. regret, humility
During comfortable times of pleasure and plenty, how can I always subtly remember the times of sorrow/need. When impatient with the slowness of results, how can I pause and reflect and wonder at my good fortune, where can I find humility. The poet/lover is very sure of his abilities and impatient with results. During such times he wants to pause, to be reminded that it is surprising that he succeeded (that he owes his success to good fortune) and therefore get a dose of humility.
har lahza1 taza taza2 balaaoN3 ka samna4
na aazmuda kar5 ki jura’at6 kahaN se laaeN
hai aaj bhi nigaah-e mohabbat ki aarzu7
par aisi ek nigah ki qeemat8 kahaN se laaeN1. every moment 2. fresh 3. scourge, calamity 4. encounter 5. novice (who does not fully understand the possibilities and consequences of failure) 6. daring 7. desire 8. compensation
Facing fresh difficulties every moment, where can I find the daring of the novice (a novice who has not tasted failure is likely to be more daring that one who has been burnt before). Yes, even now I long for her loving glance, but where can I find the ability to earn it.
sub kuchh nasib9 ho bhi to aye shorish-e hayaat10
tujh se nazar churaane11 ki aadat kahaN se laaeN9. available 10. turmoil/struggle of living 11. looking away
Even if I have all the fortune I need, O (mundane) struggle for life, how can I develop the habit of looking beyond daily difficulties. Even if fate has given him what he wants, Jazbi wants to be able to look away from the daily turmoil of living – and perhaps contemplate bigger things of life.
beete din – moin ehsan jazbi
Overall Comments: This is not only nostalgia for the simplicity of past ages but also an expression of some very nice values and wishes.
beete hue dinoN ki halavat1 kahaaN se laaeN
ek meeThe meeThe dard ki raahat2 kahaaN se laaeN
DhunDheN kahaN vo naala3-e shabtaab4 ka jamal
aah-e sahar gahi5 ki sabaahat6 kahaaN se laaeN
1. sweetness 2. comfort 3. cry, song 4. early morning … it is customary in Urdu poetry to think that the best compositions occur to the poet in the early morning hours 5. sigh of dawn – sigh here means the composition of the poet 6. freshness, beauty
Where do I find the lost sweetness of days gone by. Where is that pleasure of the sweet pain of separation. “Sweet pain” (the pain of separation in love) used to give him balm. He longs for the cure that the sweetness of the pain itself used to provide. Where do I look for lament in my song of dawn. Where do I find freshness for my early morning poems. He is despondent that he has lost the ability to compose sweet songs and wants to bring back the songs he used to be able to compose in early mornings and give them the freshness and beauty of dawn.
samjhaaeN kaise dil ki nazaakat7 ka maajra8
Khaamoshi-e nazar ki Khitaabat9 kahaN se laaeN
tark10-e ta’aluqaat11 ka ho jis se ehtemaal12
bebaakiyoN13 meN itni sadaaqat14 kahaN se laaeN
7. tenderness 8. scenario, story 9. speech 10. quit, break off 11. relationship 12. probability, suspicion, fear 13. daring 14. credibility
How can I explain the story of my aching heart. Where can I find the art of speaking with glances. He has lost the ability to speak with “silent eyes” and bemoans the inability to express the delicacy of the affairs of heart (because it is not customary to speak of them openly). That they may create an apprehension of breaking off of relationships, how can I give such credibility to my daring glances. He wants the beloved to give some credibility to his “threatening” glances that he is going to break off relationships and hopes that this may cause her to show him some favours. He bemoans the loss of the ability to make his daring glances credible.
afsurdagi1-e zabt-e alam2 aaj bhi sahi
laikin nishaat3-e zabt-e massarat4 kahaN se laaeN
har fateh5 ke Ghuroor6 meN be vajah7 be sabab8
ehsaas9-e infe’aal10-e hazimat11 kahaN se laaeN
1. sorrow, regret 2. bear misfortune, stoicism 3. pleasure 4. control/express joy with equanimity 5. victory 6. arrogance 7. cause 8. reason/cause 9. feeling 10. shame, embarrassment 11. defeat
I might still be able to stoically bear misfortune, but how can I find the strength to express joy with equanimity. Along with the joy of winning, for no particular reason at all, how can I always recall the embarrassment of defeat. This has echoes of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” in which he says
“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same”
aasoodagi12-e lutf o inaayat13 ke saath saath
dil meN dabi dabi14 si qayamat15 kahaN se laaeN
vo josh-e izterab16 pe kuchh sochne ke baad
hairat17 kahaN se laaeN, nidaamat18 kahaN se laaeN
12. comfort 13. pleasure and plenty 14. subtle, faint 15. most often it is used to mean the day of reckoning. Literally it can mean standing, established. But it is also used to mean sorrow, difficulties 16. gusto/warmth of impatience 17. wonder 18. regret, humility
During comfortable times of pleasure and plenty, how can I always subtly remember the times of sorrow/need. When impatient with the slowness of results, how can I pause and reflect and wonder at my good fortune, where can I find humility. The poet/lover is very sure of his abilities and impatient with results. During such times he wants to pause, to be reminded that it is surprising that he succeeded (that he owes his success to good fortune) and therefore get a dose of humility.
har lahza1 taza taza2 balaaoN3 ka samna4
na aazmuda kar5 ki jura’at6 kahaN se laaeN
hai aaj bhi nigaah-e mohabbat ki aarzu7
par aisi ek nigah ki qeemat8 kahaN se laaeN
1. every moment 2. fresh 3. scourge, calamity 4. encounter 5. novice (who does not fully understand the possibilities and consequences of failure) 6. daring 7. desire 8. compensation
Facing fresh difficulties every moment, where can I find the daring of the novice (a novice who has not tasted failure is likely to be more daring that one who has been burnt before). Yes, even now I long for her loving glance, but where can I find the ability to earn it.
sub kuchh nasib9 ho bhi to aye shorish-e hayaat10
tujh se nazar churaane11 ki aadat kahaN se laaeN
9. available 10. turmoil/struggle of living 11. looking away
Even if I have all the fortune I need, O (mundane) struggle for life, how can I develop the habit of looking beyond daily difficulties. Even if fate has given him what he wants, Jazbi wants to be able to look away from the daily turmoil of living – and perhaps contemplate bigger things of life.
