For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
کوئی موسیٰ نہیں رہا ۔ رنگا چاری رنگاؔ
۱
ہیں طور سیکڑوں کوئی موسیٰ نہیں رہا
جلوے وہی ہیں دیکھنے والا نہیں رہا
۲
مُرجھا گئی وہ شاخ کہ جس پر تھا آشیاں
اب میرے سر پہ پھولوں کا سایہ نہیں رہا
۳
آئے نہ آج تک وہ، قیامت بھی آ چکی
اب اِنتظارِ وعدۂ فردا نہیں رہا
۴
جب تک تھے دل میں آپ تو رونق ہی اور تھی
اب دل وہی ہے دل کا وہ نقشا نہیں رہا
۵
جس سے ہوئی تھی ذوقِ محبّت کی ابتدا
رنگاؔ وہ دل میں جوشِ تمنّا نہیں رہا
कोई मूसा नहीं रहा – रंगा चारी रंगा
१
हैं तूर सैक्ढौं कोई मूसा नहीं रहा
जल्वे वही हैं देखने वाला नहीं रहा
२
मुर्झा गई वो शाख़ के जिस पर थी आशियां
अब मेरे सर पे फूलौं का साया नहीं रहा
३
आए न आज तक वो क़यामत भी आ चुकी
अब इंतज़ार-ए वादा-ए फ़र्दा नहीं रहा
४
जब तक थे दिल में आप तो रौनक़ हि और थी
अब दिल वही है दिल का वो नक़्शा नहीं रहा
५
जिस से हुई थी ज़ौक़-ए मोहब्बत की इब्तेदा
रंगा वो दिल में जोश-ए तमन्ना नहीं रहा
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. raNga chari raNga allahabadi (1931-????) worked as a head clerk, at the Govt Junior Basic Training College, jhaanNsi – a middle level job at best. But he was caught in the love of urdu and I found his diivan to be particularly erudite and was delighted to discover him. He learnt faarsi and urdu at home from his grandfather, munshi nand kishor who clerked for panDit motilal nehru. He names shu’ara sukhdev parshad bismil, and rajeshwar parshad soz as friends of his father with regular recitation sessions at their home. His brother put Ghazal to music and sang them. In 1956 he helped organize a major mushaa’era. zahoor nashtar salonavi, who saw this, encouraged him to compose and ended up being his ustaad. He published his diivaan, navaa-e dair o haram, in 1985.
1
haiN tuur1 saikRoN koii moosa2 nahiN raha
jalve3 vahi haiN dekhne vaala nahiN raha 1.mount tuur 2.Moses 3.manifestations, images
This has reference to the story of moosa/Moses who reportedly went up mount tuur asking to see god. After much insistence he saw a manifestation in the form of a lightning flash. Here the poet suggests that there are thousands of mount tuur but there is no determined seeker like moosa. Manifestations of the divine are everywhere but there is no one who can see.
2
murjha1 gaii vo shaaKh2 keh jis par tha aashiyaaN3
ab mere sar pe phooloN ka saaya nahiN raha 1.wilted 2.branch 3.nest
The branch on which I had my nest is now wilted. I no longer have the shade/protection of flowers over my head.
3
aaye na aaj tak vo, qayaamat1 bhi aa gaii
ab intezaar2-e vaada3-e farda4 nahiN raha 1.doomsday, end of the world 2.waiting, anticipation 3.promise 4.future
The beloved is notorious for making promises but never keeping them. She has promised to come, the poet/lover has been waiting and now it is doomsday. He no longer anticipates the fulfillment of the promise of a future meeting. This could be either that he is relieved that he no longer has that uncertainty, or that he is even more agitated because he has lost the one hope that was the basis of his life.
4
jab tak the dil meN aap to raunaq1 hi aur thi
ab dil vahi hai, dil ka vo naqsha2 nahiN raha 1.brilliance, joy 2.map, layout
As long as the beloved was in the poet/lover’s heart, the joy in his heart was something else. Now the heart is the same, but the layout/condition of the heart has completely changed. The implication is that she is no longer in his heart. Why? We are left to guess. She may have rejected him, but he would still nurture her memory in his heart. So this appears a little unconventional to me.
5
jis se hui thi zauq1-e mohabbat ki ibteda2
raNga3 vo dil meN josh4-e tamanna5 nahiN raha 1.taste, desire 2.beginning 3.pen-name of the poet 4.passion 5.longing
Following from the previous she’r this partially explains why his heart is so desolate now and why the beloved is no longer in his heart. It is because he no longer has the same desire with which he started. O raNga, I don’t have the same intensity of passion anymore. But this begs the question why? We are left to guess again.
raNga chari raNga allahabadi (1931-????) worked as a head clerk, at the Govt Junior Basic Training College, jhaanNsi – a middle level job at best. But he was caught in the love of urdu and I found his diivan to be particularly erudite and was delighted to discover him. He learnt faarsi and urdu at home from his grandfather, munshi nand kishor who clerked for panDit motilal nehru. He names shu’ara sukhdev parshad bismil, and rajeshwar parshad soz as friends of his father with regular recitation sessions at their home. His brother put Ghazal to music and sang them. In 1956 he helped organize a major mushaa’era. zahoor nashtar salonavi, who saw this, encouraged him to compose and ended up being his ustaad. He published his diivaan, navaa-e dair o haram, in 1985.
1
haiN tuur1 saikRoN koii moosa2 nahiN raha
jalve3 vahi haiN dekhne vaala nahiN raha
1.mount tuur 2.Moses 3.manifestations, images
This has reference to the story of moosa/Moses who reportedly went up mount tuur asking to see god. After much insistence he saw a manifestation in the form of a lightning flash. Here the poet suggests that there are thousands of mount tuur but there is no determined seeker like moosa. Manifestations of the divine are everywhere but there is no one who can see.
2
murjha1 gaii vo shaaKh2 keh jis par tha aashiyaaN3
ab mere sar pe phooloN ka saaya nahiN raha
1.wilted 2.branch 3.nest
The branch on which I had my nest is now wilted. I no longer have the shade/protection of flowers over my head.
3
aaye na aaj tak vo, qayaamat1 bhi aa gaii
ab intezaar2-e vaada3-e farda4 nahiN raha
1.doomsday, end of the world 2.waiting, anticipation 3.promise 4.future
The beloved is notorious for making promises but never keeping them. She has promised to come, the poet/lover has been waiting and now it is doomsday. He no longer anticipates the fulfillment of the promise of a future meeting. This could be either that he is relieved that he no longer has that uncertainty, or that he is even more agitated because he has lost the one hope that was the basis of his life.
4
jab tak the dil meN aap to raunaq1 hi aur thi
ab dil vahi hai, dil ka vo naqsha2 nahiN raha
1.brilliance, joy 2.map, layout
As long as the beloved was in the poet/lover’s heart, the joy in his heart was something else. Now the heart is the same, but the layout/condition of the heart has completely changed. The implication is that she is no longer in his heart. Why? We are left to guess. She may have rejected him, but he would still nurture her memory in his heart. So this appears a little unconventional to me.
5
jis se hui thi zauq1-e mohabbat ki ibteda2
raNga3 vo dil meN josh4-e tamanna5 nahiN raha
1.taste, desire 2.beginning 3.pen-name of the poet 4.passion 5.longing
Following from the previous she’r this partially explains why his heart is so desolate now and why the beloved is no longer in his heart. It is because he no longer has the same desire with which he started. O raNga, I don’t have the same intensity of passion anymore. But this begs the question why? We are left to guess again.
