For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
مرے اشعار دیکھ کر ۔ نریش کمار شادؔ
۱
چل تو پڑے ہو راہ کو ہموار دیکھ کر
لیکن یہ راہِ شوق ہے سرکار دیکھ کر
۲
رسوائیوں پہ بھی مجھے کرنا پڑا ہے فخر
یارانِ نیک نام کے اطوار دیکھ کر
۳
دنیا بڑے خلوص سے مجھ پر ہے خندہ زن
مجھ کو خلوصِ دل کا طلب گار دیکھ کر
۴
جیسے مری نگاہ نے دیکھا نہ ہو کبھی
محسوس یہ ہوا تجھے ہر بار دیکھ کر
۵
یوں تو غمِ حیات بڑا بد دماغ تھا
خوش ہو گیا مگر مجھے سرشار دیکھ کر
۶
اے عظمتِ بشر، میں ترا رازدار ہوں
پہچان لے مجھے مرے اشعار دیکھ کر
۷
جس میں ذرا بھی اُنس تھا میخوار بن گیا
دنیائے سردمہر کو خوں خوار دیکھ کر
۸
شرمِ وفا نے مجھ کو کیا تجھ سے بے نیاز
ہر بوالہوس کو تیرا پرستار دیکھ کر
۹
اے شادؔ مجھ کو غم سے محبّت سی ہو گئی
اک پیکرِ جمیل کو غم خوار دیکھ کر
मेरे अश’आर देख कर – नरेश कुमार शाद
१
चल तो पढे हो राह को हमवार देख कर
लैकिन ये राह-ए शौक़ है सरकार देख कर
२
रुस्वाईयौं पे भी मुझे करना पढा है फ़ख़्र
यारान-ए नेक-नाम के अतवार देख कर
३
दुनिया बढे ख़ुलूस से मुझ पर है ख़न्दा-ज़न
मुझ को ख़ुलूस-ए दिल का तलबगार देख कर
४
जैसे मेरी निगाह ने देखा न हो कभी
महसूस ये हुआ तुझे हर बार देख कर
५
यूं तो ग़म-ए हयात बढा बद-दिमाग़ था
ख़ुश हो गया मगर मुझे सरशार देख कर
६
अए अज़्मत-ए बशर, मैं तेरा राज़दार हुं
पहचान ले मुझे मेरे अश’आर देख कर
७
जिस में ज़रा भी उन्स था मयख़्वार बन गया
दुनिया-ए सर्द-महर को ख़ूंख़्वार देख कर
८
शर्म-ए वफ़ा ने मुझ को किया तुझ से बे-नियाज़
हर बुल-हवस को तेरा परस्तार देख कर
९
अए शाद मुझ को ग़म से मोहब्बत सि हो गई
एक पैकर-ए जमील को ग़म-ख़्वार देख कर
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. naresh kumar shaad (1927-1969) prolific poet, writer, translater. Member Progressive Writers’ Association. Socialist/Communist. Educated and worked in rawalpindi and lahore before partition and then moved to India. This Ghazal is modeled beautifully after Ghalib’s ‘zarf-e qadah-Khwaar dekh kar’, is linked to ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
chal to paRe ho raah1 ko hamvaar2 dekh kar
laikin ye raah1-e shauq3 hai sarkaar4 dekh kar 1.pathway 2.smooth, even 3.desire, love 4.honorific title, lord
Who is the ‘sarkaar’ to whom this is addressed – it could easily be the beloved or even the poet himself. You have started out on this (long and arduous) journey upon seeing the path to be even and smooth. But this is the path of love, O lord, be careful (of what is yet to come). Said mir taqi mir …
raah-e duur-e ishq meN rotaa hai kya
aage aage dekhiye hotaa hai kya
2
rusvaaiiyoN1 pe bhi mujhe karna paRa hai faKhr2
yaaraan3-e nek-naam4 ke atvaar5 dekh kar 1.regrets (of past mistakes) 2.pride 3.friends 4.good reputation 5.ways of behaviour, actions
The behaviour of highly reputable friends has been so bad that I can feel proud even of my past bad behaviour i.e., my bad behaviour is better than their good behaviour.
3
duniya baRe Khuloos1 se mujh par hai Khanda-zan2
mujh ko Khuloos1-e dil ka talab-gaar3 dekh kar 1.sincerity, thoughtful 2.smiling, sneering, laughing at 3.demanding
‘Khuloos’ in the first misra is used in sarcasm. The world laughs at me ‘in sincerity’, when it finds that I demand/expect sincerity from people i.e., the world recognizes my naivette and laughs at it.
4
jaise meri nigaah1 ne dekha na ho kabhi
mahsoos2 ye hua tujhe har baar dekh kar 1.eyes, vision 2.feel
It is as if my eyes had never seen you before, every time I look at you, I feel as if I am seeing you for the first time.
5
yuN to Gham-e-hayaat1 baRa bad-dimaaGh2 tha
Khush ho gaya magar mujhe sarshaar3 dekh kar 1.sorrows/difficulties of life 2.conceited, selfish 3.fulfilled, satiated
Here ‘the difficulties of livelihood’ are personified as very cruel and self-centered. But for some reason this personified problematic life is happy to see the poet satiated. This is probably about being ‘satiated with wine’ and there is an implication that the ‘life’ is happy to see him killing himself with excessive drinking.
6
aye azmat1-e bashar2, maiN tera raaz-daar3 huN
pahchaan4 le mujhe mere ash’aar5 dekh kar 1.greatness 2.human 3.confidant 4.recognize 5.verse
O spirit of human greatness, I am your confidant i.e., I am familiar with you. Recognize me from the message in my verse.
7
jis meN zara bhi uns1 tha maiKhwaar2 ban gaya
duniya-e sard-mahr3 ko KhooN-Khwaar4 dekh kar 1.love, sensitivity 2.intoxicated 3.cold-hearted 4.blood-thirsty
Whoever had any sensitivity/love became intoxicated (drowning their sorrows in drink) when they realized that this stone hearted world was blood-thirsty.
8
sharm1-e vafa2 ne mujh ko kiya tujh se be-niyaaz3
har bul-havas4 ko tera parastaar5 dekh kar 1.shame 2.fidelity, true to promise 3.uninterested 4.lecher 5.devotee
Fidelity (being true/faithful to the beloved) is personified here and it is ashamed of what is happening in the world. All admirers of the beloved are insincere; their devotion is superficial and lecherous. Because of the shame that ‘Fidelity’ feels, the poet (who is sincere) has lost interest in the beloved (in the whole tradition).
9
aye shaad1 mujh ko Gham2 se mohabbat si ho gayii
ek paikar3-e jameel4 ko Gham-Khwaar5 dekh kar 1.pen-name of the poet 2.sorrow, pain 3.image, reflection, embodiment 4.glory 5.sorrowful
The ‘paikar-e jameel – embodiment of glory’ is the beloved. The beloved is sorrowful, so the poet/lover, shaad, has become fond of sorrow.
naresh kumar shaad (1927-1969) prolific poet, writer, translater. Member Progressive Writers’ Association. Socialist/Communist. Educated and worked in rawalpindi and lahore before partition and then moved to India. This Ghazal is modeled beautifully after Ghalib’s ‘zarf-e qadah-Khwaar dekh kar’, is linked to ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
chal to paRe ho raah1 ko hamvaar2 dekh kar
laikin ye raah1-e shauq3 hai sarkaar4 dekh kar
1.pathway 2.smooth, even 3.desire, love 4.honorific title, lord
Who is the ‘sarkaar’ to whom this is addressed – it could easily be the beloved or even the poet himself. You have started out on this (long and arduous) journey upon seeing the path to be even and smooth. But this is the path of love, O lord, be careful (of what is yet to come). Said mir taqi mir …
raah-e duur-e ishq meN rotaa hai kya
aage aage dekhiye hotaa hai kya
2
rusvaaiiyoN1 pe bhi mujhe karna paRa hai faKhr2
yaaraan3-e nek-naam4 ke atvaar5 dekh kar
1.regrets (of past mistakes) 2.pride 3.friends 4.good reputation 5.ways of behaviour, actions
The behaviour of highly reputable friends has been so bad that I can feel proud even of my past bad behaviour i.e., my bad behaviour is better than their good behaviour.
3
duniya baRe Khuloos1 se mujh par hai Khanda-zan2
mujh ko Khuloos1-e dil ka talab-gaar3 dekh kar
1.sincerity, thoughtful 2.smiling, sneering, laughing at 3.demanding
‘Khuloos’ in the first misra is used in sarcasm. The world laughs at me ‘in sincerity’, when it finds that I demand/expect sincerity from people i.e., the world recognizes my naivette and laughs at it.
4
jaise meri nigaah1 ne dekha na ho kabhi
mahsoos2 ye hua tujhe har baar dekh kar
1.eyes, vision 2.feel
It is as if my eyes had never seen you before, every time I look at you, I feel as if I am seeing you for the first time.
5
yuN to Gham-e-hayaat1 baRa bad-dimaaGh2 tha
Khush ho gaya magar mujhe sarshaar3 dekh kar
1.sorrows/difficulties of life 2.conceited, selfish 3.fulfilled, satiated
Here ‘the difficulties of livelihood’ are personified as very cruel and self-centered. But for some reason this personified problematic life is happy to see the poet satiated. This is probably about being ‘satiated with wine’ and there is an implication that the ‘life’ is happy to see him killing himself with excessive drinking.
6
aye azmat1-e bashar2, maiN tera raaz-daar3 huN
pahchaan4 le mujhe mere ash’aar5 dekh kar
1.greatness 2.human 3.confidant 4.recognize 5.verse
O spirit of human greatness, I am your confidant i.e., I am familiar with you. Recognize me from the message in my verse.
7
jis meN zara bhi uns1 tha maiKhwaar2 ban gaya
duniya-e sard-mahr3 ko KhooN-Khwaar4 dekh kar
1.love, sensitivity 2.intoxicated 3.cold-hearted 4.blood-thirsty
Whoever had any sensitivity/love became intoxicated (drowning their sorrows in drink) when they realized that this stone hearted world was blood-thirsty.
8
sharm1-e vafa2 ne mujh ko kiya tujh se be-niyaaz3
har bul-havas4 ko tera parastaar5 dekh kar
1.shame 2.fidelity, true to promise 3.uninterested 4.lecher 5.devotee
Fidelity (being true/faithful to the beloved) is personified here and it is ashamed of what is happening in the world. All admirers of the beloved are insincere; their devotion is superficial and lecherous. Because of the shame that ‘Fidelity’ feels, the poet (who is sincere) has lost interest in the beloved (in the whole tradition).
9
aye shaad1 mujh ko Gham2 se mohabbat si ho gayii
ek paikar3-e jameel4 ko Gham-Khwaar5 dekh kar
1.pen-name of the poet 2.sorrow, pain 3.image, reflection, embodiment 4.glory 5.sorrowful
The ‘paikar-e jameel – embodiment of glory’ is the beloved. The beloved is sorrowful, so the poet/lover, shaad, has become fond of sorrow.
