For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
نغمہ دلِ دلگیر کا ۔ شیام موہن لال جگرؔ بریلوی
۱
مرتے دم تک ہم ستم جھیلا کیے تدبیر کا
کھل سکا لیکن نہ پھر بھی مدّعا تقدیر کا
۲
دے گیا خلوت میں کوئی منزلِ دل کا سراغ
بڑھ رہا ہوں شور سن کر نالۂ شب گیر کا
۳
اور کچھ بڑھ کر بھڑک جا آتشِ سوزِ دروں
ہاں پگھل آیا ہے حلقہ پاؤں کی زنجیر کا
۴
ایک زنداں خانۂ اوہامِ باطل بن گیا
رنگِ دل سے جب جدا عالم ہوا تقریر کا
۵
آتشِ غم سے پھکے جب تک نہ خاموشی کے ساتھ
خاکِ دل میں آ نہیں سکتا اثر اکسیر کا
۶
آ گیا سجدہ جبیں کو اور رونا آنکھ کو
زندگی بھر کے لئے ممنون ہوں تقصیر کا
۷
کانپ جاتا ہے کلیجہ اور لرز جاتی ہے روح
چھیڑتا ہوں جب کوئی نغمہ دلِ دلگیر کا
۸
زندگی ہی جب ہے اپنی اک سعیٔ ناتمام
پھر گِلہ کیا کیجئے ناکامیٔ تدبیر کا
۹
جا نہیں سکتا ہے حدّ جبر سے باہر خیال
حوصلہ ہی کیا جگرؔ زندانیٔ تقدیر کا
नग़्मा दिल-ए दिलगीर का – श्याम मोहन लाल जिगर बरेलवी
१
मरते दम तक हम सितम झेला किये तदबीर का
खुल सका लैकिन न फिर भी मुद्द’आ तक़्दीर का
२
दे गया ख़ल्वत में कोई मंज़िल-ए दिल का सुराग़
बढ़ रहा हुं शोर सुन कर नाला-ए शबगीर का
३
और कुछ बढ़ कर भढ़क जा आतिश-ए सोज़-ए दरूं
हां पिघल आया है हलक़ा पाऊं की ज़ंजीर का
४
एक ज़िंदां ख़ाना-ए औहाम-ए बातिल बन गया
रंग-ए दिल से जब जुदा आलम हुआ तक़रीर का
५
आतिश-ए ग़म से फके जब तक न ख़ामोशी के साथ
ख़ाक-ए दिल में आ नहीं सकता असर एक्सीर का
६
आ गया सजदा जबीं को और रोना आंख को
ज़िंदगी भर के लिये ममनून हूं तक़्सीर का
७
कांप उठता है कलेजा और लरज़ जाती है रूह
छेढता हुं जब कोई नग़्मा दिल-ए दिलगीर का
८
ज़िंदगी ही जब है अपनी एक सई-ए नातमाम
फिर गिला क्या कीजिये नाकामी-ए तदबीर का
९
जा नहीं सकता है हद्द-ए जब्र से बाहर ख़याल
हौसला ही क्या जिगर ज़िंदानी-ए तक़्दीर का
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. shyaam mohan laal jigar barelavi (1890-1976) Ghazal, nazm, rubaaii, masnavi and critical treatises as well as linguistics. In addition to poetic collections, he has writes about issues of literary style in sehat-e zabaan, autobiography in hadees-e Khudi. His father, rai kanhaiya laal, was poet and a shaagird of Ghulam hasnain qadr who himself was a disciple of Ghalib. He learnt urdu and faarsi from a local ustaad, then high school and BA in philosophy and faarsi. Started out teaching in a school, went into government administration and progressed to become deputy collector. Early retirement, pension and teaching jobs followed but remained in straitened circumstances.
1
marte dam1 tak ham sitam2 jhela3 kiye tadbiir4 ka
khul saka laikin na phir bhi mudd’ua5 taqdiir6 ka 1.moment, time 2.cruelty 3.to bear, tolerate, suffer 4.plan of action 5.purpose 6.fate
This is a classic tension between fate and free will. Even right up to the moment of death, we suffer the cruelties of ‘free will’ i.e., our plan of action for improvement. Even the purpose/intention of fate is not revealed to us i.e., we are controlled by fate and we don’t know what our fate is, no matter how much we try.
2
de gaya Khalvat1 meN koii manzil2-e dil ka suraaGh3
baRh4 raha huN shor5 sun kar naala6-e shabgiir7 ka 1.privacy, seclusion 2.destination 3.clue 4.moving forward 5.loud noise, sound 6.wailing 7.night conquering, lasting through the night
Someone secretly gave me a clue to the destination of the heart. (Following this advice) I move forward towards the sound of wailing that lasts all night long. Perhaps it is the lane of the beloved from where he hears the wails of lovers.
3
aur kuchh baRh1 kar bhaRak2 jaa aatish3-e soz4-e daruuN5
haaN pighal6 aaya hai halqa7 paauN ki zanjiir ka 1.increase 2.flare up 3.flame 4.fire, pain 5.hidden, internal 6.melt 7.ring, link of the chain
O flames of the fire of pain hidden in my heart, increase again and flare up; the links of the chain on my feet are melting away. Thus, the mad passionate lover wants to be free to wander and look for the beloved like majnuN.
4
ek zindaaN1 Khaana2-e auhaam3-e baatil4 ban gaya
raNg5-e dil se jab juda6 aalam7 hua taqriir8 ka 1.prison, confinement 2.house 3.doubt, illusion 4.false, fake 5.colour, character, nature 6.separate, different 7.condition 8.speech
Starting with the second misra – whenever the condition of speech became different from the nature of my heart – then the following happened. From the first misra – the house of fake illusions became a prison. Thus, you get caught in the prison of false illusions if you depart from being true to yourself.
5
aatish1-e Gham se phake2 jab tak na Khaamoshi ke saath
Khaak-e dil meN aa nahiN sakta asar3 eksiir4 ka 1.fire 2.scorched, burnt 3.effect 4.elixir, tonic, cure
Until it has burnt silently in the fire of love, the ashes of the heart can never have the effect of a remedy.
6
aa gaya sajda1 jabiiN2 ko aur rona aaNkh ko
zindagi bhar ke liye mamnoon3 huN taqsiir4 ka 1.ritual placing of the forehead on the ground in obeisance 2.forehead 3.obliged 4.transgression, offence, sin
I am forever obliged to my transgression for it taught me how to bow down with respect and how to cry (tears of repentence).
7
kaaNp1 uThta hai kaleja2 aur laraz3 jaati hai rooh4
chheRta huN jab koii naGhma5 dil-e dilgiir6 ka 1.tremble 2.liver/fortitude 3.shudder 4.soul, spirit 5.song 6.heart-wrenching
Whenever I break out into a heart-wrenching song from the depths of my heart, fortitude trembles and the soul shudders in distress.
8
zindagi hi jab hai apni ek saii1-e naatamaam2
phir gila3 kya kiijiye naakaami4-e taqdiir5 ka 1.effort 2.incomplete, unsuccessful 3.complaint 4.failure 5.fate
When my life is an unsuccessful effort, why complain about the failure of fate.
9
jaa nahiN sakta hai hadd1-e jabr2 se baahir Khayaal3
hausla4 hi kya jigar5 zindaani6-e taqdiir7 ka 1.boundaries 2.force, oppression, confines 3.thought, imagination 4.courage 5.pen-name of the poet 6.prisoner 7.fate
When even imagination cannot venture beyond the prescribed bounds, O jigar, what is the point of the courage/daring of the prisoner of fate i.e., when fate determines everything what is the use of daring to try.
shyaam mohan laal jigar barelavi (1890-1976) Ghazal, nazm, rubaaii, masnavi and critical treatises as well as linguistics. In addition to poetic collections, he has writes about issues of literary style in sehat-e zabaan, autobiography in hadees-e Khudi. His father, rai kanhaiya laal, was poet and a shaagird of Ghulam hasnain qadr who himself was a disciple of Ghalib. He learnt urdu and faarsi from a local ustaad, then high school and BA in philosophy and faarsi. Started out teaching in a school, went into government administration and progressed to become deputy collector. Early retirement, pension and teaching jobs followed but remained in straitened circumstances.
1
marte dam1 tak ham sitam2 jhela3 kiye tadbiir4 ka
khul saka laikin na phir bhi mudd’ua5 taqdiir6 ka
1.moment, time 2.cruelty 3.to bear, tolerate, suffer 4.plan of action 5.purpose 6.fate
This is a classic tension between fate and free will. Even right up to the moment of death, we suffer the cruelties of ‘free will’ i.e., our plan of action for improvement. Even the purpose/intention of fate is not revealed to us i.e., we are controlled by fate and we don’t know what our fate is, no matter how much we try.
2
de gaya Khalvat1 meN koii manzil2-e dil ka suraaGh3
baRh4 raha huN shor5 sun kar naala6-e shabgiir7 ka
1.privacy, seclusion 2.destination 3.clue 4.moving forward 5.loud noise, sound 6.wailing 7.night conquering, lasting through the night
Someone secretly gave me a clue to the destination of the heart. (Following this advice) I move forward towards the sound of wailing that lasts all night long. Perhaps it is the lane of the beloved from where he hears the wails of lovers.
3
aur kuchh baRh1 kar bhaRak2 jaa aatish3-e soz4-e daruuN5
haaN pighal6 aaya hai halqa7 paauN ki zanjiir ka
1.increase 2.flare up 3.flame 4.fire, pain 5.hidden, internal 6.melt 7.ring, link of the chain
O flames of the fire of pain hidden in my heart, increase again and flare up; the links of the chain on my feet are melting away. Thus, the mad passionate lover wants to be free to wander and look for the beloved like majnuN.
4
ek zindaaN1 Khaana2-e auhaam3-e baatil4 ban gaya
raNg5-e dil se jab juda6 aalam7 hua taqriir8 ka
1.prison, confinement 2.house 3.doubt, illusion 4.false, fake 5.colour, character, nature 6.separate, different 7.condition 8.speech
Starting with the second misra – whenever the condition of speech became different from the nature of my heart – then the following happened. From the first misra – the house of fake illusions became a prison. Thus, you get caught in the prison of false illusions if you depart from being true to yourself.
5
aatish1-e Gham se phake2 jab tak na Khaamoshi ke saath
Khaak-e dil meN aa nahiN sakta asar3 eksiir4 ka
1.fire 2.scorched, burnt 3.effect 4.elixir, tonic, cure
Until it has burnt silently in the fire of love, the ashes of the heart can never have the effect of a remedy.
6
aa gaya sajda1 jabiiN2 ko aur rona aaNkh ko
zindagi bhar ke liye mamnoon3 huN taqsiir4 ka
1.ritual placing of the forehead on the ground in obeisance 2.forehead 3.obliged 4.transgression, offence, sin
I am forever obliged to my transgression for it taught me how to bow down with respect and how to cry (tears of repentence).
7
kaaNp1 uThta hai kaleja2 aur laraz3 jaati hai rooh4
chheRta huN jab koii naGhma5 dil-e dilgiir6 ka
1.tremble 2.liver/fortitude 3.shudder 4.soul, spirit 5.song 6.heart-wrenching
Whenever I break out into a heart-wrenching song from the depths of my heart, fortitude trembles and the soul shudders in distress.
8
zindagi hi jab hai apni ek saii1-e naatamaam2
phir gila3 kya kiijiye naakaami4-e taqdiir5 ka
1.effort 2.incomplete, unsuccessful 3.complaint 4.failure 5.fate
When my life is an unsuccessful effort, why complain about the failure of fate.
9
jaa nahiN sakta hai hadd1-e jabr2 se baahir Khayaal3
hausla4 hi kya jigar5 zindaani6-e taqdiir7 ka
1.boundaries 2.force, oppression, confines 3.thought, imagination 4.courage 5.pen-name of the poet 6.prisoner 7.fate
When even imagination cannot venture beyond the prescribed bounds, O jigar, what is the point of the courage/daring of the prisoner of fate i.e., when fate determines everything what is the use of daring to try.
