Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. narayan das puuri (1870-1953) lahore and dehli. He worked as a school principal in fareedkoT and later as inspector of schools. Migrated to India in 1947. His collection ‘kaNval’ was published posthumously in 1963. This is one of many Ghazal with the radeef-refrain ‘kaun karay’ and is linked to that icon on the refrain page.
1
zikr¹-e ahd²-e shabaab³ kaun karay
hasratoN⁴ ka hisaab⁵ kaun karay     1.narrate 2.times, age 3.youth 4.longings 5.accounting
The time of youth consists of so many desires/longings that it is difficult to narrate that story or keep count of the desires. Who can do that!
aata hai daaGh-e hasrat-e dil ka shumaar yaad
mujh se meray gunaah ka hisaab aye Khuda na maaNg
2
ranj¹-e maazi² ko yaad kar kar ke
dil ko apne kabaab kaun karay   1.sorrow 2.past
Remembering sorrows of the past again and again, who is willing to burn/cook the heart into a ‘kabaab’.
3
husn¹ ko be-naqaab² kaun karay
ishq ko baa-hijaab³ kaun karay    1.beauty 2.unveil, reveal 3.veil, hide
Here ‘kaun karay’ has the connotation of ‘who has the courage to do this’ in the sense of admiring such a person. Thus, who has the courage to unveil beauty/the beloved. Which lover has the courage/forebearance to keep his love under wraps so as not to malign the reputation of the beloved.
4
shauq¹-e shurb²-e sharaab kaun karay
aisaa kaar-e-savaab³ kaun karay    1.indulgence 2.juice, a drink 3.task deserving of blessing, virtuous deed
Who is willing to indulge in the virtuous deed of taking a drink of wine.
5
dil ko isyaaN-navaaz¹ kaun karay
aaqibat² ko Kharaab kaun karay    1.nurturing transgressions 2.final judgement, afterlife
This could either be an invitation to commit transgressions or washing his hands of transgressions for fear of spoiling the afterlife. Thus, who wants to nurture thoughts of transgression in their heart. Who is willing to risk spoiling their afterlife for this.
6
raNg¹-e hasti² saraab-aasaa³ hai
e’tebaar⁴-e saraab⁵ kaun karay   1.nature, character 2.life 3.mirage-like 4.trust 5.mirage
The nature of life (on earth) is like a mirage. Who can trust a mirage.
7
roke¹ baiThe haiN jo nasiboN² ko
yaad un ko janaab³ kaun karay   1.stopped 2.(good) fortune 3.sir, honorific
There is someone out there sitting on good fortune preventing it from reaching the poet. Sir, since good fortune is a lost cause, who will waste time remembering it.
8
lab¹ pe apne hai mohr²-e Khaamoshi³
phir savaal-o-javaab⁴ kaun karay   1.lips 2.stamp, seal 3.silence 4.questioning and retorting
This could well be political – my lips have been sealed with a stamp of silence. Who can now question or retort back. This could also be more conventional – about a lover to seal his lips and not say anything about his love for the beloved and not demand anything from her.