For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
فکر کی پرواز ۔ رام کرشن مضطرؔ
۱
وہ حُسن و عشق کی وادی نہ دشتِ روح نواز
وہ زندگی کی فضائیں نہ فکر کی پرواز
۲
دل و نگاہ پہ چھائی ہوئی ہے مایوسی
نہیں حیات میں کوئی حیات کا انداز
۳
یہ اِنقلابِ زمانہ ہے آہ کیا کہئیے
وہ ہم سخن ہیں نہ وہ صحبتیں نہ راز و نیاز
۴
کبھی جو چھیڑ دیا غم نے سازِ ہستی کو
ہر ایک پردے سے آنے لگی تری آواز
۵
کسی نے توڑ دیا پھر سکوتِ نیم شبی
میں سُن رہا تھا بڑی دیر سے تری آواز
फ़िक्र की परवाज़ – राम क्रिष्ण मुज़्तर
१
वो हुस्न ओ इश्क़ कि वादी न दश्त-ए रूह-नवाज़
वो ज़िंदगी कि फ़ज़ाएं न फ़िक्र की परवाज़
२
दिल ओ निगाह पे छाई हुई है मायूसी
नहीं हयात में कोई हयात का अंदाज़
३
ये इन्क़ेलाब-ए ज़माना है आह क्या कहिये
वो हम-सुख़न हैं न वो सोहबतें न राज़ ओ नियाज़
४
कभी जो छेढ दिया ग़म ने साज़-ए हस्ती को
हर एक परदे से आने लगी तेरी आवाज़
५
किसी ने तोढ दिया फिर सुकूत-ए नीम-शबी
मैं सुन रहा था बढी देर से तेरी आवाज़
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ram krishn muztar (1927-1984) buland shahr. He was adopted by a childless uncle and aunt, but they died while he was still very young. He did not have much interest in being a landlord and lost inherited lands to squatters but did his undergraduate in faarsi (with honours) from punjab university with further education from the Iranian Cultural House in dehli, in the late 1950s. Worked for milaap, dehli, an urdu daily newspaper/magazine. This Ghair muraddif (without a radeef) Ghazal has the same qaafiya as Ghalib’s ‘maiN huN apni shikast ki aavaaz’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
vo husn-o-ishq1 ki vaadi2 na dasht3-e rooh-navaaz4
vo zindagi ki fazaa’eN5 na fikr6 ki parvaaz7 1.beauty and love, beloved and lover 2.valley, expanse 3.wilderness 4.spirit nurturing 5.ambience, culture 6.thought, imagination 7.flight
This appears to bemoan the loss of classical literary traditions symbolized by the exaggerated narration of stories of lover and beloved and of majnuN wandering in the wilderness. Thus, no more the expansive valley of beauty and love, nor the spirit nurturing wilderness (of majnuN); neither that culture of life nor the flight of imagination.
2
dil o nigaah1 pe chhaaii hui hai mayoosi2
nahiN hayaat3 meN koii hayaat ka andaaz4 1.eyes, sight 2.hopelessness 3.life 4.style, ways, traditions
Hopelessness overwhelms feelings and sight. The old traditions of the ways of living are missing from life.
3
ye inqelaab1-e zamaana2 hai aah kya kahiye
vo ham-suKhan3 haiN na vo suhbateN4 na raaz5 o niyaaz6 1.change 2.times, traditions 3.fellow poets 4.friendships, associations 5.(sharing of) secrets 6.offerings, solicitations
Alas, what can be said about these changing times; neither are their poets of yore left, nor associations with them; neither do we share secrets nor offer any appreciation.
4
kabhi jo chheR diya Gham ne saaz1-e hasti2 ko
har ek parde3 se aane lagi teri aavaaz 1.musical instrument, harp 2.life 3.sheet of music
Whenever love/sorrow plucks the strings of the harp of life it plays the music of your voice. Here the ‘teri’/your could be the beloved of classical poetry or more generally classical poetic traditions.
5
kisi ne toR diya phir sukoot1-e niim-shabi2
maiN sun raha tha baRi der se teri aavaaz 1.silence, stillness 2.midnight
Someone has once again broken/disturbed the silence of the night, I had long been lost in imagination of your voice. The poet is imagining old times and traditions.
ram krishn muztar (1927-1984) buland shahr. He was adopted by a childless uncle and aunt, but they died while he was still very young. He did not have much interest in being a landlord and lost inherited lands to squatters but did his undergraduate in faarsi (with honours) from punjab university with further education from the Iranian Cultural House in dehli, in the late 1950s. Worked for milaap, dehli, an urdu daily newspaper/magazine. This Ghair muraddif (without a radeef) Ghazal has the same qaafiya as Ghalib’s ‘maiN huN apni shikast ki aavaaz’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
vo husn-o-ishq1 ki vaadi2 na dasht3-e rooh-navaaz4
vo zindagi ki fazaa’eN5 na fikr6 ki parvaaz7
1.beauty and love, beloved and lover 2.valley, expanse 3.wilderness 4.spirit nurturing 5.ambience, culture 6.thought, imagination 7.flight
This appears to bemoan the loss of classical literary traditions symbolized by the exaggerated narration of stories of lover and beloved and of majnuN wandering in the wilderness. Thus, no more the expansive valley of beauty and love, nor the spirit nurturing wilderness (of majnuN); neither that culture of life nor the flight of imagination.
2
dil o nigaah1 pe chhaaii hui hai mayoosi2
nahiN hayaat3 meN koii hayaat ka andaaz4
1.eyes, sight 2.hopelessness 3.life 4.style, ways, traditions
Hopelessness overwhelms feelings and sight. The old traditions of the ways of living are missing from life.
3
ye inqelaab1-e zamaana2 hai aah kya kahiye
vo ham-suKhan3 haiN na vo suhbateN4 na raaz5 o niyaaz6
1.change 2.times, traditions 3.fellow poets 4.friendships, associations 5.(sharing of) secrets 6.offerings, solicitations
Alas, what can be said about these changing times; neither are their poets of yore left, nor associations with them; neither do we share secrets nor offer any appreciation.
4
kabhi jo chheR diya Gham ne saaz1-e hasti2 ko
har ek parde3 se aane lagi teri aavaaz
1.musical instrument, harp 2.life 3.sheet of music
Whenever love/sorrow plucks the strings of the harp of life it plays the music of your voice. Here the ‘teri’/your could be the beloved of classical poetry or more generally classical poetic traditions.
5
kisi ne toR diya phir sukoot1-e niim-shabi2
maiN sun raha tha baRi der se teri aavaaz
1.silence, stillness 2.midnight
Someone has once again broken/disturbed the silence of the night, I had long been lost in imagination of your voice. The poet is imagining old times and traditions.
Khoob