For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
پنڈت نہرو ۔ اُدئے سنگھ شائقؔ
۱
قوم کی دشواریاں آسان کرنے کے لئے
کھیل جانا جان پر تیرے لئے مشکل نہ تھا
۲
تیرا شوقِ والہانا بے نیازِ مدعا
تیرا ذوقِ جستجو مِنّت کشِ منزل نہ تھا
۳
وہ سکوں ناآشنا موجوں کا جوشِ اضطراب
آہ، وہ دریا ترا جس کا کوئی ساحل نہ تھا
۴
زِندگی دار و رسن پر رقص میں تیرے حضور
زندگی کو موت کا اندیشۂ باطل نہ تھا
۵
کُودنا بحرِ حوادث میں تھی تیری آرزو
تجھ کو شوقِ لطفِ ہم آغوشیِ ساحل نہ تھا
۶
تیری کِشتِ آرزو پر سو بلاؤں کا نزول
برقِ خرمن کے سوا تیرا کوئی حاصل نہ تھا
۷
عمر بھر جلتا رہا سوزِ وطن کی آگ میں
شعلۂ جوّالہ تھا پہلو میں تیرے دل نہ تھا
۸
تیرے تابع وقت تھا اور دہر میں تیرے لئے
روک لینا گردشِ ایّام کا مشکل نہ تھا
۹
تُو وطن کے واسطے تھا اور وطن تیرے لئے
تیرے اُس کے درمیاں پردہ کوئی حائل نہ تھا
۱۰
پھر شرف ملنے کا حاصل ہو تو یہ پوچھیں تجھے
تُو نے کیوں چھوڑا وطن کیا یہ ترے قابل نہ تھا
पंडित नेहरू – उदय सिंघ शा’एक़
१
क़ौम की दुश्वारियां आसान करने के लिये
खेल जाना जान पर तेरे लिये मुश्किल न था
२
तेरा शौक़-ए वालहाना बे-नियाज़-ए मुद्द’आ
तेरा जौक़-ए जुस्तजू मिन्नत-कश-ए मंज़िल न था
३
वो सुकूं ना-आश्ना मौजौं का जोश-ए इज़्तराब
आह, वो दर्या तेरा जिस का कोई साहिल न था
४
ज़िन्दगी दार ओ रसन पर रक़्स में तेरे हुज़ूर
ज़िन्दगी को मौत का अंदेशा-ए बातिल न था
५
कूदना बहर-ए हवादिस में थी तेरी आर्ज़ू
तुझ को शौक़-ए लुत्फ़-ए हम-आग़ोशि-ए साहिल न था
६
तेरी किश्त-ए आर्ज़ू पर सौ बलाऔं का नुज़ूल
बर्क़-ए ख़िरमन के सिवा तेरा कोई हासिल न था
७
उम्र भर जलता रहा सोज़-ए वतन कि आग में
शो’ला-ए जव्वाला था पहलू में तेरे दिल न था
८
तेरे ताब’ए वक़्त था और दहर में तेरे लिये
रोक लेना गर्दिश-ए अय्याम का मुश्किल न था
९
तू वतन के वास्ते था और वतन तेरे लिये
तेरे उस के दर्मियां पर्दा कोई हाएल न था
१०
फिर शरफ़ मिलने का हासिल हो तो ये पूछें तुझे
तू ने क्यूं छोढा वतन, क्या ये तेरे क़ाबिल न था
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. udai siNgh shaa’eq (1897-1987), faridkoT, India. He retired as a General in the Indian army and then went on to serve in the legal profession as a solicitor in the panjab government. Retired from there to his ancestral home in faridkoT. This nazm, a tribute to nehru is linked to that icon on the Theme page.
1
qaum1 ki dushvaariyaaN2 aasaan karne ke liye
khel jaana3 jaan par tere liye mushkil4 na tha 1.nation 2.difficulties 3.wager life, put life on the line 4.difficult
To overcome the difficulties of the nation, it was not difficult for you to put your life on the line.
2
tera shauq1-e vaalehaana2 be-niyaaz3-e mudd’uaa4
tera zauq5-e justaju6 minnat-kash7-e manzil8 na tha 1.desire, love 2.mad, passionate, intense 3.unmindful, indifferent 4.personal desire 5.taste, desire 6.effort 7.obliged to 8.destination
Your intense desire was unmindful of any personal gain. Your taste for effort/trying was not obliged to reaching a destination i.e., you kept trying even if it was not obvious that the destination was within reach.
3
vo sukooN1 na-aashna2 maujoN ka josh3-e izteraab4
aah, vo darya5 tera jis ka koii saahil6 na tha 1.tranquility, rest 2.unfamiliar 3.passion 4.restlessness, movement 5.ocean 6.shore
O those waves, passionate for constant movement, unfamiliar with rest. Oh, that ocean of yours that did not know a shore.
4
zindagi daar-o-rasan1 par raqs2 meN tere huzoor3
zindagi ko maut ka andesha4-e baatil5 na tha 1.hanging platform and rope, gallows 2.dance 3.in the presence of, before 4.fear 5.hidden, unknown
Before you (for you), life danced on the gallows. Life (you) were not fearful of the unknown.
5
koodna bahr1-e havaadis2 meN thi teri aarzuu3
tujh ko shauq4-e lutf-e ham-aaGhoshi5-e saahil6 na tha 1.sea 2.mishaps, problems 3.desire 4.wish 5.embrace 6.shore
Your desire was to jump into the sea of problems. You did not wish to embrace the (safety of the) shore.
6
teri kisht1-e aarzu2 par sau balaaoN3 ka nuzool4
barq5-e Khirman6 ke siva7 tera koii haasil8 na tha 1.tillage, field, farm 2.desires 3.calamities 4.descent, coming down 5.lightning 6.harvest 7.except for 8.yield, benefit
In your field of desires, a hundred calamities descended. Except for the lightning strike on the harvest, there was no benefit of your effort.
7
umr-bhar1 jalta raha soz2-e vatan3 ki aag meN
sho’la4-e javvaala5 tha pahlu6 meN tere dil na tha 1.life-long 2.fire, passion 3.homeland 4.flame 5.moving, rising, dancing 6.bosom
All your life you burned in passionate love for the homeland. You had a rising flame in your bosom, not a heart.
8
tere taab’e1 vaqt tha aur dahr2 meN tere liye
rok lena gardish-e-ayyaam3 ka mushkil4 na tha 1.obedient, subordinate 2.world 3.vicissitude of time, changing for fortune 4.difficult
Time was at your command and in the world, it was not difficult for you to change the course of events.
9
tuu vatan1 ke vaaste tha aur vatan tere liye
tere us ke darmiyaaN2 parda3 koii haa’el4 na tha 1.homeland 2.between 3.curtain 4.obstruction
You were for the homeland and the homeland was for you. Between you and the homeland no curtain was hung i.e., you did not keep any secrets from the people and you knew the country intimately.
10
phir sharaf1 milne ka haasil2 ho to yeh poochheN tujhe
tu ne kyuN chhoRa vatan3, kya yeh tere qaabil4 na tha 1.honour, opportunity 2.available, 3.homeland 4.suitable
If we get the opportunity to meet you again, we will ask why did you leave the homeland (why did you die). Was it not good enough for you. This is a lament about his death.
udai siNgh shaa’eq (1897-1987), faridkoT, India. He retired as a General in the Indian army and then went on to serve in the legal profession as a solicitor in the panjab government. Retired from there to his ancestral home in faridkoT. This nazm, a tribute to nehru is linked to that icon on the Theme page.
1
qaum1 ki dushvaariyaaN2 aasaan karne ke liye
khel jaana3 jaan par tere liye mushkil4 na tha
1.nation 2.difficulties 3.wager life, put life on the line 4.difficult
To overcome the difficulties of the nation, it was not difficult for you to put your life on the line.
2
tera shauq1-e vaalehaana2 be-niyaaz3-e mudd’uaa4
tera zauq5-e justaju6 minnat-kash7-e manzil8 na tha
1.desire, love 2.mad, passionate, intense 3.unmindful, indifferent 4.personal desire 5.taste, desire 6.effort 7.obliged to 8.destination
Your intense desire was unmindful of any personal gain. Your taste for effort/trying was not obliged to reaching a destination i.e., you kept trying even if it was not obvious that the destination was within reach.
3
vo sukooN1 na-aashna2 maujoN ka josh3-e izteraab4
aah, vo darya5 tera jis ka koii saahil6 na tha
1.tranquility, rest 2.unfamiliar 3.passion 4.restlessness, movement 5.ocean 6.shore
O those waves, passionate for constant movement, unfamiliar with rest. Oh, that ocean of yours that did not know a shore.
4
zindagi daar-o-rasan1 par raqs2 meN tere huzoor3
zindagi ko maut ka andesha4-e baatil5 na tha
1.hanging platform and rope, gallows 2.dance 3.in the presence of, before 4.fear 5.hidden, unknown
Before you (for you), life danced on the gallows. Life (you) were not fearful of the unknown.
5
koodna bahr1-e havaadis2 meN thi teri aarzuu3
tujh ko shauq4-e lutf-e ham-aaGhoshi5-e saahil6 na tha
1.sea 2.mishaps, problems 3.desire 4.wish 5.embrace 6.shore
Your desire was to jump into the sea of problems. You did not wish to embrace the (safety of the) shore.
6
teri kisht1-e aarzu2 par sau balaaoN3 ka nuzool4
barq5-e Khirman6 ke siva7 tera koii haasil8 na tha
1.tillage, field, farm 2.desires 3.calamities 4.descent, coming down 5.lightning 6.harvest 7.except for 8.yield, benefit
In your field of desires, a hundred calamities descended. Except for the lightning strike on the harvest, there was no benefit of your effort.
7
umr-bhar1 jalta raha soz2-e vatan3 ki aag meN
sho’la4-e javvaala5 tha pahlu6 meN tere dil na tha
1.life-long 2.fire, passion 3.homeland 4.flame 5.moving, rising, dancing 6.bosom
All your life you burned in passionate love for the homeland. You had a rising flame in your bosom, not a heart.
8
tere taab’e1 vaqt tha aur dahr2 meN tere liye
rok lena gardish-e-ayyaam3 ka mushkil4 na tha
1.obedient, subordinate 2.world 3.vicissitude of time, changing for fortune 4.difficult
Time was at your command and in the world, it was not difficult for you to change the course of events.
9
tuu vatan1 ke vaaste tha aur vatan tere liye
tere us ke darmiyaaN2 parda3 koii haa’el4 na tha
1.homeland 2.between 3.curtain 4.obstruction
You were for the homeland and the homeland was for you. Between you and the homeland no curtain was hung i.e., you did not keep any secrets from the people and you knew the country intimately.
10
phir sharaf1 milne ka haasil2 ho to yeh poochheN tujhe
tu ne kyuN chhoRa vatan3, kya yeh tere qaabil4 na tha
1.honour, opportunity 2.available, 3.homeland 4.suitable
If we get the opportunity to meet you again, we will ask why did you leave the homeland (why did you die). Was it not good enough for you. This is a lament about his death.
