Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit anand narain mulla (1901-1997), lukhnow, thoughtful and thoughtprovoking shaa’er. MA English Literature. Learnt urdu and faarsi at home. First venture into poetry translation of parts of iqbal’s ‘payaam-e mashriq’ into English. First urdu nazm published 1925. Ardent urdu lover as a language of the people. High court justice, parliamentarian and strong secularist and rationalist/atheist.
1
nazar¹ hogi to hum tiishe² meN juu³-e shiir⁴ dekheNge
kaf⁵-e mae’maar⁶ meN baam-o-dar⁷-e tamiir⁸ dekheNge    1.vision 2.pickaxe 3.river 4.milk 5.hand 6.builder 7.roof and doors, homes, palaces 8.constructing, building, making
This has reference to the legend of shiriiN-farhaad. shiiriiN was married to the king but she and farhaad fell in love while he was working as a sculptor at the palace. The king agreed to divorce shiriiN and let her marry him if he were able to dig a channel through the mountain and bring a river of milk to the palace. farhaad immediately set about the task like a madman with his pickaxe. Here, ‘vision’ signifies not just sight but a vision/dream/aspiration for the future. Thus, if we have the vision, a passion for the future, then we will be able to see the potential of a river of milk in a pickaxe. In the second misra, ‘baam-o-dar’, roof and doors, signifies a building – a humble home or a grand palace. Thus, if we have the vision, we will be able to see a grand palace in the hands of the builder. While talking of tools and hands, the poet primarily means the resolve to do something.
2
mohabbat farq¹ kho deti hai aala² aur adna³ ka
ruKh⁴-e Khurshiid⁵ meN zarre⁶ ki hum tanviir⁷ dekheNge    1.difference 2.aala, superior 3.low, inferior 4.face 5.sun 6.speck of dust 7.brilliance
Love does not differentiate between high and low, inferior and superior. There is a tinge of sufi thought in this. In sufi thought the climax of love is merger with god, erasing the difference between creator and human. True love will make us see the same brilliance in a speck of dust that we see in the face of the moon. This can also be interpreted to mean erasing societal differences with universal love.
3
baRhega silsila¹ jab irtebaat²-e mulk³-o-millat⁴ ka
to is zanjiir⁵ ko ek roz aalamgiir⁶ dekheNge    1.series, connection 2.alliance, friendship 3.nation, homeland 4.community 5.chain, binding 6.world conquering
If the series of alliances between homeland and community increases then we will see this relationship/chain, one day become so strong that the world will not be able to subdue it. This is probably aimed at building communal harmony.
4
kareNge taa-ba-imkaaN¹ parda-poshi² raaz³-e ulfat⁴ ki
raheNge band aaNkheN aur teri tasviir dekheNge    1.to the limit of possibility 2.keeping veiled 3.secret 4.love
In poetic tradition the lover always hides his love so as not to malign the reputation of the beloved. Gazing at her or even looking at her might reveal the secret. Thus, he will keep her image in mind and look at it with his eyes closed. He will try to keep the secret of his love under wraps as much as possible.
5
kisi ko hum na raundaeNge¹ agar² raah³-e taraqqi⁴ meN
to har ek Khaak⁵ ke zarre⁶ ko daaman-giir⁷ dekheNge     1.trample 2.if 3.path 4.progress 5.dust 6.speck 7.holding the hem of the garment
Here ‘Khaak ke zarre’ are the common people whose labout makes progress possible. We are on the path to progress and the elite trample on the common people and keep them down. If they stop doing this, then they will realize that these common people can/will pull the hem of their garment. Holding and pulling the hem is an expression used to mean protest. Thus, by trampling them, we are totally unaware of the injustice we are committing. If we stop trampling then we will be able to realize how unjust we have been on the path to progress.
6
teri taqdiir¹ meN likkhi hai aye farhaad² naakaami³
dilaa’egi tujhe kya chiiz juu⁴-e shiir⁵ dekheNge    1.fate 2.of shiiriiN-farhaad legend 3.failure 4.river 5.milk
We go back to the legend of shiiriiN-farhaad. farhaad was set the task of cutting a channel and make a river of milk flow because the king thought it was an impossible task and he was getting rid of farhaad. But with his passion and resolve, farhaad almost succeeded. The king, afraid of his success, caused rumours to spread the shiirin had died. Upon hearing this, farhaad killed himself. Thus, his death/failure was pre-planned. O farhaad, failure was written in your fate. We can see what the river of milk got you i.e., it got you your death. Perhaps the poet is reflecting on what the worker gets for their labour. Their failure/exploitation is pre-ordained by the scheme of the privileged.
7
phireN ge taan¹ kar siina usi dam² tak adu³ apne
na jab tak aek-jaa⁴ baaham⁵ kamaan-o-tiir⁶ dekheNge
1.puffed up chest, arrogant 2.moment 3.enemies 4.at one place 5.together 6.bow and arrow
Here probably bow and arrow means muslims and hindus and adu – the enemy is the British colonizer. Thus, the enemy will go about with squared shoulders and puffed up chest, only until the moment when he sees the bow and arrow in one place, together aimed at him.