Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ram siNgh sharar fatehpuri (1928-1992), fatehpur, haryaana. MA (urdu) and MEd, from aligaRh. He worked in the Department of Education, haryaana. Progressive Writers’ Association, Communist Party of India, awardee of the saahitya akademi of haryaana and uttar pradesh. Soviet Land’s Nehru Award. He composed a large body of protest nazm. This nazm is reminescent of faiz ahmed faiz’s mauzoo-e suKhan.
1
husn¹-e ruKhsaar² vohi kaakul³-e shab-taab⁴ vohi
raNg-e gulnaar⁵ vohi paikar⁶-e shaadaab⁷ vohi
Khanda⁸-e shooKh⁹ vohi jazba¹⁰-e be-taab¹¹ vohi
diida¹²-e mast¹³ vohi kaif¹⁴-e mai-e-naab¹⁵ vohi
naGhma¹⁶-e shauq¹⁷ vohi soz¹⁸ vohi saaz¹⁹ vohi
saf²⁰-e mizshgaaN²¹ meN hai pahli si tug-o-taaz²² vohi    1.beauty 2.face, cheeks 3.curly forelocks 4.pitch black 5.crimson red 6.image, picture 7.fresh, youthful 8.smile 9.mischievous 10.sentiment, feelings 11.eager 12.eyes 13.intoxicating 14.pleasure 15.pure/strong wine 16.song 17.desire 18.fire, pain 19.music 20.line 21.eylashes 22.struggle, push and pull, hesitation
The theme of this nazm appears to be similar to faiz ahmed faiz’s ‘mauzoo-e suKhan’ in which he says –
apne afkaar ki asha’ar ki duniya hai yahi
jaan e mazmuN hai yahi, shahid e maa’na hai yahi
Thus, the beauty of the beloved’s face, her dark curls, her youthful image and redness of cheeks are still the same. Her mischievous smile, her eager feelings, her intoxicating eyes like strong wine. It the same song of desire, the same song of passion, the same eyelashes and her hesitation/struggle to look up.
2
hasrat¹-e diid² taRapti³ hai nigaahoN⁴ meN yuNhi
kaifiyat⁵ soz⁶-e mohabbat ki hai aaNkhoN meN yuNhi
ruk ke uThte haiN qadam⁷ shauq⁸ ki raahoN⁹ meN yuNhi
koi mahsoor¹⁰ hai taKh’iil¹¹ ki baahauN¹² meN yuNhi    1.longing, desire 2.sight, to see 3.tossing in pain, agitated 4.eyes 5.condition 6.fire, pain 7.steps 8.desire 9.path 10.surrounded 11.imagination 12.arms
The eyes are agitated as ever, with the longing to see the beloved. The condition of the pain of love remains in the eyes as always. Steps in the path of love hesitate in fear like they used to. Someone is held tight in the arms of imagination. Note … all of these descriptions could apply both to the beloved and to the lover. Their condition of love has not changed.
3
nabz¹-e ehsaas² meN voh garmi-e KhooN aaj bhi hai
sirr³-e idraak⁴ meN agla⁵ sa junooN⁶ aaj bhi hai    1.pulse, throbbing 2.feelings 3.secret, mystery 4.perception, understanding 5.past 6.passion, madness
Warm blood throbs with feelings like before. Perception/knowledge is secretly/silently driven by passion just like in the past.
4
vaadi¹-e najd² meN haiN qais³ pareshaaN kitnay
koocha⁴-e ishq meN haiN chaak⁵ garebaaN⁶ kitnay
roz biktay⁷ haiN yahaaN yousuf-e-kan’aaN⁸ kitnay
ahl⁹-e dil aaj bhi haiN kushta¹⁰-e hirmaaN¹¹ kitnay    1.valley, plains 2.desert of arabia 3.majnuN 4.street 5.torn 6.collar 7.sold 8.Joseph of the tribe of Canaan 9.people of 10.killed by, victims of 11.sorrow
The theme here is that the tradition of love continues. It has reference to the legend of laila-majnuN in which majnuN, the mad passionate lover used to wander the plains of the desert of najd looking for his beloved laila. It also uses the story of yousuf/Joseph who was pulled out of a well by a caravan and sold off as a slave. The wife of his new owner fell madly in love with him. Thus, even today there are many passionate lovers … there are many majnuN wandering the plains of najd, there are many mad lovers who tear their collars in passion in the street of the beloved, there are many yousuf sold off in slavery. To this day, there are people of heart i.e., lovers who are victims of sorrow.
5
qissa¹-e daar-o-rasan² nok³-e zabaaN hai ab bhi
jazbah⁴-e koh-kani⁵ dil meN javaaN⁶ hai ab bhi    1.story 2.hanging platform and rope 3.tip 4.feelings 5.mountain carving 6.strong
This has reference to the legend of shiriN-farhaad. farhaad was set an impossible task as a condition of getting the hand of shirin in marriage. He was to carve a channel through a mountain to make a river of milk flow. Impossible as the task was he set about it with a passion. ‘jazba-e kohkani’ is the passion of undertaking impossible tasks to win the beloved. The story of ‘daar o rasan’ symbolizes the lover’s willingness to lay down his life. Thus, even to this day, stories of hanging are on tips of tongues and the passion of carving channels through mountains is strong.
6
aye Gham-e ishq teray soz¹-e nehaani² ki qasam³
josh⁴-e vahshat⁵ ki qasam sh’ola-fashaani⁶ ki qasam
husn⁷-e bebaak⁸ teri shooKh⁹ javaani ki qasam
dil-e be-taab¹⁰ teri raam-kahaani¹¹ ki qasam     1.fire, pain 2.hidden 3.swear by 4.frenzy 5.madness 6.spreading flames, breathing fire 7.beauty 8.fearless 9.teasing, mischievous 10.restless, eager 11.long/full story
The poet is swearing by/affirming the truth of the statements he has made in the preceding stanzas … swearing by the hidden fire of the sorrow of love, frenzy of madness, breathing fire and by the full story of his restless heart. He also swears by the fearless beauty/beloved and her teasing youth.
7
aaj bhi laila o shiiriiN ka chalan zindah hai
ishq raKhshanda¹ hai taabinda² hai paa’indah³ hai   1.shining, dazzling 2.bright, sparkling 3.stable, permanent, long-lasting
Here laila and shiiriin symbolize the beloved and ‘ishq’ symbolizes the lover. Thus, even today the ways/traditions of the beloved are alive and love dazzles, sparkles and is everlasting.