For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
میرا پتہ میرے بعد ۔ مہر لعل سونی ضیاؔ
۱
اب لبِ چارہ گراں پر ہے دعا میرے بعد
مل گئی کیا غمِ دل تیری دوا میرے بعد
۲
میری مستی سے تھی تعظیم سبُو خانوں کی
پائے ساقی پہ کوئی سر نہ جھکا میرے بعد
۳
اپنے سینے میں جسے میں نے چھپا رکھا تھا
میری ہستی کا وہی راز کھلا میرے بعد
۴
رنگ لائے گا یہ آخر مرا خونِ ناحق
آندھیوں سے بھی بجھے گا نہ دیا میرے بعد
۵
خود کشی جرم تھا یہ اُس کی سزا مجھ کو ملی
حسن کی آنکھ سے اِک اشک گرا میرے بعد
۶
اور ہے کون جو کھائے گا فریبِ اِبلیس
اپنی جنت میں ہے خوش کتنا خدا میرے بعد
۷
میں ضیاؔ ہوں مجھے پہچانو مری قدر کرو
پھر ملے گا نہ تمہیں میرا پتہ میرے بعد
मेरा पता मेरे बाद – मेहर लाल सोनी ज़िया
१
अब लब-ए चारागरां पर है दुआ मेरे बाद
मिल गई क्या ग़म-ए दिल तेरी दवा मेरे बाद
२
मेरी मस्ती से थी ता’ज़ीम सुबू-ख़ानौं की
पा-ए साक़ी पे कोई सर न झुका मेरे बाद
३
अपने सीने में जिसे मैंने छुपा रक्खा था
मेरी हस्ती का वही राज़ खुला मेरे बाद
४
रंग लाएगा ये आख़िर मेरा ख़ून-ए नाहक़
आंधियों से भी बुझेगा न दिया मेरे बाद
५
ख़ुदकुशी जुर्म था ये उस की सज़ा मुझ को मिली
हुस्न की आँख से एक अश्क गिरा मेरे बाद
६
और है कौन जो खाएगा फ़रेब-ए इब्लीस
अपनी जन्नत में है ख़ुश कितना ख़ुदा मेरे बाद
७
मैं ज़िया हूँ मुझे पहचानो मेरी क़द्र करो
फिर मिलेगा न तुम्हें मेरा पता मेरे बाद
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mahr lal soni zia (1913-1986), kapurthala, panjab. Even though he had no family tradition of urdu or shaa’eri, he fell in love with both at an early age and learnt at home from an ustaad. He got a BA and MA from Forman Christian College and served as student magazine editor. Worked at the Reserve Bank of India. He was a shaagird of seemab akbarabadi and has more than half a dozen collections to his credit. He started composing in 1930 with the first collection published in 1934. In addition to nazm, Ghazal and rubaaii, he published biographies and critiques of shu’ara. This Ghazal, in the zamin of Ghalib is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
ab lab1-e charagaraaN2 par hai dua mere baad
mil ga’ii kya Gham-e dil teri davaa mere baad 1.lips 2.healers
Now on the lips of healers, there are prayers for me. O my heart’s sorrow, has a remedy been found after me? One interpretation- there is no cure for the heart’s sorrow except death. Healers tried and failed. Now they are praying, and it is too late. This is a sarcastic comment on the general thinking that a cure can be found. Alternative- the beloved herself is the healer in which case ‘chaaragaraaN’ has be read as singular, which may be a problem. The beloved is praying for him after his death. During his lifetime such a prayer would have cured him. Is this the cure now. Will it console his soul.
2
meri masti1 se thi taaz’iim2 subuu-KhaanoN3 ki
paa4-e saaqi pe koi sar na jhukaa mere baad 1.intoxication 2.reverence 3.taverns 4.feet
My intoxication brought honor to the taverns. No one bows their head at the feet of the cupbearer after me. The poet takes pride in their role in giving meaning and respect to liberal, free-thinking places of joy and indulgence. Without the poet, even the cupbearer’s charm loses its power, symbolizing his unique influence.
3
apne siine1 meN jise maiN ne chhupaa rakkha tha
meri hastii2 ka vahii raaz3 khulaa mere baad 1.bosom, heart 2.life, existence 3.secret
That which I had kept hidden within my heart, the secret of my existence was revealed after me. What is that secret, who revealed it. One possibility- his love for the beloved and it was revealed only because she wept. He himself had steadfastly observed the conventional rules of love and hidden his passion. If there are other possibilities that others can see, please let me know.
4
raNg1 laa’ega yeh aaKhir2 mera Khoon3-e naahaq4
aandhiyoN se bhi bujhega na diya5 mere baad 1.raNg laana is an expression meaning ‘have an effect, show results’ 2.at last 3.killing 4.unjustified 5.lamp
My innocent blood will eventually bear its mark. Even storms will fail to extinguish this lamp after me. One possible interpretation- the beloved has caused his death either by directly killing him or killing him through her indifference. The light of love will shine brightly even in the face of storms and everyone will know about this unjustified killing. This is a nice play on the poet’s taKhallus- zia, meaning light.
5
Khudkushi1 jurm2 tha yeh uss ki sazaa3 mujh ko mili
husn4 ki aaNkh se ek ashk5 giraa mere baad 1.suicide 2.crime 3.punishment 4.beauty, beloved 5.tear
Suicide was a crime, and I was punished for it. A tear fell from beauty/beloved’s eye after I was gone. The poet has killed himself of despondency (but he can still write and recite ash’aar). The punishment for this sin is interesting – the beloved has wept and this is enough of a punishment for the lover.
6
aur hai kaun jo khaa’ega fareb1-e ibliis2
apni jannat meN hai Khush kitna khuda mere baad 1.deception, trickery 2.satan 3.paradise
Who else will fall prey to Satan’s deception? How content/happy God seems in his paradise after me. This is a humorous observation of the original banishment from heaven of aadam. Now god has no one else to be tricked by shaitaan. Thus the poet claims exclusivity for humans.
7
maiN zia1 huN mujhe pahchaano2 meri qadr3 karo
phir milega na tumheN mera pataa4 mere baad 1.pen-name, light 2.recognize 3.value 4.whereabouts, access, address, presence
I am zia (the poet or light of knowledge), know/recognize me and value me/my words. You will not find my trace after I am gone. The poet asserts his uniqueness and warns of his irreplaceability. Such assertions cannot be treated as real ego – just a conventional play of poets.
mahr lal soni zia (1913-1986), kapurthala, panjab. Even though he had no family tradition of urdu or shaa’eri, he fell in love with both at an early age and learnt at home from an ustaad. He got a BA and MA from Forman Christian College and served as student magazine editor. Worked at the Reserve Bank of India. He was a shaagird of seemab akbarabadi and has more than half a dozen collections to his credit. He started composing in 1930 with the first collection published in 1934. In addition to nazm, Ghazal and rubaaii, he published biographies and critiques of shu’ara. This Ghazal, in the zamin of Ghalib is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
ab lab1-e charagaraaN2 par hai dua mere baad
mil ga’ii kya Gham-e dil teri davaa mere baad
1.lips 2.healers
Now on the lips of healers, there are prayers for me. O my heart’s sorrow, has a remedy been found after me? One interpretation- there is no cure for the heart’s sorrow except death. Healers tried and failed. Now they are praying, and it is too late. This is a sarcastic comment on the general thinking that a cure can be found. Alternative- the beloved herself is the healer in which case ‘chaaragaraaN’ has be read as singular, which may be a problem. The beloved is praying for him after his death. During his lifetime such a prayer would have cured him. Is this the cure now. Will it console his soul.
2
meri masti1 se thi taaz’iim2 subuu-KhaanoN3 ki
paa4-e saaqi pe koi sar na jhukaa mere baad
1.intoxication 2.reverence 3.taverns 4.feet
My intoxication brought honor to the taverns. No one bows their head at the feet of the cupbearer after me. The poet takes pride in their role in giving meaning and respect to liberal, free-thinking places of joy and indulgence. Without the poet, even the cupbearer’s charm loses its power, symbolizing his unique influence.
3
apne siine1 meN jise maiN ne chhupaa rakkha tha
meri hastii2 ka vahii raaz3 khulaa mere baad
1.bosom, heart 2.life, existence 3.secret
That which I had kept hidden within my heart, the secret of my existence was revealed after me. What is that secret, who revealed it. One possibility- his love for the beloved and it was revealed only because she wept. He himself had steadfastly observed the conventional rules of love and hidden his passion. If there are other possibilities that others can see, please let me know.
4
raNg1 laa’ega yeh aaKhir2 mera Khoon3-e naahaq4
aandhiyoN se bhi bujhega na diya5 mere baad
1.raNg laana is an expression meaning ‘have an effect, show results’ 2.at last 3.killing 4.unjustified 5.lamp
My innocent blood will eventually bear its mark. Even storms will fail to extinguish this lamp after me. One possible interpretation- the beloved has caused his death either by directly killing him or killing him through her indifference. The light of love will shine brightly even in the face of storms and everyone will know about this unjustified killing. This is a nice play on the poet’s taKhallus- zia, meaning light.
5
Khudkushi1 jurm2 tha yeh uss ki sazaa3 mujh ko mili
husn4 ki aaNkh se ek ashk5 giraa mere baad
1.suicide 2.crime 3.punishment 4.beauty, beloved 5.tear
Suicide was a crime, and I was punished for it. A tear fell from beauty/beloved’s eye after I was gone. The poet has killed himself of despondency (but he can still write and recite ash’aar). The punishment for this sin is interesting – the beloved has wept and this is enough of a punishment for the lover.
6
aur hai kaun jo khaa’ega fareb1-e ibliis2
apni jannat meN hai Khush kitna khuda mere baad
1.deception, trickery 2.satan 3.paradise
Who else will fall prey to Satan’s deception? How content/happy God seems in his paradise after me. This is a humorous observation of the original banishment from heaven of aadam. Now god has no one else to be tricked by shaitaan. Thus the poet claims exclusivity for humans.
7
maiN zia1 huN mujhe pahchaano2 meri qadr3 karo
phir milega na tumheN mera pataa4 mere baad
1.pen-name, light 2.recognize 3.value 4.whereabouts, access, address, presence
I am zia (the poet or light of knowledge), know/recognize me and value me/my words. You will not find my trace after I am gone. The poet asserts his uniqueness and warns of his irreplaceability. Such assertions cannot be treated as real ego – just a conventional play of poets.
