For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
ہم نے اعتبار کیا ۔ شبّیر حسن خاں جوشؔ ملیح آبادی
۱
وہ صبر دے کہ نہ دے جس نے بیقرار کیا
بس اب تمہیں پہ چلو ہم نے انحصار کیا
۲
تمہارا ذکر نہیں ہے تمہارا نام نہیں
کیا نصیب کا شکوہ ہزار بار کیا
۳
ثبوت ہے یہ محبت کی سادہ لوحی کا
جب اس نے وعدہ کیا ہم نے اعتبار کیا
۴
مآل ہم نے جو دیکھا سکون و جنبش کا
تو کچھ سمجھ کے تڑپنا ہی اختیار کیا
۵
مرے خدا نے مرے سب گناہ بخش دیے
کسی کا رات کو یوں میں نے انتظار کیا
हम ने ए’तेबार किया – शब्बीर हसन ख़ां जोश मलीहआबादी
१
वो सब्र दे के न दे जिस ने बे-क़रार किया
बस अब तुम्हीं पे चलो हम ने इन्हेसार किया
२
तुम्हारा ज़िक्र नहीं है तुम्हारा नाम नहीं
किया नसीब का शिकवा हज़ार बार किया
३
सुबूत है ये मोहब्बत की सादा-लौही का
जब उस ने वा’दा किया हम ने ए’तेबार किया
४
म’आल हम ने जो देखा सुकून ओ जुम्बिश का
तो कुछ समझ के तढपना ही एख़्तियार किया
५
मेरे ख़ुदा ने मेरे सब गुनाह बख़्श दिए
किसी का रात को यूँ मैं ने इंतेज़ार किया
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is known as a poet of revolution. He was a secular humanist writing sharply against colonialism, abuse of power, injustice and orthodoxy. This short Ghazal is linked to other ham-radeef Ghazal on the Refrain Index page.
1
voh sabr1 de keh na de jis ne be-qaraar2 kiya
bas ab tumhiiN pe chalo ham ne inhesaar3 kiya 1.patience, forbearance 2.restless 3.dependence, trust
Who is the ‘voh’ in the first misra – is it god, the beloved or the heart. Let us start with the heart. It is the heart that has made the poet/lover restless. It is up to the heart to given the ability to bear this restlessness. The heart may or may not grant him this forbearance. Who is the ‘tumhiiN’ in the second misra. I suggest the beloved. In the absence of any help from the heart, the poet/lover is reduced to depending/relying on the beloved to give him some relief. It is very unusual to rely like this on the beloved, but the lover has no choice because of his helplessness in affairs of the heart.
2
tumhaaraa zikr1 nahiiN hai tumhaaraa naam nahiiN
kiya nasiib2 kaa shikva3 hazaar4 baar kiya 1.mention 2.fate 3.complaint 4.thousand
This appears to me to be a defensive she’r. The beloved has accused the poet/lover of bringing her disrepute. He protests – there is no mention of you in my narrative, there is no hint of your name. I have not revealed the source of my sorrow; I have only complained about my fate, complained a thousand times, yes, but only about my fate.
3
subuut1 hai ye mohabbat kii saada-lauhii2 kaa
jab uss ne vaa’da3 kiya ham ne e’tebaar4 kiya 1.proof 2.simple-mindedness 3.promise 4.believe, trust
In the poetic tradition the beloved makes promises to meet the poet/lover but never keeps her promise. With such repeated breaking of promises, the lover should have learnt not to trust. But it is a proof of the simple-mindedness of his love that when the beloved promises, he believes.
4
m’aal1 ham ne jo dekhaa sukuun2 o jumbish3 kaa
to kuchh samajh4 ke taRapnaa5 hii eKhtiyaar6 kiya 1.result, outcome 2.tranquility, calmness 3.movement, struggle 4.understanding 5.restlessness, thrashing in pain 6.adopt, embrace
Perhaps this is a reflection of the lover’s understanding of calmness/tranquility vs turbulence/struggle of love. He understood that the outcome of neither one is pleasant. Neither can he be patient and calm, nor can he struggle and succeed in love. Therefore he has adopted the mode of restlessness and pain as the only option.
5
mer’e Khudaa ne mer’e sab gunaah1 baKhsh2 diye
kisii kaa raat ko yuuN maiN ne intezaar3 kiya 1.sins 2.forgave, absolved 3.wait
My god forgave me all my sins seeing how I waited/suffered all night long for ‘someone’. The ‘someone’ is the beloved. He underwent such torture/suffering during the wait that god may have decided that this was punishment enough and forgave him all his sins.
josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is known as a poet of revolution. He was a secular humanist writing sharply against colonialism, abuse of power, injustice and orthodoxy. This short Ghazal is linked to other ham-radeef Ghazal on the Refrain Index page.
1
voh sabr1 de keh na de jis ne be-qaraar2 kiya
bas ab tumhiiN pe chalo ham ne inhesaar3 kiya
1.patience, forbearance 2.restless 3.dependence, trust
Who is the ‘voh’ in the first misra – is it god, the beloved or the heart. Let us start with the heart. It is the heart that has made the poet/lover restless. It is up to the heart to given the ability to bear this restlessness. The heart may or may not grant him this forbearance. Who is the ‘tumhiiN’ in the second misra. I suggest the beloved. In the absence of any help from the heart, the poet/lover is reduced to depending/relying on the beloved to give him some relief. It is very unusual to rely like this on the beloved, but the lover has no choice because of his helplessness in affairs of the heart.
2
tumhaaraa zikr1 nahiiN hai tumhaaraa naam nahiiN
kiya nasiib2 kaa shikva3 hazaar4 baar kiya
1.mention 2.fate 3.complaint 4.thousand
This appears to me to be a defensive she’r. The beloved has accused the poet/lover of bringing her disrepute. He protests – there is no mention of you in my narrative, there is no hint of your name. I have not revealed the source of my sorrow; I have only complained about my fate, complained a thousand times, yes, but only about my fate.
3
subuut1 hai ye mohabbat kii saada-lauhii2 kaa
jab uss ne vaa’da3 kiya ham ne e’tebaar4 kiya
1.proof 2.simple-mindedness 3.promise 4.believe, trust
In the poetic tradition the beloved makes promises to meet the poet/lover but never keeps her promise. With such repeated breaking of promises, the lover should have learnt not to trust. But it is a proof of the simple-mindedness of his love that when the beloved promises, he believes.
4
m’aal1 ham ne jo dekhaa sukuun2 o jumbish3 kaa
to kuchh samajh4 ke taRapnaa5 hii eKhtiyaar6 kiya
1.result, outcome 2.tranquility, calmness 3.movement, struggle 4.understanding 5.restlessness, thrashing in pain 6.adopt, embrace
Perhaps this is a reflection of the lover’s understanding of calmness/tranquility vs turbulence/struggle of love. He understood that the outcome of neither one is pleasant. Neither can he be patient and calm, nor can he struggle and succeed in love. Therefore he has adopted the mode of restlessness and pain as the only option.
5
mer’e Khudaa ne mer’e sab gunaah1 baKhsh2 diye
kisii kaa raat ko yuuN maiN ne intezaar3 kiya
1.sins 2.forgave, absolved 3.wait
My god forgave me all my sins seeing how I waited/suffered all night long for ‘someone’. The ‘someone’ is the beloved. He underwent such torture/suffering during the wait that god may have decided that this was punishment enough and forgave him all his sins.
