For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
بے زبانی لے کے آیا ہوں ۔ درشن سنگھ دُگّل درشنؔ
۱
محبت کی متاع جاودانی لے کے آیا ہوں
ترے قدموں میں اپنی زندگانی لے کے آیا ہوں
۲
کہاں سیم و گہر جن کو لٹاؤں تیرے قدموں پر
برائے نذر اشکوں کی روانی لے کے آیا ہوں
۳
تجھے جو پوچھنا ہو پوچھ لے اے داورِ محشر
میں اپنے ساتھ اپنی بے زبانی لے کے آیا ہوں
۴
زمین و ملک کے بدلے دلوں پر ہے نظر میری
اچھوتا اک طریقِ حکمرانی لے کے آیا ہوں
۵
مرے زخمِ تمنّا دیکھ کر پہچان لو مجھ کو
تمہاری ہی عطا کردہ نشانی لے کے آیا ہوں
۶
مرے اشعار میں مُضمر ہیں لاکھوں دھڑکنیں دل کی
میں اک دنیا کا غم دل کی زبانی لے کے آیا ہوں
۷
محبت نام ہے بیتابیِ دل کے تسلسل کا
محبت کی میں درشنؔ یہ نشانی لے کے آیا ہوں
बे-ज़बानी ले के आया हूँ – दर्शन सिंघ दुग्गल दर्शन
१
मोहब्बत की मता-ए जावेदानी ले के आया हूँ
तेरे क़दमों में अपनी ज़िंदगानी ले के आया हूँ
२
कहाँ सीम-ओ-गोहर जिन को लुटाऊँ तेरे क़दमौं पर
बरा-ए नज़्र अश्कों की रवानी ले के आया हूँ
३
तुझे जो पूछना हो पूछ ले अए दावर-ए महशर
मैं अपने साथ अपनी बे-ज़बानी ले के आया हूँ
४
ज़मीन-ओ-मुल्क के बदले दिलौं पर है नज़र मेरी
अछूता एक तरीक़-ए हुक्मरानी ले के आया हूँ
५
मेरे ज़ख़्म-ए तमन्ना देख कर पहचान लो मुझ को
तुम्हारी ही अता-कर्दा निशानी ले के आया हूँ
६
मेरे अश’आर में मुज़्मर हैं लाखों धढकनें दिल की
मैं एक दुनिया का ग़म दिल की ज़बानी ले के आया हूँ
७
मोहब्बत नाम है बेताबी-ए दिल के तसल्सुल का
मोहब्बत की मैं दर्शन ये निशानी ले के आया हूँ
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. darshan singh duggal darshan (1921-1989) orthodox and observant sikh, grew up in lahore with a promising academic record headed for the sciences or engineering. But when his father took him to the priest/sant for blessings, the priest advised him to take faarsi, and English literature. He started composing verse in urdu in 1937. In spite of (or perhaps because of) his sikh upbringing he is accepting of all faiths and has written with much feeling about diverse religious personalities. It is a recognition of the role urdu has played in the history of the sub-continent and hindus, muslims, sikhs and Christians wrote odes to their respective religious figures in that language. The family migrated to India where he retired as deputy secretary of finance for the government of India. He took over from his father as president of the World Fellowship of Religions. He has composed odes to religious figures across the board.
1
mohabbat ki mataa1-e jaavedaani2 le ke aayaa huN
tere’ qadmoN3 meN apni zindagaani le ke aayaa huN 1.wealth, treasure 2.eternal 3.feet
I have brought the eternal treasure of love, And I lay my life at your feet, as an offering. This could be addressed to the beloved but more than likely the shaa’er means to address the divine. This becomes clearer in she’r number 3. The poet portrays love as an immortal treasure. Offering both his eternal love and his life at the beloved’s/god’s feet suggests an act of complete devotion and surrender.
2
kahaaN siim-o-gohar1 jin ko luTaa’uN2 tere qadmoN3 par
baraa4-e nazr5 ashkoN6 ki ravaani7 le ke aayaa huN 1.silver and pearls 2.disperse, give away 3.feet 4.for the sake of, with the intention of 5.offering, submitting 6.tears 7.flow
I have no silver and pearls to lay at your feet, in their stead, I bring the flowing tears of my eyes. Tears symbolize longing in love (for the beloved or for the divine). They might also symbolize tears of penitence for the sins committed.
3
tujhe jo puuchhnaa ho puuchh le aye daavar1-e mahshar2
maiN apne saath apni be-zabaani3 le ke aayaa huN 1.lord 2.judgement day 3.tonguelessness, silence
Ask me whatever you wish, O lord of judgement day, I only have my silence (pentinece) to offer as my defense. By bringing ‘silence’ as his only defense, he implies his acknowledgment of his limitations and the futility of justifications. This reflects a submission to divine judgment.
4
mere’ zaKhm1-e tamannaa2 dekh kar pahchaan3 lo mujh ko
tumhaari hi ataa-karda4 nishaani5 le ke aayaa huN 1.wounds 2.desire, love 3.recognize 4.granted, bestowed 5.representation, marks
Recognize me by my wounded/unfulfilled desires, I bear the marks that you yourself bestowed upon me. This could be addressed to the beloved as a straightforward interpretation. But the poet’s ‘wounds of desire’ could also symbolize the pain of separataion from the divine. This pain has been ‘bestowed’ by the divine by giving him a material body and life in the material world. He aspires to the spiritual.
5
zaKhm1-e tamannaa2 dekh kar pahchaan3 lo mujh ko
tumhaari hi ataa-karda4 nishaani5 le ke aayaa huN mere’ 1.wounds 2.desire, love 3.recognize 4.granted, bestowed 5.representation, marks
Recognize me by my wounded/unfulfilled desires, I bear the marks that you yourself bestowed upon me. This could be addressed to the beloved as a straightforward interpretation. But the poet’s ‘wounds of desire’ could also symbolize the pain of separataion from the divine. This pain has been ‘bestowed’ by the divine by giving him a material body and life in the material world. He aspires to the spiritual.
6
mer’e ash’aar1 meN muzmar2 haiN laakhoN dhaRkaneN3 dil ki
maiN ek duniya ka Gham dil ki zabaani4 le ke aayaa huN 1.couplets 2.hidden 3.beating 4.in the voice/sound of
Hidden in my verses is the heartbeat of countless hearts, I bring the grief of a world expressed through my heart. This verse highlights the universality of the poet’s emotions. By claiming that his poetry embodies the collective pulse and grief of humanity, the poet elevates his personal pain to a shared experience.
7
mohabbat naam hai betaabi1-e dil ke tasalsul2 ka
mohabbat ki maiN darshan3 ye nishaani4 le ke aayaa huN 1.restlessness 2.continuity, series 3.pen-name 4.symbol, sign
Love is another name of the continuous restlessness of the heart, O darshan, I bring this testament as a sign of love. The poet defines love as an endless, restless yearning – a force that perpetually stirs the heart. This philosophical reflection portrays love as dynamic and eternal, transcending mere emotion to become a spiritual state of being.
darshan singh duggal darshan (1921-1989) orthodox and observant sikh, grew up in lahore with a promising academic record headed for the sciences or engineering. But when his father took him to the priest/sant for blessings, the priest advised him to take faarsi, and English literature. He started composing verse in urdu in 1937. In spite of (or perhaps because of) his sikh upbringing he is accepting of all faiths and has written with much feeling about diverse religious personalities. It is a recognition of the role urdu has played in the history of the sub-continent and hindus, muslims, sikhs and Christians wrote odes to their respective religious figures in that language. The family migrated to India where he retired as deputy secretary of finance for the government of India. He took over from his father as president of the World Fellowship of Religions. He has composed odes to religious figures across the board.
1
mohabbat ki mataa1-e jaavedaani2 le ke aayaa huN
tere’ qadmoN3 meN apni zindagaani le ke aayaa huN
1.wealth, treasure 2.eternal 3.feet
I have brought the eternal treasure of love, And I lay my life at your feet, as an offering. This could be addressed to the beloved but more than likely the shaa’er means to address the divine. This becomes clearer in she’r number 3. The poet portrays love as an immortal treasure. Offering both his eternal love and his life at the beloved’s/god’s feet suggests an act of complete devotion and surrender.
2
kahaaN siim-o-gohar1 jin ko luTaa’uN2 tere qadmoN3 par
baraa4-e nazr5 ashkoN6 ki ravaani7 le ke aayaa huN
1.silver and pearls 2.
I have no silver and pearls to lay at your feet, in their stead, I bring the flowing tears of my eyes. Tears symbolize longing in love (for the beloved or for the divine). They might also symbolize tears of penitence for the sins committed.
3
tujhe jo puuchhnaa ho puuchh le aye daavar1-e mahshar2
maiN apne saath apni be-zabaani3 le ke aayaa huN
1.lord 2.judgement day 3.tonguelessness, silence
Ask me whatever you wish, O lord of judgement day, I only have my silence (pentinece) to offer as my defense. By bringing ‘silence’ as his only defense, he implies his acknowledgment of his limitations and the futility of justifications. This reflects a submission to divine judgment.
4
zamiin-o-mulk ke badle’1 diloN par hai nazar2 meri
achhuutaa3 ek tariiq4-e hukmaraani5 le ke aayaa huN
1.instead of 2.sight 3.unique 4.way, method, tradition 5.governance
Instead of lands and empires, I set my sights on hearts, I bring a unique way of governance. This verse envisions a revolutionary approach to leadership. The poet rejects materialistic conquests and instead aspires to rule through love and emotional connection, presenting a visionary and humane philosophy of governance.
5
mere’ zaKhm1-e tamannaa2 dekh kar pahchaan3 lo mujh ko
tumhaari hi ataa-karda4 nishaani5 le ke aayaa huN
1.wounds 2.desire, love 3.recognize 4.granted, bestowed 5.representation, marks
Recognize me by my wounded/unfulfilled desires, I bear the marks that you yourself bestowed upon me. This could be addressed to the beloved as a straightforward interpretation. But the poet’s ‘wounds of desire’ could also symbolize the pain of separataion from the divine. This pain has been ‘bestowed’ by the divine by giving him a material body and life in the material world. He aspires to the spiritual.
6
mer’e ash’aar1 meN muzmar2 haiN laakhoN dhaRkaneN3 dil ki
maiN ek duniya ka Gham dil ki zabaani4 le ke aayaa huN
1.couplets 2.hidden 3.beating 4.in the voice/sound of
Hidden in my verses is the heartbeat of countless hearts, I bring the grief of a world expressed through my heart. This verse highlights the universality of the poet’s emotions. By claiming that his poetry embodies the collective pulse and grief of humanity, the poet elevates his personal pain to a shared experience.
7
mohabbat naam hai betaabi1-e dil ke tasalsul2 ka
mohabbat ki maiN darshan3 ye nishaani4 le ke aayaa huN
1.restlessness 2.continuity, series 3.pen-name 4.symbol, sign
Love is another name of the continuous restlessness of the heart, O darshan, I bring this testament as a sign of love. The poet defines love as an endless, restless yearning – a force that perpetually stirs the heart. This philosophical reflection portrays love as dynamic and eternal, transcending mere emotion to become a spiritual state of being.
