For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
حدّ نظر ہے چلے چلو ۔ وحیدؔ اختر
۱
اِک دشتِ بے اماں کا سفر ہے چلے چلو
رُکنے میں جان و دل کا ضرر ہے چلے چلو
۲
حُکّام و سارقین کی گو رہگزر ہے گھر
پھر بھی برائے بیت تو در ہے چلے چلو
۳
مسجد ہو مدرسہ ہو کہ مجلس کہ مے کدہ
محفوظ شر سے کچھ ہے تو گھر ہے چلے چلو
۴
ظلمت ہے یاں بھی واں بھی اندھیرے ہی ہوں تو کیا
نور اِک ورائے حدّ نظر ہے چلے چلو
۵
اترا کنارِ بحرِ عطش ایک قافلہ
ختم اُس پہ تشنگی کا سفر ہے چلے چلو
۶
سر تک پہنچ نہ جائے کوئی تیز گام لہر
یاں خوں کی موج تا بہ کمر ہے چلے چلو
۸
جاں کے زیاں کا ڈر ہے طلب میں اگر تو ہو
ترکِ طلب میں بھی تو خطر ہے چلے چلو
हद्द-ए नज़र है चले-चलो – वही अख़्तर
१
एक दश्त-ए बे-अमाँ का सफ़र है चले-चलो
रुकने में जान ओ दिल का ज़रर है चले-चलो
२
हुक्काम ओ सारेक़ीन की गो रह-गुज़र है घर
फिर भी बराए-बैत तो दर है चले-चलो
३
मस्जिद हो मदरसा हो के मज्लिस के मय-कदा
महफ़ूज़ शर से कुछ है तो घर है चले-चलो
४
ज़ुल्मत है याँ भी वाँ भी अंधेरे ही हों तो क्या
नूर एक वरा-ए हद्द-ए नज़र है चले-चलो
५
उतरा किनार-ए बहर-ए अतश एक क़ाफ़ेला
ख़त्म उस पे तिश्नगी का सफ़र है चले-चलो
६
सर तक पहुँच न जाए कोई तेज़-गाम लहर
याँ ख़ूँ की मौज ता-ब-कमर है चले-चलो
७
जाँ के ज़ियाँ का डर है तलब में अगर तो हो
तर्क-ए तलब में भी तो ख़तर है चले-चलो
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. vaheed aKhter (1935-1996), hyderabad, poet, writer and critic. He did his PhD in philosophy from osmania university and later taught at aligaRh. His compositions are very thoughtful and thought provoking and reflect his scholarship of philosophy. His ‘free verse’ nazm are extremely musical.
1
ek dasht1-e be-amaaN2 ka safar3 hai chale chalo
rukne meN jaan o dil ka zarar4 hai chale chalo 1.wilderness, desert 2.without refuge, unforgiving 3.journey 4.harm, loss
There is a journey ahead, through an unforgiving desert, keep going. There is harm/danger of life and soul in stopping, keep going. The journey through life is fraught with dangers, but there is danger in not trying also, so keep going.
2
hukkaam1 o saareqiin2 ki go3 rah-guzar4 hai ghar5
phir bhi baraa6-e bait7 to dar8 hai chale chalo 1.rulers, commander, gangsters 2.thieves, robbers 3.even though 4.path 5.home-used here to mean destination 6.for 7.home/destination 8.door
Even though the path is frequented by commanders/gangsters and robbers, it is the path to the destination. The door to the destination is open to you, keep going. An alternative might be that the destination itself is the pathway of robbers and gangsters, but the door to the destination is available to you, keep going. This is essentially the same idea as in the previous she’r.
3
masjid ho madrasa ho keh majlis1 keh mai-kada2
mahfuuz3 shar4 se kuchh hai to ghar hai chale chalo 1.assembly, congregation 2.tavern 3.safe 4.evil, injustice
Be it the masjid or the madrasa, a congregation or a tavern along the way, they are all distractions and dangerous. If there is any place safe from evil/injustice, it is the destination, keep going. In view of the dynamism in the nazm, I don’t think that by destination, the poet means a static place, but movement and progress itself.
4
zulmat1 hai yaaN bhi vaaN bhi aNdhere hi hoN to kya
nuur2 ek varaa3-e hadd4-e nazar5 hai chale chalo 1.darkness 2.light 3.beyond 4.limits 5.sight
What if there is darkness here and also there, there is light beyong the limits of sight, keep going.
5
utra kinaar1-e bahr2-e atash3 ek qaafila4
Khatm5 us pe tishnagi6 ka safar7 hai chale chalo 1.shore 2.sea 3.thirst 4.caravan 5.end 6.thirst 7.journey
There is a bahr-e atash-sea of thirst and a tishnagi ka safar-journey of thirst. Thirst is symbolic of unfilfilled desires or maybe unfulfillable desires like the thirst for knowledge. A caravan has come to the shore of the sea of thirst and disembarked. It is not clear if it has come over land and is about to embark on a journey over the sea of thirst, or has come across the sea of thirst and disembarked at the shore. Considering the dynamism of the rest of the nazm, I prefer to interpret it as saying that it has just arrived at the shore and is about to sail across. The end of the journey of thirst is beyond the sea, keep going.
6
sar tak pahuNch na jaa’e koi tez-gaam1 lahar2
yaaN KhuN ki mauj3 taa-ba-kamar4 hai chale chalo 1.fast paced 2.wave 3.wave, tide 4.up to the waist
For fear that a faced wave may reach up to the head and higher, keep going. The tide of blood has already reached waist high, keep going.
7
jaaN ke ziyaaN1 ka Dar hai talab2 meN agar3 to ho
tark4-e talab2 meN bhi to Khatar5 hai chale chalo 1.loss 2.desire, goal 3.if 4.quitting, giving up 5.danger
If there is a fear of loss of life in your desire, so what. There is also danger in quitting your desire/goal, keep going.
vaheed aKhter (1935-1996), hyderabad, poet, writer and critic. He did his PhD in philosophy from osmania university and later taught at aligaRh. His compositions are very thoughtful and thought provoking and reflect his scholarship of philosophy. His ‘free verse’ nazm are extremely musical.
1
ek dasht1-e be-amaaN2 ka safar3 hai chale chalo
rukne meN jaan o dil ka zarar4 hai chale chalo
1.wilderness, desert 2.without refuge, unforgiving 3.journey 4.harm, loss
There is a journey ahead, through an unforgiving desert, keep going. There is harm/danger of life and soul in stopping, keep going. The journey through life is fraught with dangers, but there is danger in not trying also, so keep going.
2
hukkaam1 o saareqiin2 ki go3 rah-guzar4 hai ghar5
phir bhi baraa6-e bait7 to dar8 hai chale chalo
1.rulers, commander, gangsters 2.thieves, robbers 3.even though 4.path 5.home-used here to mean destination 6.for 7.home/destination 8.door
Even though the path is frequented by commanders/gangsters and robbers, it is the path to the destination. The door to the destination is open to you, keep going. An alternative might be that the destination itself is the pathway of robbers and gangsters, but the door to the destination is available to you, keep going. This is essentially the same idea as in the previous she’r.
3
masjid ho madrasa ho keh majlis1 keh mai-kada2
mahfuuz3 shar4 se kuchh hai to ghar hai chale chalo
1.assembly, congregation 2.tavern 3.safe 4.evil, injustice
Be it the masjid or the madrasa, a congregation or a tavern along the way, they are all distractions and dangerous. If there is any place safe from evil/injustice, it is the destination, keep going. In view of the dynamism in the nazm, I don’t think that by destination, the poet means a static place, but movement and progress itself.
4
zulmat1 hai yaaN bhi vaaN bhi aNdhere hi hoN to kya
nuur2 ek varaa3-e hadd4-e nazar5 hai chale chalo
1.darkness 2.light 3.beyond 4.limits 5.sight
What if there is darkness here and also there, there is light beyong the limits of sight, keep going.
5
utra kinaar1-e bahr2-e atash3 ek qaafila4
Khatm5 us pe tishnagi6 ka safar7 hai chale chalo
1.shore 2.sea 3.thirst 4.caravan 5.end 6.thirst 7.journey
There is a bahr-e atash-sea of thirst and a tishnagi ka safar-journey of thirst. Thirst is symbolic of unfilfilled desires or maybe unfulfillable desires like the thirst for knowledge. A caravan has come to the shore of the sea of thirst and disembarked. It is not clear if it has come over land and is about to embark on a journey over the sea of thirst, or has come across the sea of thirst and disembarked at the shore. Considering the dynamism of the rest of the nazm, I prefer to interpret it as saying that it has just arrived at the shore and is about to sail across. The end of the journey of thirst is beyond the sea, keep going.
6
sar tak pahuNch na jaa’e koi tez-gaam1 lahar2
yaaN KhuN ki mauj3 taa-ba-kamar4 hai chale chalo
1.fast paced 2.wave 3.wave, tide 4.up to the waist
For fear that a faced wave may reach up to the head and higher, keep going. The tide of blood has already reached waist high, keep going.
7
jaaN ke ziyaaN1 ka Dar hai talab2 meN agar3 to ho
tark4-e talab2 meN bhi to Khatar5 hai chale chalo
1.loss 2.desire, goal 3.if 4.quitting, giving up 5.danger
If there is a fear of loss of life in your desire, so what. There is also danger in quitting your desire/goal, keep going.
