be-baal-o-par kab tak – raghupati sahaa’e firaaq gorakhpuri
1
ye sar-gardaaniyaaN kab tak tavaaf-e dar-ba-dar kab tak
ter’e shoriida-sar aaKhir rah’eN shoriida-sar kab tak
2
kisi par meharbaaN hot’e haiN lekin yuN nahiN hot’e
saraasar lutf ke pard’e m’eN jaur-e sar-ba-sar kab tak
3
asiiraaN-e sitam ne aur hi kuchh soch rakkha hai
kar’eN aaKhir basar bhi karn’e vaal’e yuN basar kab tak
4
abhi t’o baRhti hi jaati hai betaabi tashaffi se
ilaaj-e dard-e dil hota hai dekh’eN kaargar kab tak
5
naviid-e taaqat-e parvaaz laa’ii hadd-e majboori
ter’e be-baal-o-par aaKhir rah’eN be-baal-o-par kab tak
6
terii taasiir-e pinhaaN ke nisaar ab dekhna yeh hai
nigaah-e mast ter’e be-Khabar hoN baa-Khabar kab tak
7
jamaalistaan-e aalam m’eN bhi kya aalam nikalta hai
rah’e is parda-e raNgiiN m’eN husn-e parda-dar kab tak
8
nigaah-e shoKh to ek mubtada-e be-Khabar nikli
umiid-o-biim ka yeh raNg qissa muKhtasar kab tak
9
hijaab-e husn agar haiN jalva-e mahr-o-mah-o-anjum
nazar ko rok’e rakh’eN hum bhi taa-hadd-e nazar kab tak
10
nizaam-e dahr badl’e, aasmaaN badl’e, zamiiN badl’e
liy’e baiTha rah’e koii hayaat-e be-asar kab tak
11
yeh aah-e sard kya Ghaafil nigaah-e garm paida kar
na hoga hasti-e afsurda par aaKhir asar kab tak
12
sukoot-e ishq m’eN haNgaama-zaar-e zindagi gum ho
kar’eN roodaad-e Gham-haa-e n’ehaani muKhtasar kab tak
13
firaaq andaaz-e vahshat ab badal d’eN hosh m’eN aa’eN
rah’eN zshouliida-muu, aashufta-sar, hairaaN nazar kab tak

raghupati sahaa’e firaaq gorakhpuri (1896-1982). His father gorakh prasaad was a landlord and practiced law and was a poet using the taKhallus ibrat. firaaq studied urdu and faarsi at home.  His first Ghazal was composed at the age of 20, when he was college student, and published at the urging of munshi premchand.  After his BA from Central College Allahabad he became involved in the country’s politics. He was arrested in 1920 and spent 18 months in prison. He worked for some time for the Congress party but after independence, discontinued politics.  In 1930, he passed the MA examination in English Literature from Agra University and became a lecturer in English in Allahabad University.  His domestic life was troubled with a bad marriage and suicide of his son.  He received multiple awards – 1961, sahitya akademi; 1968, Soviet Nehru, padma bhushan, gyaan piiTh; 1981 Ghalib award.
1
ye sar-gardaaniyaaN¹ kab tak tavaaf²-e dar-ba-dar³ kab tak
ter’e shoriida-sar⁴ aaKhir rah’eN shoriida-sar kab tak

1.aimless wandering 2.circling around 3.door to door 4.distracted, obsessed

The poet, lover, or seeker questions the endless cycle of aimless wandering (sar-gardaaniyaaN) and circling door-to-door. On a surface level, this speaks to the unrequited love and selfless madness of the distraught lover. In a mystical (suufi) sense, the beloved is replaced by god or absolute truth. Furthermore, this can also be a call to step out of the madness of romantic passion and face socio-economic issues, which formed the manifesto of the Progressive Writers’ Movement.
2
kisi par meharbaaN¹ hot’e haiN lekin yuN nahiN hot’e
saraasar² lutf³ ke pard’e⁴ m’eN jaur⁵-e sar-ba-sar⁶ kab tak

1.kind 2.head to toe 3.favour 4.disguised as, deceptive 5.cruelty 6.continuous

A kindness that continually masks tyranny and oppression (jaur-e sar-ba-sar) is harsher than open cruelty, because it strips the lover of even the right to protest. This couplet unmasks the hypocrisy of superficial, deceptive favour, asking how long this hidden harshness under the veil of kindness will continue to pass for affection. Here, the benefactor and the oppressed need not only be the beloved and the lover; they can also represent an oppressive government and a helpless populace.
3
asiiraaN¹-e sitam ne aur hi kuchh soch rakkha hai
kar’eN aaKhir basar² bhi karn’e vaal’e yuN basar kab tak

1.captives 2.live, spend life, just get by

Human endurance has its limits; merely surviving or “getting by” (basar karna) under tyrannical conditions cannot go on forever. This prediction of rebellion can also be viewed as a political message within the context of the freedom struggle.
4
abhi t’o baRhti hi jaati hai betaabi¹ tashaffi² se
ilaaj³-e dard-e dil hota hai dekh’eN kaargar⁴ kab tak

1.restlessness, pain 2.solace, consolation 3.healing 4.effective

Here, the attempt to offer solace and consolation backfires, heightening the lover’s agitation instead of easing it. The poet views superficial and temporary remedies for the heart’s pain with skepticism, asking how long these fleeting measures will last. The one offering false solace could be either a deceptive beloved, the orthodoxy or an oppressive government.
5
naviid¹-e taaqat²-e parvaaz³ laa’ii hadd⁴-e majbuuri⁵
ter’e be-baal-o-par⁶ aaKhir rah’eN be-baal-o-par kab tak

1.good news 2.strength 3.flight 4.limit 5.helplessness 6.feathers and wings

The bird trapped in a cage is a metaphor for a person bound by poverty. Upon receiving news of the ability to fly (naviid-e taaqat-e parvaaz)—representing promises of liberation or false dreams of prosperity—the bird or poor individual realizes that they lack wings altogether, meaning the means for prosperity are absent. How long will this state of winglessness and helplessness persist?
6
terii taasiir¹-e pinhaaN² ke nisaar³ ab dekhna yeh hai
nigaah-e-mast⁴ ter’e be-Khabar⁵ hoN baa-Khabar⁶ kab tak

1.effect 2.hidden, secret 3.sacrifice (used sarcastically) 4.intoxicating glance 5.unaware, deceived 6.aware, wiser

How long will those under the spell of the beloved’s intoxicating glance (nigaah-e mast) and its hidden effect (taasiir-e pinhaaN) remain oblivious to their true condition? taasiir-e pinhaaN ke nisaar is said in sarcasm. The beloved’s intoxicating glance could also represent the self-deception of a promised paradise or the false promises of the government.
7
jamaalistaan¹-e aalam² m’eN bhi kya aalam³ nikalta hai
rah’e is parda-e raNgiiN m’eN husn⁴-e parda-dar⁵ kab tak

1.abode of beauty 2.world, cosmos 3.condition, status 4.beauty 5.one who tears the veil

Such is the state (aalam) of cosmic beauty (jamaalistaan-e aalam) that we get lost in its colourful splendor. Yet, essential beauty possesses an inherent drive to reveal itself and tear away the veil (parda-dar, not parda-daar); it cannot remain hidden forever behind the worldly, colorful veils. The question is: how long will essential or divine beauty stay concealed behind this colorful cosmic veil? Here, “divine beauty” can also be interpreted as a metaphor for socialism.
8
nigaah-e-shoKh¹ to ek mubtada²-e be-Khabar³ nikli
umiid-o-biim⁴ ka yeh raNg⁵ qissa muKhtasar⁶ kab tak

1.playful glance 2.beginning 3.unknown, surprising 4.hope and fear 5.style 6.to cut a long story short

The beloved’s playful, flirtatious glance nigaah-e shoKh turned out to be merely the calculated beginning of a pattern of indifference (mubtada-e be-Khabar). The lover is first ensnared by the playful glance, only to be completely ignored afterward. Long story short, how long is the lover expected to remain suspended in this painful pendulum between hope and fear (that is, between the flirtatious glance and total indifference)? This playful glance could also symbolize the deceitful tactics of the ruling authority.
9
hijaab¹-e husn² agar haiN jalva³-e mahr-o-mah-o-anjum⁴
nazar⁵ ko rok’e rakh’eN hum bhi taa-hadd⁶-e nazar kab tak

1.veiling, hiding 2.beauty 3.manifestation, glory 4.sun, moon and stars 5.sight 6.to the limit

All the splendor and brightness of the cosmos-sun (mahr), moon (mah), and stars (anjum)-are presented here merely as veils (hijaab) that hide essential beauty or merely reflect it. The lover asks how long human vision and thought will remain restricted within sensory limits (taa-hadd-e nazar) without attempting to look beyond them.
10
nizaam-e-dahr¹ badl’e, aasmaaN badl’e, zamiiN badl’e
liy’e baiTha rah’e koii hayaat²-e be-asar³ kab tak

1.world order 2.life 3.ineffective, meaningless

A powerful call for revolutionary change! This couplet demands to know: when the entire order of the world (nizaam-e dahr), earth, and sky are changing, how long can an individual remain passive and idle? While the entire world shifts around us, how long can one endure a purposeless, ineffective, and stagnant existence?
11
yeh aah-e-sard¹ kya Ghaafil² nigaah-e-garm³ paida kar
na hoga hasti⁴-e afsurda⁵ par aaKhir asar⁶ kab tak

1.cold/sad sigh 2.negligent, indifferent 3.warm/eager sight 4.existence 5.sad 6.effect

Here, the “heedless ones” (Ghaafil) are those who are unaware of their rights and merely heave cold sighs (aah-e sard), accepting their deprivation as fate. The poet calls out that it is time for a fiery, passionate outlook (nigaah-e garm / revolutionary stance). How long will it take for this gloomy existence to affect you, and when will your eyes ignite with purpose?
12
sukoot¹-e ishq m’eN haNgaama-zaar²-e zindagi gum ho
kar’eN roodaad³-e Gham-haa⁴-e nehaani⁵ muKhtasar⁶ kab tak

1.silence, stillness 2.tumultous domain 3.story 4.sorrows 5.hidden 6.brief

haNgaama-zaar refers to an arena of activity and turmoil—just as gulzaar is a field of flowers. Thus, haNgaama-zaar-e zindagi signifies the active arena of struggle and human effort. How long will this arena remain lost in the silence, stagnation, and passivity of love (sukoot-e ishq)? And how long will we keep suppressing or shortening the narrative of our inner pain? The clear call is to step out, awaken, speak up, and break free from the stupor and spell of romantic passion. This couplet aligns directly with the ideology and call of the Progressive Writers’ Association.
13
firaaq¹ andaaz²-e vahshat³ ab badal⁴ d’eN hosh⁵ m’eN aa’eN
rah’eN zshouliida-muu⁶, aashufta-sar⁷, hairaaN-nazar⁸ kab tak

1.pen-name 2.style, manner 3.madness 4.change, modify 5.senses 6.tousled hair 7.distracted, confused 8.puzzled gaze

In the maqta, firaaq addresses himself directly, stating that it is time to abandon the old style of madness (andaaz-e vahshat) and return to sobriety. He asks how long one can maintain the traditional archetype of the disheveled lover—with matted hair (zshouliida-muu), a distracted mind (aashufta-sar), and a dazed gaze (hairaan nazar). This verse is an invitation to face the demands of the times and engage with practical life.