Recitation
علی اکبر کی اذاں ۔ میر انیس
چپ تھے طیور جھومتے تھے وجد میں شجر
تسبیح خواں تھے برگ و گُل و غنچہ و ثمر
محوِ ثناکلوُخ و نباتات و دشت و در
پانی سے منہ نکالے تھے دریا کے جانور
اعجاز تھا کہ دلبر شبیر کی صدا
ہر خشک و تر سے آ تی تھی تکبیر کی صدا
یہ حسن صوت اور یہ قرأت یہ شدّ و مد
حقّا کہ افصح الفصحا ہے اِنہیں کاجد
گویاہے لحنِ حضرتِ داؤد با خرد
یارب رکھ اس صدا کو زمانے میں تاابد
شعبے صدا میں پنکھڑیاں جیسے پھول میں
بُلبُل چہک رہا تھا ریاضِ رسول میں
अली अकबर की अज़’आं – मीर अनीस
चुप थे तुयूर झूमते थे वज्द में शजर
तसबीह-ख़्वाँ थे बर्ग ओ गुल ओ ग़ुंचा ओ समर
महव-ए-सना कुल्वुख़ ओ नबादात ओ दश्त ओ दर
पानी से मुंह निकाले थे दरया के जानवर
एजाज़ था के दिलबर-ए-शब्बीर की सदा
हर ख़ुश्क ओ तर से आती थी तकबीर की सदा
ये हुस्न-ए-सौत और ये क़िर’अत ये शद्द-ओ-मद्द
हक़्क़ा के अफ़सह-उल-फ़ुसहा है इन्हीं का जद्द
गोया के है लह्न-ए-हज़रत-ए-दा’ऊद-ए-बा ख़िरद
यारब रख इस सदा को ज़माने में ता अबद
शो’बे सदा में पंखड़ियां जैसे फूल में
बुलबुल चहक रहा था रियाज़-ए-रसूल में
ali akbar az’aan – mir anis
Click here for overall comments and on any passage for meanings and discussion. It is dawn of the day of the battle of karbala and time for az’aan. husain asks his ali akbar to give the call to prayer. Even like in Shakespeare where trees and mountains bow to Orpheus’ music, mir anis praises the sound/enunciation of ali akbar in lyrical language.
chup the tuyoor1 jhoomte the vajd2 meN shajar3
tasbeeh-KhwaaN4 the barg5 o gul6 o Ghuncha7 o samar8
mahv9-e-sanaa10 kulvuKh11 o nabaadaat12 o dasht13 o dar14
pani se muNh nikaale the darya ke jaanvar
ejaaz15 tha ke dilbar-e-shabbir16 ki sadaa17
har Khushk-o-tar18 se aati thi takbeer18 ki sadaa1.birds 2.ecstatic trance 3.trees 4.clicking rosary beads 5.leaves 6.flowers 7.buds 8.fruit 9.engrossed/lost in 10.praise 11.clay clumps 12.greenery, plants and trees 13.widerness/desert 14.door, habitation 15.miracle 16.beloved of Shabbir/Husain 17.sound, voice, call 18. dry and wet, all land 18.the sound of “allahu akbar”, proclamation of faith
Birds fall silent (to listen to Ali Akbar’s call to prayer), trees sway in a joyous trance. Leaves, flowers, buds and fruit click rosary beads. Clay, vegetation, desert and habitation all are absorbed in praise. Fish stick their heads out of water to hear. Was this the sound of the beloved of husain or was it a miracle? From all across the land came the proclamation of faith answering ali akbar’s call.
ye husn-e-saut1 aur ye qir’at2 ye shadd-o-madd3
haqqa4 ke afsah-ul-fusaha5 hai inheeN ka jadd6
goya7 hai lahn8-e-hazrat9-e-da’ood10 ba-Khirad11
yaarab12 rakh is sadaa13 ko zamaane meN taa abad14
sho’be15 sadaa meN paNkhaRiyaaN jaise phool meN
bulbul chahak raha tha riyaaz-e-rasool16 meN1.beauty of the sound 2.recitation, enunciation 3.emphasis, vigour 4.truly, by Truth 5.most elegant of all elegants 6.ancestor 7.as if 8.melody 9.honorific (like great, holy) 10.David (prophet. Legend has it that birds and animals gathered to listen to his music) 11.with wisdom 12.O god 13.sound, voice, call 14.until the end, for eternity 15.parts (ups and downs, melodies) 16.garden of the prophet (mohammed)
The beauty of his voice, his recitation and the vigour. Truly he was the heir of the most elegant among elegants. As if his call had the melody of David’s music. O god, keep/protect this sound/call for eternity. The rise and fall of his tone came together in harmony as petals of a flower come together to make a beautiful whole. It is as if a “bul bul” were singing in the garden of Mohammed.
ali akbar az’aan – mir anis
It is dawn of the day of the battle of karbala and time for az’aan. husain asks his ali akbar to give the call to prayer. Even like in Shakespeare where trees and mountains bow to Orpheus’ music, mir anis praises the sound/enunciation of ali akbar in lyrical language.
chup the tuyoor1 jhoomte the vajd2 meN shajar3
tasbeeh-KhwaaN4 the barg5 o gul6 o Ghuncha7 o samar8
mahv9-e-sanaa10 kulvuKh11 o nabaadaat12 o dasht13 o dar14
pani se muNh nikaale the darya ke jaanvar
ejaaz15 tha ke dilbar-e-shabbir16 ki sadaa17
har Khushk-o-tar18 se aati thi takbeer18 ki sadaa
1.birds 2.ecstatic trance 3.trees 4.clicking rosary beads 5.leaves 6.flowers 7.buds 8.fruit 9.engrossed/lost in 10.praise 11.clay clumps 12.greenery, plants and trees 13.widerness/desert 14.door, habitation 15.miracle 16.beloved of Shabbir/Husain 17.sound, voice, call 18. dry and wet, all land 18.the sound of “allahu akbar”, proclamation of faith
Birds fall silent (to listen to Ali Akbar’s call to prayer), trees sway in a joyous trance. Leaves, flowers, buds and fruit click rosary beads. Clay, vegetation, desert and habitation all are absorbed in praise. Fish stick their heads out of water to hear. Was this the sound of the beloved of husain or was it a miracle? From all across the land came the proclamation of faith answering ali akbar’s call.
ye husn-e-saut1 aur ye qir’at2 ye shadd-o-madd3
haqqa4 ke afsah-ul-fusaha5 hai inheeN ka jadd6
goya7 hai lahn8-e-hazrat9-e-da’ood10 ba-Khirad11
yaarab12 rakh is sadaa13 ko zamaane meN taa abad14
sho’be15 sadaa meN paNkhaRiyaaN jaise phool meN
bulbul chahak raha tha riyaaz-e-rasool16 meN
1.beauty of the sound 2.recitation, enunciation 3.emphasis, vigour 4.truly, by Truth 5.most elegant of all elegants 6.ancestor 7.as if 8.melody 9.honorific (like great, holy) 10.David (prophet. Legend has it that birds and animals gathered to listen to his music) 11.with wisdom 12.O god 13.sound, voice, call 14.until the end, for eternity 15.parts (ups and downs, melodies) 16.garden of the prophet (mohammed)
The beauty of his voice, his recitation and the vigour. Truly he was the heir of the most elegant among elegants. As if his call had the melody of David’s music. O god, keep/protect this sound/call for eternity. The rise and fall of his tone came together in harmony as petals of a flower come together to make a beautiful whole. It is as if a “bul bul” were singing in the garden of Mohammed.
Henry VIII, Act III, Scene 1
Queen Katharine is with her maids and bids them sing. This is their song for her.
Orpheus with his lute made trees,
And the mountain tops that freeze,
Bow themselves when he did sing:
To his music plants and flowers
Ever sprung; as sun and showers
There had made a lasting spring.
Every thing that heard him play,
Even the billows of the sea,
Hung their heads, and then lay by.
In sweet music is such art,
Killing care and grief of heart
Fall asleep, or hearing, die.
“Two Gentlemen of Verona”, Act III, Scene 2
Thurio is being advised how to win the heart of Silvia, the daughter of the Duke of Milan. He is to compose sonnets and sing to her and the example of Orpheus is given …
For Orpheus’ lute was strung with poets’ sinews,
Whose golden touch could soften steel and stones,
Make tigers tame and huge leviathans
Forsake unsounded deeps to dance on sands.
