ye kya kar diya – seemab akbarabadi
Click on any she’r for word meanings and explanatory discussion.
1
shukriya hasti ka, laikin tum ne ye kya kar diya
parde hi parde meN apna raaz ifsha¹ kar diya 1.reveal, disclose
This is probably addressed to god. Thank you for creating me/giving me life, but what is this that you have done. You remain behind a veil but you have revealed the secret of your existence (by creating me). The poet/creature (of god) is disturbed at having been created because the beloved (god) has sent him (the poet/lover) away while him/herself remaining behind a veil. This has caused a struggle for the poet/lover.
2
maaNg kar hum laa’e the allaah se ek dard-e-ishq¹
vo bhi ab taqdir² ne aurauN ka hissa³ kar diya 1.pain of love 2.fate 3.portion/share
The poet/lover is acting like a conventional jealous lover. He had asked for and received the ‘pain of love’ thinking that it was exclusively for him. Now he finds that all creation shares it.
3
do hi aNgaare the haathauN meN Khuda-e-ishq¹ ke
ek ko dil ek ko mera kaleja² kar diya 1.god of love 2.literally, liver.
In urdu poetic tradtion dil and kaleja (heart and liver) are used interchangeably as seats of love, feelings, vigour, desire to live. Thus the god of love had only two glowing embers in his hands. He made one into the the poet lover’s heart and the other into his liver … thus giving him all the fire/pain of this world.
4
jab tajalli¹ un ki barq-arzaaniyauN² par aa gaii
aable³ se dil ke paida tuur-e-siina⁴ kar diya 1.epiphany, manifestation 2.plentiful/frequent lightning 3.blister 4.Mt. tuur of Sinaii
Moses is supposed to have gone on top of Tuur asking to see god. He witnessed a lightning strike as a manifestation of god. For the poet lover when the epiphany of the beloved was inclined towards frequent lightning strikes his heart got burnt and blistered. Out of one of the blisters of heart, god made/created tuur. Thus, he gives his own heart a status far above that of tuur.
5
apni is vaaraftagi-e-shauq¹ ka mamnoon² huN
baar-ha³ mujh ko bhari mahfil meN tanha⁴ kar diya 1. ecstasy/trance of love 2.obliged 3.many times, often 4.alone
The poet/lover is so deeply/madly in love with the beloved/god that he often goes into a trance. He is obliged to his ecsatsy of love because if often makes him feel alone even in a crowded gathering i.e. he becomes oblivious of his surroundings.
6
vaaqe’aat¹-e-ishq² ka tha lamha³ lamha ek sadi⁴
har nafas⁵ meN maiN ne ek armaan⁶ puura kar diya 1.incidents, happenings 2.love 3.moment 4.century 5.breath/moment 6.desire
The happenings/stories of love are such that every moment appears to be a hundred years long. With every breath/moment the poet/lover fulfilled one desire … Beyond the literal meaning and word/harmony construction, I am having difficulty seeing anything meaningful in this she’r. By convention, the desire of the lover is never fulfilled. It appears here that not only does have many desires, but they hare fulfilled every minute! If anyone has a better interpretation, I would love to hear it.
7
marhamat¹ farma² ke aye seemab Gham ki lazzateN³
ziist⁴ ki talKhi⁵ ko fitrat6 ne gavaara⁷ kar diya 1.kindness 2.bestow 3.pleasures 4.life 5.bitterness 6.nature 7.bearable
The ‘pleasure of the sorrow of love’ is a poetic convention that values the pain of love as something to be treasured. This “pleasure” has bestowed kindness on the poet/lover and made even a bitter life bearable.