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Recitation
سوار دیکھا ۔ نظیر اکبرآبادی
ادا کے توسن پر اس صنم کو جو آج ہم نے سوار دیکھا
تو ہلتے ہی ٹک عناں کے کیا کیا کچلتے صبر و قرار دیکھا
جھپک پہ مژگاں کے جب نگہ کی تو اُس نے اک پل میں ہوش اُڑایا
جو چشم و غمزہ کی طرز دیکھی تو جادو اس کا شِعار دیکھا
جو دیکھی اُس کی وہ تیغ ابرو تو جی کو ہیبت نے آن گھیرا
نگہ جو کاکل کے دام پر کی تو دل کو اُس کا شکار دیکھا
حِنا جو ہاتھوں میں اس کے دیکھی تو رنگ دل کا ہوا عجب کچھ
کمر بھی دیکھی تو ایسی نازک کہ مو بھی اس پر نثار دیکھا
وہ دیکھ لیتا ہماری جانب تو اس میں ہوتی کچھ اور خوبی
پر اُس نے ہرگز اِدھر نہ دیکھا نظیرؔ ہم نے ہزار دیکھا
सवार देखा – नज़ीर अक्बाराबादी
अदा के तौसन पर उस सनम को जो आज हम ने सवार देखा
तो हिलते ही टुक इनाँ के क्या क्या कुचलते सब्र-ओ-क़रार देखा
झपक पे मिज़्गाँ के जब निगह की तो उस ने एक पल में होश उड़ाया
जो चश्म-ओ-ग़मज़ा की तर्ज़ देखी तो जादू उस का शे’आर देखा
जो देखी उस की वो तेग़-ए-अबरू तो जी को हैबत ने आन घेरा
निगह जो काकुल के दाम पर की तो दिल को इस का शिकार देखा
हिना जो हाथों में उस के देखी तो रंग दिल का हुआ अजब कुछ
कमर भी देखी तो ऐसी नाज़ुक के मू भी उस पर निसार देखा
वो देख लेता हमारी जानिब तो इस में होती कुछ और ख़ूबी
पर उस ने हरगिज़ इधर न देखा नज़ीर हम ने हज़ार देखा
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. nazir akbarabadi (1735-1830) was a contemporary of mir taqi mir (1722-1810) and was a prolific shaa’er over his long life time writing acclaimed Ghazals of high quality in chaste urdu and classical style of the period. But he was also a “people’s poet” writing nazm in everyday conversational language about subjects of daily life – divali, holi, eid, rain, roTi, rupiya as well as paeans to mohammed and to krishn. This is one of his ‘conventional/romantic’ Ghazal about the cruelty of the beloved.
ada1 ke tausan2 par us sanam ko jo aaj hum ne sawar3 dekha
to hilte hi Tuk4 inaaN5 ke kya kya kuchalte6 sabr-o-qarar7 dekha 1.style, coquetry 2.lively/uncontrollable horse 3.riding 4.(old urdu) moment, immediate 5.reins, bridle 6.trample 7.patience and repose/rest
The beloved is on the warpath, riding the lively horse of coquetry. The moment she gives a little shake/tug to the reins, the horse immediately tramples lovers (who have been patient and waiting hopefully).
jhapak pe mizhgaaN1 ke jab nigah2 ki to us ne ek pal meN hosh uRaaya
jo chashm3-o-Ghamza4 ki tarz5 dekhi to jaadu is ka she’aar6 dekha 1.eye lashes 2.sight 3.eyes 4.wink, coquettish glance 5.style 6.nature, habit
When the poet/lover got a glance of her eyelashes blink, he lost his senses (mad with love). When he saw her coquettish glance he realized that enchantment was her very nature.
jo dekhi us ki vo teGh-e-abru1 to ji2 ko haibat3 ne aan4 ghera5
nigah6 jo kaakul7 ke daam8 par ki to dil ko is ka shikar9 dekha 1.arched brow like a dagger 2.life/heart 3.fear 4.come, arrive 5.encircle, surround 6.glance 7.ringlets of hair on the forehead 8.net, trap 9.prey
When the poet/lover saw her raised (in anger/annoyance) eyebrows (that looked like daggers), fear descended and surrounded him. When he glanced at the forelocks on her brow (which looked like a net/trap) he knew that his heart was its prey (caught in the net).
hina1 jo hathauN meN us ke dekhi to raNg2 dil ka hua ajab3 kuchh
kamar bhi dekhi to aisi nazuk4 ke moo5 bhi us par nisaar6 dekha 1.mehndi, henna 2.condition 3.strange, unusual 4.delicate 5.hair, follicle 6.sacrificial offering
When he saw henna on her hands he had strange/unusual feelings in his heart. When he saw her delicate waist he saw that even a slender hair follicle would offer itself as a sacrificial offering (in devotion to her beauty).
vo dekh leta hamaari jaanib1 to is meN hoti kuchh aur Khoobi2
par us ne hargiz3 idhar na dekha nazir hum ne hazaar dekha 1.towards, direction 2.goodness, happiness 3.never, under no condition
If she had, but glanced towards him but once, then his happiness would have been ‘something else’ (excessive). But she never even looked at him, even though he looked at her (expectantly) a thousand times.
nazir akbarabadi (1735-1830) was a contemporary of mir taqi mir (1722-1810) and was a prolific shaa’er over his long life time writing acclaimed Ghazals of high quality in chaste urdu and classical style of the period. But he was also a “people’s poet” writing nazm in everyday conversational language about subjects of daily life – divali, holi, eid, rain, roTi, rupiya as well as paeans to mohammed and to krishn. This is one of his ‘conventional/romantic’ Ghazal about the cruelty of the beloved.
ada1 ke tausan2 par us sanam ko jo aaj hum ne sawar3 dekha
to hilte hi Tuk4 inaaN5 ke kya kya kuchalte6 sabr-o-qarar7 dekha
1.style, coquetry 2.lively/uncontrollable horse 3.riding 4.(old urdu) moment, immediate 5.reins, bridle 6.trample 7.patience and repose/rest
The beloved is on the warpath, riding the lively horse of coquetry. The moment she gives a little shake/tug to the reins, the horse immediately tramples lovers (who have been patient and waiting hopefully).
jhapak pe mizhgaaN1 ke jab nigah2 ki to us ne ek pal meN hosh uRaaya
jo chashm3-o-Ghamza4 ki tarz5 dekhi to jaadu is ka she’aar6 dekha
1.eye lashes 2.sight 3.eyes 4.wink, coquettish glance 5.style 6.nature, habit
When the poet/lover got a glance of her eyelashes blink, he lost his senses (mad with love). When he saw her coquettish glance he realized that enchantment was her very nature.
jo dekhi us ki vo teGh-e-abru1 to ji2 ko haibat3 ne aan4 ghera5
nigah6 jo kaakul7 ke daam8 par ki to dil ko is ka shikar9 dekha
1.arched brow like a dagger 2.life/heart 3.fear 4.come, arrive 5.encircle, surround 6.glance 7.ringlets of hair on the forehead 8.net, trap 9.prey
When the poet/lover saw her raised (in anger/annoyance) eyebrows (that looked like daggers), fear descended and surrounded him. When he glanced at the forelocks on her brow (which looked like a net/trap) he knew that his heart was its prey (caught in the net).
hina1 jo hathauN meN us ke dekhi to raNg2 dil ka hua ajab3 kuchh
kamar bhi dekhi to aisi nazuk4 ke moo5 bhi us par nisaar6 dekha
1.mehndi, henna 2.condition 3.strange, unusual 4.delicate 5.hair follicle 6.sacrificial offering
When he saw henna on her hands he had strange/unusual feelings in his heart. When he saw her delicate waist he saw that even a slender hair follicle would offer itself as a sacrificial offering (in devotion to her beauty).
vo dekh leta hamaari jaanib1 to is meN hoti kuchh aur Khoobi2
par us ne hargiz3 idhar na dekha nazir hum ne hazaar dekha
1.towards, direction 2.goodness, happiness 3.never, under no condition
If she had, but glanced towards him but once, then his happiness would have been ‘something else’ (excessive). But she never even looked at him, even though he looked at her (expectantly) a thousand times.
Key Search Words: classical, romantic, roomaani
