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Recitation
صاحب خانہ تھا ۔ خواجہ میر درد
۱
مدرسہ یا دیر تھا یا کعبہ یا بت خانہ تھا
ہم سبھی مہمان تھے واں تو ہی صاحب خانہ تھا
۲
وائے نادانی کہ وقت مرگ یہ ثابت ہوا
خواب تھا جو کچھ کہ دیکھا جو سنا افسانہ تھا
۳
حیف! کہتے ہیں ہوا گلزار تاراجِ خزاں
آشنا اپنا بھی واں اک سبزۂ بیگانہ تھا
۴
ہو گیا مہماں سرائے کثرت موہوم آہ!
وہ دلِ خالی کہ تیرا خاص خلوت خانہ تھا
۵
بھول جا خوش رہ عبث وے سابقے مت یاد کر
دردؔ! یہ مذکور کیا ہے آشنا تھا یا نہ تھا
साहब ख़ाना था – ख़्वाजा मीर दर्द
१
मदरसा या दैर था या काबा या बुत-ख़ाना था
हम सभी मेहमान थे वाँ तू ही साहब-ख़ाना था
२
वाए नादानी कि वक़्त-ए-मर्ग ये साबित हुआ
ख़्वाब था जो कुछ कि देखा जो सुना अफ़्साना था
३
हैफ़! कहते हैं हुआ गुलज़ार ताराज-ए-ख़िज़ाँ
आश्ना अपना भी वाँ इक सब्ज़ा-ए-बेगाना था
४
हो गया मेहमाँ-सरा-ए-कसरत-ए-मौहूम आह!
वो दिल-ए-ख़ाली कि तेरा ख़ास ख़ल्वत-ख़ाना था
५
भूल जा ख़ुश रह अबस वे साबेक़े मत याद कर
दर्द! ये मज़कूर क्या है आश्ना था या न था
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. Khwaja mir dard (1721-1785). His father relinquished his position as mansabdaar to lead the life of a sufi. Religious education under the supervision of his father. Witness invasions of naadir shaah, ahmed shaah abdaali and maraaThas. Mastery of arabi, faarsi and urdu. Expert in Indian music. He shows strong sufi inclinations in his verse. This is a sufiyaana Ghazal which seems to cry out about including the ‘other’ in your circle of love.
1
madrasa ya dair1 tha ya k’aaba ya but-Khaana2 tha
hum sabhi mehmaaN3 the vaaN tu hi saahab-Khaana4 tha 1.material world 2.temple 3.guests 4.owner of the house, host
‘madrasa’ is used here in the sense of religious school, spiritual considerations and ‘dair’ as material considerations. Thus, be it spiritual or material, mosque or temple, we are all guests (temporary soujourn) and you alone are the owner/maker/host.
2
vaa’e1 naadaani2 ke vaqt-e marg3 ye saabit4 hua
Khwaab tha jo kuchh ke dekha jo suna afsaana5 tha 1.fie, what a shame 2.simplicity, foolishness 3.death 4.proven 5.legend
What a shame, it is only at the time of death that I realized that my life was a mere dream/illusion and whatever I heard was mere fantasy/fable i.e. this world is not real (it is maaya), life after death is real.
3
haif!1 kahte haiN hua gulzaar2 taraaj3-e KhizaaN4
aashna5 apna bhi vaaN ek sabza-e-begaana6 tha 1.alas 2.garden 3.destroyed 4.autumn 5.friend 6.‘other’ greenery
The poet is inclusive and spreads his net of friendship wide. He has befriended an ‘other’. The poet, a contemporary of mir taqi mir, is quite probably speaking of friendships across communities of hindus and muslims. He has heard that the garden has been destroyed by autumn and is sorrowful, particularly so because his friend, the ‘other’, has also been affected.
4
ho gaya mehmaN-sara1-e kasrat2-e mauhoom3 aah
vo dil-e Khaali ke tera Khaas4 Khalvat-Khaana5 tha 1.guest house 2.numerous 3.superstitions 4.special 5.private abode
There was a time when there was nothing in his heart but room for god … his heart was the intimate abode of god. But now it has become a guest house of numerous superstitions/doubts. This could be non-sufi, non-inclusive thoughts invading the heart.
5
bhool ja Khush rah abas1 ve sabeqe2 mat yaad kar
dard, ye mazkoor3 kya hai aashna4 tha ya na tha 1.useless 2.past stories 3.zikr, mention 4.friend
Let bygones be bygones, don’t recall stories/unpleasantness of past days. O, dard, why dwell on whether he was intimate or not i.e. love should be inclusive of everyone.
Khwaja mir dard (1721-1785). His father relinquished his position as mansabdaar to lead the life of a sufi. Religious education under the supervision of his father. Witness invasions of naadir shaah, ahmed shaah abdaali and maraaThas. Mastery of arabi, faarsi and urdu. Expert in Indian music. He shows strong sufi inclinations in his verse. This is a sufiyaana Ghazal which seems to cry out about including the ‘other’ in your circle of love.
1
madrasa ya dair1 tha ya k’aaba ya but-Khaana2 tha
hum sabhi mehmaaN3 the vaaN tu hi saahab-Khaana4 tha
1.material world 2.temple 3.guests 4.owner of the house, host
‘madrasa’ is used here in the sense of religious school, spiritual considerations and ‘dair’ as material considerations. Thus, be it spiritual or material, mosque or temple, we are all guests (temporary soujourn) and you alone are the owner/maker/host. The spirit of the she’r is inclusive in that it is the same god everywhere.
2
vaa’e1 naadaani2 ke vaqt-e marg3 ye saabit4 hua
Khwaab tha jo kuchh ke dekha jo suna afsaana5 tha
1.fie, what a shame 2.simplicity, foolishness 3.death 4.proven 5.legend
What a shame, it is only at the time of death that I realized that my life was a mere dream/illusion and whatever I heard was mere fantasy/fable i.e. this world is not real (it is maaya), life after death is real.
3
haif!1 kahte haiN hua gulzaar2 taraaj3-e KhizaaN4
aashna5 apna bhi vaaN ek sabza-e-begaana6 tha
1.alas 2.garden 3.destroyed 4.autumn 5.friend 6.‘other’ greenery
The poet is inclusive and spreads his net of friendship wide. He has befriended an ‘other’. The poet, a contemporary of mir taqi mir, is quite probably speaking of friendships across communities of hindus and muslims. He has heard that the garden has been destroyed by autumn and is sorrowful, particularly so because his friend, the ‘other’, has also been affected.
4
ho gaya mehmaN-sara1-e kasrat2-e mauhoom3 aah
vo dil-e Khaali ke tera Khaas4 Khalvat-Khaana5 tha
1.guest house 2.numerous 3.superstitions 4.special 5.private abode
There was a time when there was nothing in his heart but room for god … his heart was the intimate abode of god. But now it has become a guest house of numerous superstitions/doubts. This could be non-sufi, non-inclusive thoughts invading the heart.
5
bhool ja Khush rah abas1 ve sabeqe2 mat yaad kar
dard, ye mazkoor3 kya hai aashna4 tha ya na tha
1.useless 2.past stories 3.zikr, mention 4.friend
Let bygones be bygones, don’t recall stories/unpleasantness of past days. O, dard, why dwell on whether he was intimate or not i.e. love should be inclusive of everyone.
Key Search Words: sufiyaana, sufi, mystic
