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Recitation
پردہ کشائی نہ ہو سکی ۔ تلوک چند محرومؔ
۱
دستِ خِرد سے پردہ کُشائی نہ ہو سکی
حسنِ ازل کی جلوہ نُمائی نہ ہو سکی
۲
رنگِ بہار دے نہ سکے خارزار کو
دستِ جنوں میں آبلہ سائی نہ ہو سکی
۳
اے دل تجھے اجازتِ فریاد ہے مگر
رسوائی ہے اگر شُنَوائی نہ ہو سکی
۴
مندر بھی صاف ہم نے کئے مسجدیں بھی پاک
مشکل یہ ہے کہ دل کی صفائی نہ ہو سکی
۵
فکرِ معاش و عشقِ بُتاں یادِ رفتگاں
ان مشکلوں سے عہد بَرآئی نہ ہو سکی
۶
غافل نہ تجھ سے اے غمِ عقبیٰ تھے ہم مگر
دامِ غمِ جہاں سے رہائی نہ ہو سکی
۷
منکر ہزار بار خدا سے ہوا بشر
اِک بار بھی بشر سے خدائی نہ ہو سکی
۸
خود زندگی بُرائی نہیں ہے تو اور کیا
محرومؔ جب کسی سے بھلائی نہ ہو سکی
पर्दा-कुशाई न हो सकी – तिलोक चन्द महरूम
१
दस्त-ए-ख़िरद से पर्दा-कुशाई न हो सकी
हुस्न-ए-अज़ल की जल्वा-नुमाई न हो सकी
२
रंग-ए-बहार दे न सके ख़ारज़ार को
दस्त-ए-जुनूँ में आबला-साई न हो सकी
३
अए दिल तुझे इजाज़त-ए-फ़रियाद है मगर
रुस्वाई है अगर शुनावाई न हो सकी
४
मंदिर भी साफ़ हम ने किए मस्जिदें भी पाक
मुश्किल ये है कि दिल की सफ़ाई न हो सकी
५
फ़िक्र-ए-म’आश ओ इश्क़-ए-बुताँ याद-ए-रफ़्तगाँ
इन मुश्किलों से अहद-बरआई न हो सकी
६
ग़ाफ़िल न तुझ से अए ग़म-ए-उक़्बा थे हम मगर
दाम-ए-ग़म-ए-जहाँ से रेहाई न हो सकी
७
मुंकिर हज़ार बार ख़ुदा से हुआ बशर
एक बार भी बशर से ख़ुदाई न हो सकी
८
ख़ुद ज़िंदगी बुराई नहीं है तो और क्या
महरूम जब किसी से भलाई न हो सकी
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. tilok chand mahroom (1887-1955) and his son jagan nath azad are one illustrious father-son team of urdu shu’ara. The other is labhu ram josh malsiani and balmukand arsh malsiani. This selection represents a trans-religious, sufi inclination.
1
dast1-e Khirad2 se parda-kushaaii3 na ho saki
husn4-e azal5 ki jalva-numaaii6 na ho saki 1.hand of 2.knowledge (of the material world) 3.opening/lifting the veil 4.beauty 5.eternal 6.reveal the glory
The hand of wisdom/knowledge (of the material world) could not life the veil from the face of Eternal Beauty and reveal its glory i.e. Reason/logic is not enough to understand god.
2
raNg-e-bahaar1 de na sake Khaarzaar2 ko
dast-e-junuN3 meN aabla-saaii4 na ho saki 1.colour/shape of spring 2.garden of thorns 3.hand of passion 4.formation of blisters
‘Khaarzaar’-garden of thorns could well be the material world and ‘raNg-e bahaar’-the shape of spring, could be symbolic of the spiritual world. However much the hand of passion tried, it was not hard enough, not even enough to give blisters on its hands. It could not give this material world the shape of the spiritual.
3
aye dil tujhe ijaazat1-e fariyaad2 hai magar3
rusvaaii4 hai agar shunavaaii5 na ho saki 1.permission 2.appeal, beg 3.but 4.shame, ignominy 5.hearing
The poet/lover appeals to the beloved and she routinely turns him down. So the better tradition is to ‘seal you lips’ and hide your love (from the world, but not from the beloved in private). Thus, the lover has permission/ability to appeal to the beloved (openly), but there is a danger of ignominy, because she will turn him down.
4
mandir bhi saaf ham ne kiye masjideN bhi paak
mushkil ye hai ke dil ki safaaii na ho saki We cleaned temples and purified/sanctified mosques, but the trouble is that we could not clean our hearts.
5
fikr1-e m’aash2 o ishq-e butaaN3 yaad-e raftagaaN4
in mushkiloN se ahd-baraaii5 na ho saki 1.worry 2.livelihood 3.idols 4.departed 5.keeping promise
It is not clear what the promise is that the poet has to keep. But the troubles that kept from fulfilling his commitment were … worrying about livelihood, love of idols/beloved and remembering obligations to departed forebears. In the spirit of the rest of ash’aar this promise could well be that life would be spent in virtuous contemplation/pursuits.
6
Ghaafil1 na tujh se aye Gham2-e uqbaa3 the hum magar4
daam5-e Gham6-e jahaaN se rehaaii7 na ho saki 1.unmindful, forgetful, careless 2.sorrow/fear of 3.hereafter 4.but 5.trap 6.sorrow/worry 7.release
We were not unmindful of the fear of the hereafter/judgement day. But we could not get released from the trap of having to make a livelihood.
7
munkir1 hazaar baar Khudaa se hua bashar2
ek baar bhi bashar se Khudaaii na ho saki 1.denial 2.human
Humans have denied the existence of god but never could they become/acquire/exercise the powers of god. I must enter a protest as an aside. The poet here is probably referring to historical claims of divinity by the likes of Pharaohs and Nimrod. But denial of existence of god does NOT have to go along with claims of being god. There are rational thinkers who are agnostics without making this claim.
8
Khud zindagi buraaii nahiN hai to aur kya
mahroom jab kisi se bhalaaii na ho saki O, mahroom, if someone cannot do good, then we can say that that life must be bad.
tilok chand mahroom (1887-1955) and his son jagan nath azad are one illustrious father-son team of urdu shu’ara. The other is labhu ram josh malsiani and balmukand arsh malsiani. This selection represents a trans-religious, sufi inclination.
1
dast1-e Khirad2 se parda-kushaaii3 na ho saki
husn4-e azal5 ki jalva-numaaii6 na ho saki
1.hand of 2.knowledge (of the material world) 3.opening/lifting the veil 4.beauty 5.eternal 6.reveal the glory
The hand of wisdom/knowledge (of the material world) could not life the veil from the face of Eternal Beauty and reveal its glory i.e. Reason/logic is not enough to understand god.
2
raNg-e-bahaar1 de na sake Khaarzaar2 ko
dast-e-junuN3 meN aabla-saaii4 na ho saki
1.colour/shape of spring 2.garden of thorns 3.hand of passion 4.formation of blisters
‘Khaarzaar’-garden of thorns could well be the material world and ‘raNg-e bahaar’-the shape of spring, could be symbolic of the spiritual world. However much the hand of passion tried, it was not hard enough, not even enough to give blisters on its hands. It could not give this material world the shape of the spiritual.
3
aye dil tujhe ijaazat1-e fariyaad2 hai magar3
rusvaaii4 hai agar shunavaaii5 na ho saki
1.permission 2.appeal, beg 3.but 4.shame, ignominy 5.hearing
The poet/lover appeals to the beloved and she routinely turns him down. So the better tradition is to ‘seal you lips’ and hide your love (from the world, but not from the beloved in private). Thus, the lover has permission/ability to appeal to the beloved (openly), but there is a danger of ignominy, because she will turn him down.
4
mandir bhi saaf ham ne kiye masjideN bhi paak
mushkil ye hai ke dil ki safaaii na ho saki
We cleaned temples and purified/sanctified mosques, but the trouble is that we could not clean our hearts.
5
fikr1-e m’aash2 o ishq-e butaaN3 yaad-e raftagaaN4
in mushkiloN se ahd-baraaii5 na ho saki
1.worry 2.livelihood 3.idols 4.departed 5.keeping promise
It is not clear what the promise is that the poet has to keep. But the troubles that kept from fulfilling his commitment were … worrying about livelihood, love of idols/beloved and remembering obligations to departed forebears. In the spirit of the rest of ash’aar this promise could well be that life would be spent in virtuous contemplation/pursuits.
6
Ghaafil1 na tujh se aye Gham2-e uqbaa3 the hum magar4
daam5-e Gham6-e jahaaN se rehaaii7 na ho saki
1.unmindful, forgetful, careless 2.sorrow/fear of 3.hereafter 4.but 5.trap 6.sorrow/worry 7.release
We were not unmindful of the fear of the hereafter/judgement day. But we could not get released from the trap of having to make a livelihood.
7
munkir1 hazaar baar Khudaa se hua bashar2
ek baar bhi bashar se Khudaaii na ho saki
1.denial 2.human
Humans have denied the existence of god but never could they be/acquire/exercise the powers of god. I must enter a protest as an aside. The poet here is probably referring to historical claims of divinity by the likes of Pharaohs and Nimrod. But denial of existence of god does NOT have to go along with claims of being god. There are rational thinkers who are agnostics without making this claim.
8
Khud zindagi buraaii nahiN hai to aur kya
mahroom jab kisi se bhalaaii na ho saki
O, mahroom, if someone cannot do good, then we can say that that life must be bad.
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