Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. dilaavar husain figaar (1929-1998) was known for his humour and satire, poking fun at politicians, shaiKh, shaa’er and himself.
1
aye karachi mulk-e-pakistan ke shahr-e-hasiN
marne valoN ko jahaN milti nahiN do gaz zamiN
qabr ka milna hi hai avval¹ to ek TeRha savaal
aur agar mil jaaye is par daKhl² milna hai muhaal³     1.first 2.entry, possession 3.difficult
O, karachi, the beautiful city of the land of pakistan, where those who die do not even get two yards of land. First of all getting a gravesite is a ‘twisted question’ and then it is difficult to get possession.
2
hai yahi soorat¹ to ek aisa bhi din aa jaayega
aane vaala daur² murdoN par musibat Dhaayega³
murdagaaN⁴ bisyaar⁵ hoNge aur jaa-e-qabr⁶ taNg⁷
qabr ki taqsim⁸ par murdoN meN chhiR jaayegi jaNg
seeT qabristan meN pahle vo murde paayeNge
jo kisi murda minisTer ki sifaarish laayeNge   1.condition 2.period, times 3.bring down 4.dead bodies 5.plentiful 6.room for grave 7.tight, scarce 8.distribution
If this condition remains then a day will come when future times will bring down difficulties on the dead. There will be many bodies but scarce room for graves. War will break out among the dead for allocation of graves. Those corpses will get a ‘seat’ first, who bring a recommendation from a dead minister.
3
corporation karega ek resolution ye paas
ke Di ae¹ ab marne valoN se kare ye iltimaas²
aap ko marna hai to pahle se notice dijiye
yaani jurm³-e intiqaal⁴-e na-gahaaN⁵ mat kijiye
kuchh mahiine ke liye ho jaayegi turbat⁶ alloT
is ke baad aayega noTice chhoR diije ye ploT     1.KDA, Karachi Development Authority 2.request 3.crime 4.death 5.sudden, uplanned 6.grave
The city corporation will pass a resolution that KDA request those who are dying – if you have to die, please give a notice first i.e. do not commit the crime of unplanned death. You will be allotted a grave for a few months. Then you will get a notice to vacate the plot.
4
turbat-e-shauhar¹ meN us ki ahliya² so jaayegi
mahv-e-hairat³ huN ke turbat⁴ kya se kya ho jaayegi
ek hi taboot⁵ hoga aur murde aaTh das
aap ise taboot kahiye ya private bus
ek hi turbat⁶ meN so jaayeNge mahmood⁷ o ayaaz⁸
duur ho jaayega farq⁹-e banda¹⁰ o banda-navaaz¹¹   1.husband’s grave 2.wife 3.engrossed in wonder 4.grave 5.coffin 6.grave 7.mahmood Ghazni 8.favourite slave devoted to mahmood 9.difference 10.slave 11.slave’s patron/owner
Wife will be laid down in the husband’s grave. I am puzzled what the grave will turn into. One coffin will carry 8-10 corpses. You may call it a coffin or a private bus. This is a pun on iqbal’s misra … ‘ek hi saf meN khaRe ho gaye mahmood o ayaaz’. mahmood and ayaaz will be buried in the same grave. The difference between slave and slave-owner will be erased.
5
shaa’er-e-marhoom¹ jab zer-e-mazaar² aa jaayega
doosre murdoN ko haibat³ se buKhaar aa jaayega
us se ye kah kar kareNge aur murde ehtejaaj⁴
ham ko hota hai tumhaari shaa’eri se eKhtelaaj⁵
Khamushi shahr-e-KhamoshaN⁶ meN hai dastoor-e-azal⁷
tum yahaN bhi chheR doge Ghair-matbooa⁸ Ghazal
ham kaheNge so raho araam karna farz⁹ hai
tum kahoge ho chuka araam matl’a¹⁰ arz¹¹ hai   1.dead poet 2.under the tomb 3.terror, fear 4.protest 5.palpitations 6.city of the quiet/dead 7.eternal tradition 8.unpublished 9.duty 10.opening she’r of a Ghazal 11.speaking, presenting
But when a dead poet will arrive in the grave the other dead will get sick with fear. The other corpses will say to him in protest. We get palpitations from your poetry. Silence has been the eternal tradition of the city of dead, but here too you will begin to recite your unpublished Ghazal. We (the other corpses in the grave) will say, it is our duty to take rest. You will say, enough rest, I present to you my opening she’r.
6
surKhiyaN¹ ye hoNgi ”jaNg²” o ”hurriyat²” meN ”Dawn²” meN
Daal li haiN jhuggiyaN murdoN ne qabristan meN
raat do murdoN ne haNgama kiya zer-e-mazaar³
ek murda jail meN hai doosra murda faraar⁴
ek murda bhaag uTha tha chhoR kar gor-o-kafan⁵
qabr par marhoom⁶ ki hai qabza⁷-e kustoDian   1.headlines 2.names of newspapers 3.under the tomb 4.escaped 5.grave and shroud 6.dead 7.control
Newspapers will carry such headlines – the dead have have built a slum in the graveyard; last night two corpses got into a fight in the tomb, one is in jail and the other escaped; one corpse ran away leaving behind his grave and shroud, the grave is now under the control of the custodian.
7
bartari¹ jaati rahi hifz²-e maraatib³ miT gaya
ek murda ek police vaale ke haathoN piT gaya
raat ek turbat⁴ pe do murdoN meN sauda paT gaya
ek murda paaNch sau pagRi ke le kar haT gaya   1.superiority, status 2.memory 3.station, status 4.tomb
All remembrance of position and status was lost. One corpse got beaten up by a policeman. Last night two corpses made a deal. One took 500 in earnest money and ceded his grave.
8
ham to samjhe the hamiiN haiN is jahaaN meN be-qaraar¹
us jahaaN vaaloN ko bhi milti nahiN raah-e-faraar²
sirf³ zindoN hi ko fikr⁴-e aish-o-aasa’esh⁵ nahiN
ab to us duniya meN murdoN ki bhi gunja’esh⁶ nahiN   1.restless, struggling 2.escape route 3.only 4.concern, worry 5.comfort and well-being 6.room, spare room
We had thought we were the only ones struggling. That people of this world have no escape route (from their daily struggle). But it looks like not only the living are worried about comfort and well being, but also that there is no room for the dead in that world.