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Recitation
masarrat nazir
آہستہ آہستہ ۔ مصطفےٰ زیدی
۱
چلے تو کٹ ہی جائے گا سفر آہستہ آہستہ
ہم اُس کے پاس جاتے ہیں مگر آہستہ آہستہ
۲
ابھی تاروں سے کھیلو چاند کی کِرنوں سے اِٹھلاؤ
ملے گی اُس کے چہرے کی سحر آہستہ آہستہ
۳
دریچوں کو تو دیکھو چِلمنوں کے راز تو سمجھو
اُٹھیں گے پردہ ہائے بام و در آہستہ آہستہ
۴
زمانے بھر کی کیفیّت سمٹ آئے گی ساغر میں
پیو اُن انکھڑیوں کے نام پر آہستہ آہستہ
۵
یوں ہی اک روز اپنے دل کا قِصّہ بھی سُنا دینا
خِطاب آہستہ آہستہ نظر آہستہ آہستہ
आहस्ता आहस्ता – मुस्तफ़ा ज़ैदी
१
चले तो कट ही जाएगा सफ़र आहस्ता आहस्ता
हम उस के पास जाते हैं मगर आहस्ता आहस्ता
२
अभी तारों से खेलो चाँद की किरनों से इठलाओ
मिलेगी उस के चेहरे की सहर आहस्ता आहस्ता
३
दरीचों को तो देखो चिलमनों के राज़ तो समझो
उठेंगे पर्दा-हा-ए बाम-ओ-दर आहस्ता आहस्ता
४
ज़माने भर की कैफ़ियत सिमट आएगी साग़र में
पियो उन अँखड़ियों के नाम पर आहस्ता आहस्ता
५
यूँही एक रोज़ अपने दिल का क़िस्सा भी सुना देना
ख़िताब आहस्ता आहस्ता नज़र आहस्ता आहस्ता
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mustafa zaidi (1929-1970) was a great poet with a controversial personal life and death. He was a progressive and wrote very subtly about orthodoxy and restrictive conventional mores. Here it sounds like he is consoling the distraught lover (maybe himself) that he will eventually get to see/meet the beloved. Very possibly the beloved could also be a just social system and the ‘safar’ could be the struggle to achieve it. The Ghazal is modeled after vali dakkhani’s.
1
chale to kaT hi jaayega safar1 aahista aahista
hum us ke paas jaate haiN magar aahista aahista 1.journey
If we start walking, we will reach the end of the journey, if only gradually. We are moving towards ‘her’ but gradually. The ‘her’ could be the beloved or a new world order.
2
abhi taaroN se khelo chaaNd ki kirnoN se iThlaao
milegi us ke chehre1 ki sahar2 aahista aahista 1.face, visage 2.dawn
It is still night. Play with the stars and moon beams for a while yet. The dawn of her visage will appear gradually. Again, ‘her’ can be the beloved or a new social order.
3
darichoN1 ko to dekho chilmanoN ke raaz2 to samjho
uTheNge parda-haa3-e baam-o-dar4 aahista aahista 1.windows 2.secret, mystery 3.plural of parda, curtains 4.roof and door, houses
Look at the window, understand the mystery of curtains. The curtains of her house will be raised gradually. Is this a message saying – linger in the street of the beloved keeping your eye on the windows. She is peeping from the behind the curtain and will come out soon. Again, this can mean the beloved or a new social order. The curtain will be raised and the secret of capitalist manipulation of power will be revealed.
4
zamaane bhar ki kaifiyyat1 simaT2 aayegi saaGhar3 meN
piyo un aNkhRiyoN ke naam par aahista aahista 1.characteristics 2.gathered, condensed 3.cup (of wine)
All the joys and sorrow of the world will be gathered in your cup of wine. Drink, sip slowly, picturing her (beloved or new social order) eyes in your mind.
5
yuNhi ek roz apne dil ka qissa bhi sunaa dena
Khitaab1 aahista aahista nazar2 aahista aahista 1.address, talk to 2.glance
The original misra of vali dakkhani is “Khitaab aahista aahista javaab aahista aahista”. The poet/lover is being consoled that someday he will able to tell the beloved the story of his love, talking to her gradually, stealing a glance at her every now and then.
mustafa zaidi (1929-1970) was a great poet with a controversial personal life and death. He was a progressive and wrote very subtly about orthodoxy and restrictive conventional mores. Here it sounds like he is consoling the distraught lover (maybe himself) that he will eventually get to see/meet the beloved. Very possibly the beloved could also be a just social system and the ‘safar’ could be the struggle to achieve it. The Ghazal is modeled after vali dakkhani’s.
1
chale to kaT hi jaayega safar1 aahista aahista
hum us ke paas jaate haiN magar aahista aahista
1.journey
If we start walking, we will reach the end of the journey, if only gradually. We are moving towards ‘her’ but gradually. The ‘her’ could be the beloved or a new world order.
2
abhi taaroN se khelo chaaNd ki kirnoN se iThlaao
milegi us ke chehre1 ki sahar2 aahista aahista
1.face, visage 2.dawn
It is still night. Play with the stars and moon beams for a while yet. The dawn of her visage will appear gradually. Again, ‘her’ can be the beloved or a new social order.
3
darichoN1 ko to dekho chilmanoN ke raaz2 to samjho
uTheNge parda-haa3-e baam-o-dar4 aahista aahista
1.windows 2.secret, mystery 3.plural of parda, curtains 4.roof and door, houses
Look at the window, understand the mystery of curtains. The curtains of her house will be raised gradually. Is this a message saying – linger in the street of the beloved keeping your eye on the windows. She is peeping from the behind the curtain and will come out soon. Again, this can mean the beloved or a new social order. The curtain will be raised and the secret of capitalist manipulation of power will be revealed.
4
zamaane bhar ki kaifiyyat1 simaT2 aayegi saaGhar3 meN
piyo un aNkhRiyoN ke naam par aahista aahista
1.characteristics 2.gathered, condensed 3.cup (of wine)
All the joys and sorrow of the world will be gathered in your cup of wine. Drink, sip slowly, picturing her (beloved or new social order) eyes in your mind.
5
yuNhi ek roz apne dil ka qissa bhi sunaa dena
Khitaab1 aahista aahista nazar2 aahista aahista
1.address, talk to 2.glance
The original misra of vali dakkhani is “Khitaab aahista aahista javaab aahista aahista”. The poet/lover is being consoled that someday he will able to tell the beloved the story of his love, talking to her gradually, stealing a glance at her every now and then.
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