For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
مکرّر نہ ہوا تھا ۔ بشویشور پرشاد مُنوّر لکھنوی
۱
جب تک مِرا مسجُود ترا در نہ ہوا تھا
گردوں پہ شرف مجھ کو میسّر نہ ہوا تھا
۲
شاید مری تقصیر کی تقریب سے پہلے
برپا کوئی ہنگامۂ محشر نہ ہوا تھا
۳
صدماتِ مسلسل سے بھی ہوتا نہ شکستہ
دل سخت ہوا تھا ابھی پتّھر نہ ہوا تھا
۴
گُستاخیٔ بے باک کا کیا حوصلہ کرتا
دل زُلف کی مانند ابھی خود سر نہ ہوا تھا
۵
کیا سوچ کے گُلچیں کی ہوئی اِس پہ توجہ
اِک پھول کا دامن بھی ابھی تر نہ ہوا تھا
۶
جذباتِ جنوں زا نے مرے ہوش اُڑائے
میں جامۂ اِدراک سے باہر نہ ہوا تھا
۷
جس شوق سے اب خانہ خرابی پہ تُلا ہوں
اُس شوق سے تعمیر مرا گھر نہ ہوا تھا
۸
آیا ہوں وطن میں تو حوادث سے گھرا ہوں
غربت میں بپا قہر یہ مجھ پر نہ ہوا تھا
۹
کیا کاتبِ تقدیر پہ آتا کوئی اِلزام
تحریر کوئی حرفِ مکرّر نہ ہوا تھا
۱۰
دیکھا ہے جو مجھ کو تو لبوں پر ہے تبسّم
اب تک کرم ایسا کبھی مجھ پر نہ ہوا تھا
۱۱
میں سوچ کے انجامِ جراحت تڑپ اُٹّھا
اِک رگ میں داخل ابھی نشتر نہ ہوا تھا
۱۲
اتنا تو مجھے یاد ہے درماندہ بھی رہ کر
دیوار کے سائے کا میں خُوگر نہ ہوا تھا
۱۳
تشنہ ہی رہی تھی مری دیوانگی جب تک
گوشہ کوئی صحرا کا مرا گھر نہ ہوا تھا
۱۴
دامان و گریباں نہ سلامت رہے پھر بھی
دیوانہ سا دیوانہ منوّر نہ ہوا تھا
मुकर्रर न हुआ था – बिश्वेश्वर नाथ मुनव्वर लख्नवी
१
जब तक मेरा मस्जूद तेरा दर न हुआ था
गर्दूं पे शरफ़ मुझ को मयस्सर न हुआ था
२
शायद मेरी तक़्सीर की तक़्रीब से पहले
बरपा कोई हंगामा-ए महशर न हुआ था
३
सद्मात-ए मुसल्सिल से भी होता न शिकस्ता
दिल सख़्त हुआ था अभी पत्थर न हुआ था
४
गुस्ताख़ी-ए बेबाक का क्या हौस्ला करता
दिल ज़ुल्फ़ की मानिन्द अभी ख़ुद-सर न हुआ था
५
क्या सोच के गुलचीं की हुई इस पे तवज्जोह
एक फूल का दामन भी अभी तर न हुआ था
६
जज़्बात-ए जुनूं-ज़ा ने मेरे होश उढाए
मैं जामा-ए इद्राक से बाहर न हुआ था
७
जिस शौक़ से अब ख़ाना-ख़राबी पे तुला हूं
इस शौक़ से त’आमीर मेरा घर न हुआ था
८
आया हुं वतन में तो हवादिस से घिरा हूं
ग़ुर्बत में बपा क़हर ये मुझ पर न हुआ था
९
क्या कातिब-ए तक़्दीर पे आता कोई इल्ज़ाम
तहरीर कोई हर्फ़-ए मुकर्रर न हुआ था
१०
देखा है जो मुझ को तो लबौं पर है तबस्सुम
अब तक करम एसा कभी मझ पर न हुआ था
११
मैं सोच के अंजाम-ए जराहत तड़प उट्ठा
एक रग में दाख़ल अभी नश्तर न हुआ था
१२
इतना मुझे याद है दरमान्दा भी रह कर
दीवार के साए का मैं ख़ूगर न हुआ था
१३
तिश्ना ही रही थी मेरी दीवानगी जब तक
गोशा कोई सहरा का मेरा घर न हुआ था
१४
दामान ओ गरेबां न सलामत रहे फिर भी
दीवाना सा दीवाना मुनव्वर न हुआ था
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. munshi bisheshwar prasad munavvar lakhnavi (1897-1970). He was a scholar of arabi, faarsi, urdu, and hindi. His father, munshi dwarka prasad ufaq was also a great poet who recomposed the ramayan in urdu using the same qaafiya for more than 6000 ash’aar. He credits urdu with “saving the hindu religion” because of the many translations of hindu religious texts into urdu because that was the language that more north Indian hindus could relate to, rather than avadhi or sanskrit. This is his tribute to Ghalib composed in the same ‘bahr’ (meter) as Ghalib’s, ‘tu dost kisi ka bhi sitamgar na hua tha’. He composed it specifically for an issue “Ghalib Number” of magazine “aaj kal”, February, 1969.
1
jab tak mera masjuud1 tera dar2 na hua tha
garduN3 pe sharaf4 mujh ko mayassar5 na hua tha 1.object of sijda/veneration 2.door 3.sky/heaven 4.noble status 5.available
This could have been addressed to the beloved, to god or to Ghalib (since this may be considered a tribute to him). Until your door became the object of my veneration, I did not receive recognition. Until I paid tribute to Ghalib, learnt from the master, I did not receive recognition as a shaa’er. Of course, there are variations based on whether this is address to the beloved or god.
2
shaa’ed1 meri taqsiir2 ki taqriib3 se pahle
barpa4 koii haNgaama5-e mahshar6 na hua tha 1.perhaps 2.transgression, offense 3.occasion 4.incidence, episode 5.tumult 6.doomsday
The poet/lover has caused the beloved to get angry with him and has been taken to task, so much so that he thinks it is equivalent in fury to doomsday. He says, perhaps before the occasion/punishment for my offense there was no tumult of doomsday.
3
sadmaat1-e musalsil2 se bhi hota na shikasta3
dil saKht4 hua tha abhi patthar na hua tha 1.tragedies 2.continuous 3.broken 4.hard
The shaa’er has faced tragedy after tragedy (of rejection) but he thinks he might have been able to bear it all without breaking, because the beloved’s heart which had always been hard/unfeeling had not yet turned cold like stone. The implication is that something has happened recently beyond the musalsil sadmaat which has turned her heart to stone. So now he is totally broken.
4
gustaaKhi1-e be-baak2 ka kya hausla3 karta
dil zulf4 ki maanind5 abhi Khud-sar6 na hua tha 1.impertinence 2.fearless 3.courage 4.hair 5.like, similar to 6.obstinate
The beloved’s hair are imagined to be curly and tangled. She spends all kinds of time trying to arranged them to her liking but is never satisfied. This is described as hair being obstinate and impertinent. But the shaa’er/lover says that his heart is not impertinent, fearless and obstinate like the beloved’s curls, therefore it cannot summon the same kind of courage.
5
kya soch ke gulchiiN1 ki hui is pe tavajjoh2
ek phool ka daaman3 bhi abhi tar4 na hua tha 1.flower picker 2.attention 3.
In urdu poetic convention the “gulichiN” – flower picker is the villain/oppressor. Thus I wonder why the flower picker’s attention turned towards it – the flower whose petals had not yet become fresh i.e. had not unfurled.
6
jazbaat1-e junuN-zaa2 ne mere hosh3 uRaaye
maiN jaama4-e idraak5 se baahir na hua tha 1.emotions 2.passion increasing 3.awareness, senses 4.clothing 5.wisdom
jaama-e idraak is baahir hona – getting out of the clothing of wisdom i.e. going mad. Someone has accused the shaa’er of having gone mad. He claims, no I did not go mad, it is just that passion-increasing emotions (love of the beloved) made me lose my sense.
7
jis shauq1 se ab Khaana-Kharaabi2 pe tula3 huN
us shauq1 se t’aamiir4 mera ghar na hua tha 1.desire, pleasure 2.home destruction 3.bent upon 4.construction
The shaa’er is bent upon destroying his own home with a pleasure that is even more than the pleasure he had during the construction of his house. Why is this happening? The reader is left on his own. May be he is so madly in love with the beloved that he is willing to quit everything and head for the vast wilderness, thus abandoning his home.
8
aaya huN vatan1 meN to havaadis2 se ghira huN
Ghurbat3 meN bapa4 qahr5 ye mujh par na hua tha 1.homeland, home 2.accidents, difficulties 3.away from home, wandering in the wilderness 4.happening, occurance 5.calamity
The distraught lover wanders through the wilderness (desert or jungle) like a madman, unmindful of pain. He is back home from the wilderness and is surrounded by difficulties. He forlornly remembers the days in the wilderness when such calamities did not happen to him (maybe they happened but he was unmindful of it in his total absorption in the thoughts of the beloved).
9
kya kaatib1-e taqdiir2 pe aata koii ilzaam3
tahriir4 koii harf5-e mukarrar6 na hua tha 1.scribe, copywriter 2.fate 3.blame 4.written 5.word 6.repeated, uselss, wrong
The shaa’er is not too happy with his fate. But he cannot blame the scribe who wrote it out for him because nowhere did he make a mistake i.e. it was intentional that this was his fate. Of course, ‘harf-e murkarrar’ has echoes of Ghalib’s phrase, ‘harf-e murkarrar nahiN huN maiN’.
10
dekha hai jo mujh ko to laboN1 par hai tabassum2
ab tak karam3 aisa kabhi mujh par na hua tha 1.lips 2.smile 3.kindness
The beloved, upon seeing the shaa’er/lover smiles. The shaa’er is surprised, taken aback … such kindness had never been shown before.
11
maiN soch ke anjaam1-e jaraahat2 taRap3 uTTha
ek rag4 meN daaKhil5 abhi nashtar6 na hua tha 1.result 2.wound, cutting 3.writhe 4.vein, fibre 5.enter, cut through 6.knife
In urdu poetic tradition the beloved is very cruel to the shaa’er/lover (and he accepts this cruelty as a gift). In this case, just anticipating the result of her cutting he writhes in pain even before the knife enters any fibre of his body.
12
itna mujhe yaad hai darmaanda1 bhi rah kar
diivaar ke saaye2 ka maiN Khuugar3 na hua tha 1.sorrowful, helpless 2.shadow of a wall i.e. protection of a patron 3.habituated, used to
This much I remember that even when I was utterly helpless, I did not get used to, did not seek the protection of any patron.
13
tishna1 hi rahi thi meri diivaanagi jab tak
gosha2 koii sahra3 ka mera ghar na hua tha 1.thirsty 2.corner 3.wilderness
The shae’r/lover’s madness of passion remained thirsty/unfulfilled until he left home and found himself a corner in the wilderness.
14
daaman1 o garebaaN2 na salaamat3 rahe phir bhi
diivaana sa diivaana munavvar4 na hua tha 1.hem of the robe 2.collar 3.intact 4.pen-name/taKhallus of the shaa’er
diivaana sa diivaana – diivaane ke jaisa diivaana, literally mad like a madman i.e. stark raving mad. Also, in poetic tradition the lover, in madness of passion rents his collar, his clothes (hem of his robe) are torn to shreds. Thus, even though my clothes and collar did not remain intact, I had not become stark raving mad. The implication is that now something has happened which has made him hopelessly insane.
munshi bisheshwar prasad munavvar lakhnavi (1897-1970). He was a scholar of arabi, faarsi, urdu, and hindi. His father, munshi dwarka prasad ufaq was also a great poet who recomposed the ramayan in urdu using the same qaafiya for more than 6000 ash’aar. He credits urdu with “saving the hindu religion” because of the many translations of hindu religious texts into urdu because that was the language that more north Indian hindus could relate to, rather than avadhi or sanskrit. This is his tribute to Ghalib composed in the same ‘bahr’ (meter) as Ghalib’s, ‘tu dost kisi ka bhi sitamgar na hua tha’. He composed it specifically for an issue “Ghalib Number” of magazine “aaj kal”, February, 1969.
1
jab tak mera masjuud1 tera dar2 na hua tha
garduN3 pe sharaf4 mujh ko mayassar5 na hua tha
1.object of sijda/veneration 2.door 3.sky/heaven 4.noble status 5.available
This could have been addressed to the beloved, to god or to Ghalib (since this may be considered a tribute to him). Until your door became the object of my veneration, I did not receive recognition. Until I paid tribute to Ghalib, learnt from the master, I did not receive recognition as a shaa’er. Of course, there are variations based on whether this is address to the beloved or god.
2
shaa’ed1 meri taqsiir2 ki taqriib3 se pahle
barpa4 koii haNgaama5-e mahshar6 na hua tha
1.perhaps 2.transgression, offense 3.occasion 4.incidence, episode 5.tumult 6.doomsday
The poet/lover has caused the beloved to get angry with him and has been taken to task, so much so that he thinks it is equivalent in fury to doomsday. He says, perhaps before the occasion/punishment for my offense there was no tumult of doomsday.
3
sadmaat1-e musalsil2 se bhi hota na shikasta3
dil saKht4 hua tha abhi patthar na hua tha
1.tragedies 2.continuous 3.broken 4.hard
The shaa’er has faced tragedy after tragedy (of rejection) but he thinks he might have been able to bear it all without breaking, because the beloved’s heart which had always been hard/unfeeling had not yet turned cold like stone. The implication is that something has happened recently beyond the musalsil sadmaat which has turned her heart to stone. So now he is totally broken.
4
gustaaKhi1-e be-baak2 ka kya hausla3 karta
dil zulf4 ki maanind5 abhi Khud-sar6 na hua tha
1.impertinence 2.fearless 3.courage 4.hair 5.like, similar to 6.obstinate
The beloved’s hair are imagined to be curly and tangled. She spends all kinds of time trying to arranged them to her liking but is never satisfied. This is described as hair being obstinate and impertinent. But the shaa’er/lover says that his heart is not impertinent, fearless and obstinate like the beloved’s curls, therefore it cannot summon the same kind of courage.
5
kya soch ke gulchiiN1 ki hui is pe tavajjoh2
ek phool ka daaman3 bhi abhi tar4 na hua tha
1.flower picker 2.attention 3.
In urdu poetic convention the “gulichiN” – flower picker is the villain/oppressor. Thus I wonder why the flower picker’s attention turned towards it – the flower whose petals had not yet become fresh i.e. had not unfurled.
6
jazbaat1-e junuN-zaa2 ne mere hosh3 uRaaye
maiN jaama4-e idraak5 se baahir na hua tha
1.emotions 2.passion increasing 3.awareness, senses 4.clothing 5.wisdom
jaama-e idraak is baahir hona – getting out of the clothing of wisdom i.e. going mad. Someone has accused the shaa’er of having gone mad. He claims, no I did not go mad, it is just that passion-increasing emotions (love of the beloved) made me lose my sense.
7
jis shauq1 se ab Khaana-Kharaabi2 pe tula3 huN
us shauq1 se t’aamiir4 mera ghar na hua tha
1.desire, pleasure 2.home destruction 3.bent upon 4.construction
The shaa’er is bent upon destroying his own home with a pleasure that is even more than the pleasure he had during the construction of his house. Why is this happening? The reader is left on his own. May be he is so madly in love with the beloved that he is willing to quit everything and head for the vast wilderness, thus abandoning his home.
8
aaya huN vatan1 meN to havaadis2 se ghira huN
Ghurbat3 meN bapa4 qahr5 ye mujh par na hua tha
1.homeland, home 2.accidents, difficulties 3.away from home, wandering in the wilderness 4.happening, occurance 5.calamity
The distraught lover wanders through the wilderness (desert or jungle) like a madman, unmindful of pain. He is back home from the wilderness and is surrounded by difficulties. He forlornly remembers the days in the wilderness when such calamities did not happen to him (maybe they happened but he was unmindful of it in his total absorption in the thoughts of the beloved).
9
kya kaatib1-e taqdiir2 pe aata koii ilzaam3
tahriir4 koii harf5-e mukarrar6 na hua tha
1.scribe, copywriter 2.fate 3.blame 4.written 5.word 6.repeated, uselss, wrong
The shaa’er is not too happy with his fate. But he cannot blame the scribe who wrote it out for him because nowhere did he make a mistake i.e. it was intentional that this was his fate. Of course ‘harf-e murkarrar’ has echoes of Ghalib’s phrase, ‘harf-e murkarrar nahiN huN maiN’.
10
dekha hai jo mujh ko to laboN1 par hai tabassum2
ab tak karam3 aisa kabhi mujh par na hua tha
1.lips 2.smile 3.kindness
The beloved, upon seeing the shaa’er/lover smiles. The shaa’er is surprised, taken aback … such kindness had never been shown before.
11
maiN soch ke anjaam1-e jaraahat2 taRap3 uTTha
ek rag4 meN daaKhil5 abhi nashtar6 na hua tha
1.result 2.wound, cutting 3.writhe 4.vein, fibre 5.enter, cut through 6.knife
In urdu poetic tradition the beloved is very cruel to the shaa’er/lover (and he accepts this cruelty as a gift). In this case, just anticipating the result of her cutting he writhes in pain even before the knife enters any fibre of his body.
12
itna mujhe yaad hai darmaanda1 bhi rah kar
diivaar ke saaye2 ka maiN Khuugar3 na hua tha
1.sorrowful, helpless 2.shadow of a wall i.e. protection of a patron 3.habituated, used to
This much I remember that even when I was utterly helpless, I did not get used to, did not seek the protection of any patron.
13
tishna1 hi rahi thi meri diivaanagi jab tak
gosha2 koii sahra3 ka mera ghar na hua tha
1.thirsty 2.corner 3.wilderness
The shae’r/lover’s madness of passion remained thirsty/unfulfilled until he left home and found himself a corner in the wilderness.
14
daaman1 o garebaaN2 na salaamat3 rahe phir bhi
diivaana sa diivaana munavvar4 na hua tha
1.hem of the robe 2.collar 3.intact 4.pen-name/taKhallus of the shaa’er
diivaana sa diivaana – diivaane ke jaisa diivaana, literally mad like a madman i.e. stark raving mad. Also, in poetic tradition the lover, in madness of passion rents his collar, his clothes (hem of his robe) are torn to shreds. Thus, even though my clothes and collar did not remain intact, I had not become stark raving mad. The implication is that now something has happened which has made him hopelessly insane.
