For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
اُردو زباں اور ۔ ہیرا لال فلکؔ دہلوی
۱
ہاں ایک نظر اور اِدھر راحتِ جاں اور
داغوں کے ابھی دل پہ ہیں دو چار نشاں اور
۲
غم دِل میں گھٹے گا تو فغاں آئے گی لب پر
بھڑکے گی اگر آگ تو اُٹّھے گا دھواں اور
۳
آسانی سے تنکے نہ نشیمن کے جلیں گے
لا مانگ کے گردوں سے شررِ برق تپاں اور
۴
چُوما ہے کمندوں کو پکارا ہے اجل کو
باندھا ہے شہیدوں نے سرِ دار سماں اور
۵
وہ ہیں تو نہ الفاظ پہ قابو ہے نہ دل پر
کچھ کہنا بھی چاہوں تو یہ کہتی ہے زباں اور
۶
یہ بات ہی رسوائیِ اُلفت کا سبب ہے
اُن کا ہے بیاں اور ہمارا ہے بیاں اور
۷
ہنسنا یہیں، رونا یہیں، جینا یہیں مرنا
کوچے کو تیرے چھوڑ کے جائیں گے کہاں اور
۸
جب سوچتا ہوں تجھ کو تیرے غم کو بھُلا دوں
ہو جاتے ہیں آنکھوں سے میری اشک رواں اور
۹
غالب بھی فلکؔ میر بھی اور داغ بھی کم ہیں
کچھ پھول کھلائے گی ابھی اُردو زباں اور
उर्दू ज़बां और – हीरा लाल फ़लक देहलवी
१
हां एक नज़र और इधर राहत-ए जां और
दाग़ौं के अभी दिल पे हैं दो चार निशां, और
२
ग़म दिल में घुटेगा तो फ़ुग़ां आएगी लब पर
भढकेगी अगर आग तो उट्ठेगा धुआं और
३
आसानी से तिन्के न नशेमन के जलेंगे
ला मांग के गर्दूं से शरर-ए बर्क़ तपां और
४
चूमा है कमंदौं को पुकारा है अजल को
बांधा है शहीदौं ने सर-ए दार समां और
५
वो हैं तो न अल्फ़ाज़ पे क़ाबू है न दिल पर
कुछ कहना भी चाहूं तो ये कहती है ज़बां और
६
ये बात ही रुस्वाई-ए उल्फ़त का सबब है
उन का है बयां और हमारा है बयां और
७
हंसना यहीं, रोना यहीं, जीना यहीं मरना
कूचे को तेरे छोढ के जाएंगे कहां और
८
जब सोचता हूं, तुझ को, तेरे ग़म को, भुला दूं
हो जाते हैं आंखौं से मेरी अश्क रवां और
९
ग़ालिब भी, फ़लक, मीर भी और दाग़ भी कम हैं
कुछ फूल खिलाएगी अभी उर्दू ज़बां और
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. heera lal falak dehlavi (1920?-1982+?). I can only make an educated guess about his birth and death. A collection of his Ghazal was published in 1982 which dedicates to beKhud dehlavi (1863-1955) and dedicates it to him. He was a minor official in the dehli court system. In the book he describes his encounter with beKhud dehlavi when he (falak) was still a young man. The book says that he started composing in 1940. This Ghazal composed in the zamin of Ghalib has some ash’aar that have remarkable similarity to ash’aar in arsh malsiyaani’s Ghazal also in the same zamin.
1
haaN ek nazar1 aur idhar, raahat2-e jaaN aur
daaGhoN3 ke abhi dil pe haiN do chaar nishaaN, aur 1.glance 2.comfort, joy 3.scars, wounds
The beloved is characterized as ‘joy of life’. Her glances wound the poet/lover’s heart and he carries scars. But he beseeches her for more. One more glance, my beloved, says he. There are still only two or three scars on the heart. More, he pleads.
2
Gham dil meN ghuTega1 to fuGhaaN2 aayegi lab3 par
bhaRkegi4 agar aag to uTThega dhuaaN aur 1.choke, stopped 2.lamentation 3.lips 4.rising flames
If pain (of love) is choked/stopped up in the heart, then lament will rise from the lips. If the flames of fire break out, then smoke will rise.
3
aasaani1 se tinke2 na nasheman3 ke jaleNge
laa maaNg ke garduN4 se sharar5-e barq6-e tapaaN7 aur 1.ease 2.straw, twigs 3.nest 4.sky, heaven 5.spark 6.lightning 7.hot, burning
In urdu poetic tradition the lover is portrayed as a song bird sometimes in the garden sometimes in a cage. Also, lightning strike always burns up his nest. Here he is defiant. The twigs of my nest are not going to burn easily. Ask for/beg and bring from heavens another strong spart of lightning that can burn.
4
chooma1 hai kamandoN2 ko pukaara hai ajal3 ko
baandha hai shahiidoN ne sar-e daar4 samaaN aur 1.kissed 2.gauntlet, challenge 3.death 4.hangman’s platform
bhagat singh and colleagues were hanged in 1931. At that time the shaa’er was around 10-12 years old. Too early to have written this but the spirit of the she’r is similar. The powers have thrown down the gauntlet and challenged those who are protesting. They are the martyrs. They have accepted the gauntlet by kissing it and shouting out their message of defiance from the hangman’s platform, creating a wonderful scene/atmosphere.
5
vo haiN to na alfaaz1 pe qaabu2 hai na dil par
kuchh kahna bhi chaahuN to ye kahti hai zabaaN aur 1.words 2.control
The ‘vo’ here is the beloved. When the poet/lover is in her presence he loses control of his words/speech and heart. His heart wants to say one thing and the tongue says another.
6
ye baat hi rusvaaii1-e ulfat2 ka sabab3 hai
un ka hai bayaaN4 aur, hamaara hai bayaaN aur 1.disrepute 2.love 3.basis, reason 4.words, speaking
The reason for disrepute of my love is simply this – she says one thing and my story is different. He leaves us to guess who is right.
7
haNsna yahiN, rona yahiN, jiina yahiN marna
kooche1 ko tere chhoR ke jaayeNge kahaaN aur 1.street
We have to laugh, cry, live and die here. Where can we go from your (beloved’s) street.
8
jab sochta huN, tujh ko, tere Gham ko, bhula duuN
ho jaate haiN aaNkhoN se meri ashk1 ravaaN2 aur 1.tears 2.flow
Whenever I think that I should forget you and move beyond the pain of (unrequited) love, tears begin to flow from my eyes.
9
Ghalib bhi, falak1, mir bhi aur daaGh bhi kam haiN
kuchh phool khilaayegi abhi urdu zabaaN aur 1.pen-name of the poet
At first glance it might apprear that the poet is putting himself in the same league as Ghalib, mir and daaGh. But that is not so. He is addressing himself – O, falak, even Ghalib, mir and daaGh are not enough. Even more flowers of urdu will bloom.
heera lal falak dehlavi (1920?-1982+?). I can only make an educated guess about his birth and death. A collection of his Ghazal was published in 1982 which dedicates to beKhud dehlavi (1863-1955) and dedicates it to him. He was a minor official in the dehli court system. In the book he describes his encounter with beKhud dehlavi when he (falak) was still a young man. The book says that he started composing in 1940. This Ghazal composed in the zamin of Ghalib has some ash’aar that have remarkable similarity to ash’aar in arsh malsiyaani’s Ghazal also in the same zamin.
1
haaN ek nazar1 aur idhar, raahat2-e jaaN aur
daaGhoN3 ke abhi dil pe haiN do chaar nishaaN, aur
1.glance 2.comfort, joy 3.scars, wounds
The beloved is characterized as ‘joy of life’. Her glances wound the poet/lover’s heart and he carries scars. But he beseeches her for more. One more glance, my beloved, says he. There are still only two or three scars on the heart. More, he pleads.
2
Gham dil meN ghuTega1 to fuGhaaN2 aayegi lab3 par
bhaRkegi4 agar aag to uTThega dhuaaN aur
1.choke, stopped 2.lamentation 3.lips 4.rising flames
If pain (of love) is choked/stopped up in the heart, then lament will rise from the lips. If the flames of fire break out, then smoke will rise.
3
aasaani1 se tinke2 na nasheman3 ke jaleNge
laa maaNg ke garduN4 se sharar5-e barq6-e tapaaN7 aur
1.ease 2.straw, twigs 3.nest 4.sky, heaven 5.spark 6.lightning 7.hot, burning
In urdu poetic tradition the lover is portrayed as a song bird sometimes in the garden sometimes in a cage. Also, lightning strike always burns up his nest. Here he is defiant. The twigs of my nest are not going to burn easily. Ask for/beg and bring from heavens another strong spart of lightning that can burn.
4
chooma1 hai kamandoN2 ko pukaara hai ajal3 ko
baandha hai shahiidoN ne sar-e daar4 samaaN aur
1.kissed 2.gauntlet, challenge 3.death 4.hangman’s platform
bhagat singh and colleagues were hanged in 1931. At that time the shaa’er was around 10-12 years old. Too early to have written this but the spirit of the she’r is similar. The powers have thrown down the gauntlet and challenged those who are protesting. They are the martyrs. They have accepted the gauntlet by kissing it and shouting out their message of defiance from the hangman’s platform, creating a wonderful scene/atmosphere.
5
vo haiN to na alfaaz1 pe qaabu2 hai na dil par
kuchh kahna bhi chaahuN to ye kahti hai zabaaN aur
1.words 2.control
The ‘vo’ here is the beloved. When the poet/lover is in her presence he loses control of his words/speech and heart. His heart wants to say one thing and the tongue says another.
6
ye baat hi rusvaaii1-e ulfat2 ka sabab3 hai
un ka hai bayaaN4 aur, hamaara hai bayaaN aur
1.disrepute 2.love 3.basis, reason 4.words, speaking
The reason for disrepute of my love is simply this – she says one thing and my story is different. He leaves us to guess who is right.
7
haNsna yahiN, rona yahiN, jiina yahiN marna
kooche1 ko tere chhoR ke jaayeNge kahaaN aur
1.street
We have to laugh, cry, live and die here. Where can we go from your (beloved’s) street.
8
jab sochta huN, tujh ko, tere Gham ko, bhula duuN
ho jaate haiN aaNkhoN se meri ashk1 ravaaN2 aur
1.tears 2.flow
Whenever I think that I should forget you and move beyond the pain of (unrequited) love, tears begin to flow from my eyes.
9
Ghalib bhi, falak1, mir bhi aur daaGh bhi kam haiN
kuchh phool khilaayegi abhi urdu zabaaN aur
1.pen-name of the poet
At first glance it might apprear that the poet is putting himself in the same league as Ghalib, mir and daaGh. But that is not so. He is addressing himself – O, falak, even Ghalib, mir and daaGh are not enough. Even more flowers of urdu will bloom.
