For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
Elizabeth Kurian mona
آبِ رواں اور ۔ اِلزبت کُریں موناؔ
۱
جذبات کئی چھپتے ہیں ، ہوتے ہیں عیاں اور
ملتے ہیں خزانے کئی دریا میں نہاں اور
۲
اٹھتی ہے نظر اور کہیں، پر ہے نشاں اور
محفل میں تِرے لوگوں پہ ہوتا ہے گماں اور
۳
کشتی کو کنارے پہ ہی رکھنا نہیں ممکن
ٹھہریگا نہیں اس کے لیے آبِ رواں اور
۴
آئےگا بہاروں کا وہ موسم بھی یقیناً
برباد چمن کو جو کرے ہے وہ خزاں اور
۵
اِک شمع کے جل اُٹھنے سے مٹتا ہے اندھیرا
جب وقت ہے بجھنے کا تب اُٹھتا ہے دھواں اور
۶
مسجد میں بھی، مندرمیں بھی، گرجا میں بھی ڈھونڈا
مولا یہ بتا دے تجھے ڈھونڈینگے کہاں اور
۷
مالک ہمیں دے دے ذرا برداشت کی طاقت
قسمت میں ابھی باقی ہے گر سنگِ گراں اور
۸
کیا جانے بُجھیگی کہ نہیں جلتی ہوئ آگ
نفرت کی لپیٹوں میں نہ جل جاۓ مکاں اور
۹
انساف ہر اک شخص کو ملتا نہیں اکثر
کچھ اور حقیقت ہے مگر ہوتا بیاں اور
۱۰
غالبؔ تجھے پڑھ کر ہوا اردو سے اُسے عشق
مانا کہ ہے موناؔ کی تو مادر کی زباں اور
आब-ए रवां और – एलीज़बेत कुरियन मोना
१
जज़्बात कई छुपते हैं, होते हैं अयाँ और
मिलते है ख़ज़ाने कई दर्या में नेहां और
२
उठती है नज़र और कहीं पर है निशाँ और
महफ़िल में तेरी लोगों पे होता है गुमाँ और
३
कश्ती को किनारे पे ही रखना नहीं मुमकिन
ठहरेगा नहीं उसके लिए आब-ए रवाँ और
४
आएगा बहारों का वो मौसम भी यक़ीनन
बरबाद चमन को जो करे है वो ख़िज़ां और
५
एक शम’अ के जल उठने से मिटता है अँधेरा
जब वक़्त है बुझने का तो उठता है धुआँ और
६
मस्जिद में भी मंदिर में भी गिर्जा मे भी ढूँढा
मौला ये बता दे तुझे ढूंढेंगे कहाँ और
७
मालिक हमें दे दे ज़रा बरदाश्त की ताक़त
क़िस्मत में अभी बाक़ी है गर संग-ए गिराँ और
८
क्या जाने बुझेगी के नहीं जलती हुई आग
नफ़्रत की लपेटों में न जल जाए मकाँ और
९
इन्साफ़ हर एक शख़्स को मिलता नहीं अक्सर
कुछ और हक़ीक़त है मगर होता बयाँ और
१०
ग़ालिब तुझे पढ़ कर हुआ उर्दू से उसे इश्क़
माना कि है ‘मोना’ की तो मादर की ज़बां और
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. Elizabeth Kurian ‘Mona’ (1949-living) is a poet in many languages – urdu, English, hindi, and her mother tongue malayalam, with published books in each. A true blue hyderabadi, she is a late comer to urdu, but apparently good at it as well as in love with it. She learnt urdu through a correspondence course offered by jaami’a-e millia islamia, dehli. She has written four urdu books of Ghazal/nazms. She took early retirement from a management position in Reserve Bank of India and now pursues her passion in poetry. She composed this Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘andaaz-e bayaaN aur’ and contributed it to urdushahkar.
1
jazbaat1 kaii chhupte haiN, hote haiN ayaaN2 aur
milte haiN Khazaane3 kaii darya4 meN nehaaN5 aur 1.feelings, emotions 2.emerge, show, manifest 3.treasures 4.sea 5.hidden
(True) feelings are often hidden. What shows up is something else. But if you look deep enough, you find those feelings (whethere in yourselves or in others) just like there are treasures hidden in the deep sea.
2
uThti hai nazar1 aur kahiN par hai nishaaN2 aur
mahfil3 meN teri logoN pe hota hai gumaaN4 aur 1.glance 2.target 3.gathering 4.suspicion
In the gathering people raise their eyes and cast glances in some direction, but they are really looking at/targetting something else (in a surreptitious way). Perhaps they are stealing a glance at the beloved. In your party, there is suspicion of the people gathered around you.
3
kashti ko kinaare pe hi rakhna nahiN mumkin1
Thahrega nahiN uske liye aab2-e ravaaN3 aur 1.possible 2.water 3.flowing
There is much dynamism in this she’r. It is not possible to keep the boat still on the banks of the river. The fast-flowing water is not going to stop for it i.e. launch your boat while you have the opportunity.
4
aayega bahaaroN1 ka vo mausam bhi yaqeenan2
barbaad3 chaman ko jo kare hai vo KhizaaN4 aur 1.spring 2.surely 3.destroy, spoit 4.autumn
A statement of optimism and hope. Surely spring will arrive, even though autumn has destroyed the garden for now.
5
ek sham’a1 ke jal uThne se miTta2 hai andhera
jab vaqt hai bujhne ka tab uThta hai dhuaaN aur 1.lamp, candle 2.erased
Lighting one candle can erase/banish darkness. But when it is put out, then smoke rises i.e. not only does darkness return, but the added smoke might things hazy and more difficult to see. Is this an implication that it is better to keep the lamp lit.
6
masjid meN bhi, mandir meN bhi, girja1 meN bhi dekha
maula2 ye bataa de tujhe DhoonDeNge kahaaN aur 1.church 2.lord, god
We have looked for you in the mosque, temple and the church. The implication is that we did not find you there. O, lord, tell us where else we should look for you.
7
maalik1 hameN de de zara bardaasht2 ki taaqat3
qismat meN abhi baaqi4 hai gar5 saNg-e-giraaN6 aur 1.lord, god 2.accept, bear (burden) 3.strength 4.remaining 5.if 6.heavy rocks
O lord, give us the strength to bear the burden, if in our fate, there are more hills to climb or more heavy rocks to lift.
8
kya jaane bujhegi ke nahiN jalti huii aag
nafrat1 ki lapeToN2 meN na jal jaaye makaaN3 aur 1.hatred 2.folds, flames 3.house, home, homeland
Who knows if this fire will get put out or not. I am afraid that in these flames of hatred, the homeland will burn even more.
9
insaaf1 har ek shaKhs2 ko milta nahiN aksar3
kuchh aur haqeeqat4 hai magar hota bayaaN5 aur 1.justice 2.person 3.often 4.truth, reality 5.narration, description, testimony
Not everyone gets justice, often. Reality is something else, and testimony if something different.
10
Ghalib tujhe paRh kar hua urdu se use ishq
maana1 ke hai mona2 ki bhi maadar3 ki zabaaN aur 1.agreed, even if 2.pen-name of poet 3.mother
Ghalib, reading you made her fall in love with urdu, even if mona’s mother tongue is different.
Elizabeth Kurian ‘Mona’ (1949-living) is a poet in many languages – urdu, English, hindi, and her mother tongue malayalam, with published books in each. A true blue hyderabadi, she is a late comer to urdu, but apparently good at it as well as in love with it. She learnt urdu through a correspondence course offered by jaami’a-e millia islamia, dehli. She has written four urdu books of Ghazal/nazms. She took early retirement from a management position in Reserve Bank of India and now pursues her passion in poetry. She composed this Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘andaaz-e bayaaN aur’ and contributed it to urdushahkar.
1
jazbaat1 kaii chhupte haiN, hote haiN ayaaN2 aur
milte haiN Khazaane3 kaii darya4 meN nehaaN5 aur
1.feelings, emotions 2.emerge, show, manifest 3.treasures 4.sea 5.hidden
(True) feelings are often hidden. What shows up is something else. But if you look deep enough, you find those feelings (whethere in yourselves or in others) just like there are treasures hidden in the deep sea.
2
uThti hai nazar1 aur kahiN par hai nishaaN2 aur
mahfil3 meN teri logoN pe hota hai gumaaN4 aur
1.glance 2.target 3.gathering 4.suspicion
In the gathering people raise their eyes and cast glances in some direction, but they are really looking at/targetting something else (in a surreptitious way). Perhaps they are stealing a glance at the beloved. In your party, there is suspicion of the people gathered around you.
3
kashti ko kinaare pe hi rakhna nahiN mumkin1
Thahrega nahiN uske liye aab2-e ravaaN3 aur
1.possible 2.water 3.flowing
There is much dynamism in this she’r. It is not possible to keep the boat still on the banks of the river. The fast-flowing water is not going to stop for it i.e. launch your boat while you have the opportunity.
4
aayega bahaaroN1 ka vo mausam bhi yaqeenan2
barbaad3 chaman ko jo kare hai vo KhizaaN4 aur
1.spring 2.surely 3.destroy, spoit 4.autumn
A statement of optimism and hope. Surely spring will arrive, even though autumn has destroyed the garden for now.
5
ek sham’a1 ke jal uThne se miTta2 hai andhera
jab vaqt hai bujhne ka tab uThta hai dhuaaN aur
1.lamp, candle 2.erased
Lighting one candle can erase/banish darkness. But when it is put out, then smoke rises i.e. not only does darkness return, but the added smoke might things hazy and more difficult to see. Is this an implication that it is better to keep the lamp lit.
6
masjid meN bhi, mandir meN bhi, girja1 meN bhi dekha
maula2 ye bataa de tujhe DhoonDeNge kahaaN aur
1.church 2.lord, god
We have looked for you in the mosque, temple and the church. The implication is that we did not find you there. O, lord, tell us where else we should look for you.
7
maalik1 hameN de de zara bardaasht2 ki taaqat3
qismat meN abhi baaqi4 hai gar5 saNg-e-giraaN6 aur
1.lord, god 2.accept, bear (burden) 3.strength 4.remaining 5.if 6.heavy rocks
O lord, give us the strength to bear the burden, if in our fate, there are more hills to climb or more heavy rocks to lift.
8
kya jaane bujhegi ke nahiN jalti huii aag
nafrat1 ki lapeToN2 meN na jal jaaye makaaN3 aur
1.hatred 2.folds, flames 3.house, home, homeland
Who knows if this fire will get put out or not. I am afraid that in these flames of hatred, the homeland will burn even more.
9
insaaf1 har ek shaKhs2 ko milta nahiN aksar3
kuchh aur haqeeqat4 hai magar hota bayaaN5 aur
1.justice 2.person 3.often 4.truth, reality 5.narration, description, testimony
Not everyone gets justice, often. Reality is something else, and testimony if something different.
10
Ghalib tujhe paRh kar hua urdu se use ishq
maana1 ke hai mona2 ki bhi maadar3 ki zabaaN aur
1.agreed, even if 2.pen-name of poet 3.mother
Ghalib, reading you made her fall in love with urdu, even if mona’s mother tongue is different.
