For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
بے وفا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا ۔ جان پال رابرٹ نادرؔ شاہجہاں پوری
۱
مرے مِٹنے پہ گر تو بھی مِٹا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
تجھے بھی صبر اے دل آ گیا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
۲
چلے آتے ہیں لاکھوں سرفروشی کی تمنّا میں
ترا کوچہ اگر دار الشفا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
۳
عدم سے میں نہ آتا اس جہاں میں غم اٹھانے کو
اگر ہستی مجھے تیرا پتا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
۴
تجھی پہ منصفی ہے لے تو ہی انصاف سے کہہ دے
اگر تیری طرح میں بے وفا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
۵
ستارے کیوں دکھاتی مجھ کو دن بھر میری ناکامی
وہ شب کو مل کے افشاں آ گیا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
۶
سرِ شوریدہ کو میں پتّھروں سے پھوڑتا پھرتا
بتِ کافر جو تو میرا خدا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
۷
ثبات اس کو نہیں پھر بھی فدا ہے حضرتِ انساں
جو یہ دارِ فنا دارِ بقا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
۸
کسی کے پاس رہ کر بھی تڑپتے ہجر میں نادرؔ
ہمیں جنّت میں بھی کچھ آسرا ہوتا تو کیا ہوتا
बेवफ़ा होता तो क्या होता – जॉन रॉबर्ट पॉल नादर शाहजाहांपूरी
१
मेरे मिटने पे गर तू भी मिटा होता तो क्या होता
तुझे भी सब्र ऐ दिल आ गया होता तो क्या होता
२
चले आते हैं लाखों सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना में
तेरा कूचा अगर दारुश्शिफ़ा होता तो क्या होता
३
अदम से मैं न आता इस जहाँ में ग़म उठाने को
अगर हस्ती मुझे तेरा पता होता तो क्या होता
४
तुझी पे मुंसिफ़ी है ले तू ही इंसाफ़ से कह दे
अगर तेरी तरह मैं बेवफ़ा होता तो क्या होता
५
सितारे क्यूँ दिखाती मुझ को दिन भर मेरी नाकामी
वो शब को मल के अफ़्शाँ आ गया होता तो क्या होता
६
सर-ए-शोरीदा को मैं पत्थरों से फोड़ता फिरता
बुत-ए काफ़र जो तू मेरा ख़ुदा होता तो क्या होता
७
सबात उस को नहीं फिर भी फ़िदा है हज़्रत-ए इंसाँ
जो ये दार-ए फ़ना दार-ए बक़ा होता तो क्या होता
८
किसी के पास रह कर भी तड़पते हिज्र में नादर
हमें जन्नत में भी कुछ आस्रा होता तो क्या होता
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. John Robert Paul nadir shahjahaaNpuri (1890-1963) was born in a Christian missionary family. He chose to continue to live in India and composed extensively in urdu with a full-fledged divan of nearly 400 Ghazal to his name. Also see his hamd and n’aat-e maseehi posted on this site. This Ghazal is one of several that he composed in the zamin of Ghalib, this one in the zamin of “na tha kuchh to Khuda tha, kuchh na hota to Khuda hota”.
1
mere miTne1 pe gar tu bhi miTaa hota to kya hota
tujhe bhi sabr2 aye dil aa gayaa hota to kya hota 1.erased, forgotten, died 2.patience, forbearance
The ‘tu’ in the first misra refers to the ‘dil’ in the second. So this she’r appears to be addressed to poet’s heart/feelings. What would have happened if “you/feelings/emotions” had been forgotten when I died. The obvious implication is that the poet’s feelings have not (will not be) forgotten. They will be remembered in his verse. What would have happened if, O, heart, you had borne your feelings in patience and not written about them. Then, I would have been forgotten, leaving no legacy.
2
chale aate haiN laakhoN sarfaroshi1 ki tamannaa2 meN
tera kuucha3 agar4 daarushshifaa5 hota to kya hota 1.offering head/life, willing to die 2.desire 3.street of the beloved 4.if 5.house of healing
Thousand of lovers come the the street of the beloved willing to offer their lives. What would have happened if your street had become a place that could heal. The poet does not answer the question and there is no obvious implication that I could see, except to say that all these lovers would have lived. But what does that mean?
3
adam1 se maiN na aataa is jahaaN2 meN Gham3 uThaane ko
agar4 hasti5 mujhe tera pataa6 hota to kya hota 1.non-existence 2.world 3.pain, suffering 4.if 5.life 6.knowledge of consequences
I would not have come from the state of non-existence into this world to bear all this pain and sorrow. O, life, if I had known your nefarious plans and the consequences of coming to this world, then what would have happened.
4
tujhi pe munsifi1 hai le tu hi insaaf2 se kah de
agar3 teri tarah4 maiN bevafaa5 hota to kya hota 1.judgement 2.justice, fairness 3.fairness 4.like, similar to 5.unfaithful
This is addressed to the beloved who is considered unfaithful, showing favours to different lovers at different times. You be the judge and make a fair judgement. What would have happened if I had been unfaithful like you.
5
sitaare kyuN dikhaati mujh ko din bhar meri naakaami1
vo shab2 ko mal3 ke afshaaN4 aa gayaa hota to kya hota 1.failure 2.night 3.smear, apply 4.glitter
“din meN taare dikhaana” is like hitting someone over the head, stunning them. The poet/lover has tried to woo the beloved and failed. His failure has stunned him, “showing him stars all day long”. How much better would it have been if instead of “showing me stars during the day” she had come with glitter applied to her forehead at night. The juxtaposition of stars and glitter is noteworthy.
6
sar-e-shorida1 ko maiN pattharoN se phoRtaa phirtaa
but-e-kaafir2 jo tu meraa Khudaa hota to kya hota 1.scatter-brain, mad 2.cruel idol, beloved
There is an interesting juxtapostion of ‘but/idol’ and ‘rock/stone’. There is also a mischievous interpretation which the poet (being an orthodox, believing Christian) would not have meant. Belief in god is like hitting your head against rocks – hurtful and meaningless. If the cruel beloved had been his god, he would have gone around hitting his mad, passionate head against rocks. The normal imagery of an idol is that of one carved out of stone.
7
sabaat1 us ko nahiN phir bhi fidaa2 hai hazrat3-e insaaN4
jo ye daar5-e fanaa6 daar5-e baqaa7 hota to kya hota 1.permanence, stability, abiding 2.enamoured of 3.honorific term, sir 4.human 5.used here to mean domain 6.annihilation, mortal 7.survival, immortal
The implication is that this world is material/mortal and does not have permanence. The next world is spiritual and permanent. In spite of that, Mr. Human is enamoured of this material world.
8
kisi ke paas rah kar bhi taRapte1 hijr2 meN naadir3
hameN jannat meN bhi kuchh aasraa4 hota to kya hota 1.restless in pain 2.separation 3.pen-name of the poet 4.help, friendship, companionship
Most probably the first misra refers to the material world and the second to the spiritual world. In this world, even if naadir had been near that someone i.e. beloved, he would have been restless in separation of his ‘real’ beloved i.e. god. How much better would it have been, if I had been in heaven in the company of god.
John Robert Paul nadir shahjahaaNpuri (1890-1963) was born in a Christian missionary family. He chose to continue to live in India and composed extensively in urdu with a full-fledged divan of nearly 400 Ghazal to his name. Also see his hamd and n’aat-e maseehi posted on this site. This Ghazal is one of several that he composed in the zamin of Ghalib, this one in the zamin of “na tha kuchh to Khuda tha, kuchh na hota to Khuda hota”.
1
mere miTne1 pe gar tu bhi miTaa hota to kya hota
tujhe bhi sabr2 aye dil aa gayaa hota to kya hota
1.erased, forgotten, died 2.patience, forbearance
The ‘tu’ in the first misra refers to the ‘dil’ in the second. So this she’r appears to be addressed to poet’s heart/feelings. What would have happened if “you/feelings/emotions” had been forgotten when I died. The obvious implication is that the poet’s feelings have not (will not be) forgotten. They will be remembered in his verse. What would have happened if, O, heart, you had borne your feelings in patience and not written about them. Then, I would have been forgotten, leaving no legacy.
2
chale aate haiN laakhoN sarfaroshi1 ki tamannaa2 meN
tera kuucha3 agar4 daarushshifaa5 hota to kya hota
1.offering head/life, willing to die 2.desire 3.street of the beloved 4.if 5.house of healing
Thousand of lovers come the the street of the beloved willing to offer their lives. What would have happened if your street had become a place that could heal. The poet does not answer the question and there is no obvious implication that I could see, except to say that all these lovers would have lived. But what does that mean?
3
adam1 se maiN na aataa is jahaaN2 meN Gham3 uThaane ko
agar4 hasti5 mujhe tera pataa6 hota to kya hota
1.non-existence 2.world 3.pain, suffering 4.if 5.life 6.knowledge of consequences
I would not have come from the state of non-existence into this world to bear all this pain and sorrow. O, life, if I had known your nefarious plans and the consequences of coming to this world, then what would have happened.
4
tujhi pe munsifi1 hai le tu hi insaaf2 se kah de
agar3 teri tarah4 maiN bevafaa5 hota to kya hota
1.judgement 2.justice, fairness 3.fairness 4.like, similar to 5.unfaithful
This is addressed to the beloved who is considered unfaithful, showing favours to different lovers at different times. You be the judge and make a fair judgement. What would have happened if I had been unfaithful like you.
5
sitaare kyuN dikhaati mujh ko din bhar meri naakaami1
vo shab2 ko mal3 ke afshaaN4 aa gayaa hota to kya hota
1.failure 2.night 3.smear, apply 4.glitter
“din meN taare dikhaana” is like hitting someone over the head, stunning them. The poet/lover has tried to woo the beloved and failed. His failure has stunned him, “showing him stars all day long”. How much better would it have been if instead of “showing me stars during the day” she had come with glitter applied to her forehead at night. The juxtaposition of stars and glitter is noteworthy.
6
sar-e-shorida1 ko maiN pattharoN se phoRtaa phirtaa
but-e-kaafir2 jo tu meraa Khudaa hota to kya hota
1.scatter-brain, mad 2.cruel idol, beloved
There is an interesting juxtapostion of ‘but/idol’ and ‘rock/stone’. There is also a mischievous interpretation which the poet (being an orthodox, believing Christian) would not have meant. Belief in god is like hitting your head against rocks – hurtful and meaningless. If the cruel beloved had been his god, he would have gone around hitting his mad, passionate head against rocks. The normal imagery of an idol is that of one carved out of stone.
7
sabaat1 us ko nahiN phir bhi fidaa2 hai hazrat3-e insaaN4
jo ye daar5-e fanaa6 daar5-e baqaa7 hota to kya hota
1.permanence, stability, abiding 2.enamoured of 3.honorific term, sir 4.human 5.used here to mean domain 6.annihilation, mortal 7.survival, immortal
The implication is that this world is material/mortal and does not have permanence. The next world is spiritual and permanent. In spite of that, Mr. Human is enamoured of this material world.
8
kisi ke paas rah kar bhi taRapte1 hijr2 meN naadir3
hameN jannat meN bhi kuchh aasraa4 hota to kya hota
1.restless in pain 2.separation 3.pen-name of the poet 4.help, friendship, companionship
Most probably the first misra refers to the material world and the second to the spiritual world. In this world, even if naadir had been near that someone i.e. beloved, he would have been restless in separation of his ‘real’ beloved i.e. god. How much better would it have been, if I had been in heaven in the company of god.
