For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
اُردو کو برا کہتے ہیں ۔ امیر چند بہارؔ
۱
اک جہل کے سیلاب میں جو بہتے ہیں
اک عالمِ موہوم میں جو رہتے ہیں
کم ظرف و کم اندیش ہیں کج فہم ہیں جو
بے وجہ وہ اُردو کو برا کہتے ہیں
۲
اُردو کو جو باہر کی زباں کہتے ہیں
جاہل ہیں جو اِس بات پہ ہاں کہتے ہیں
بے بہرہ ہیں تاریخ سے وہ بے چارے
ذی ہوش کبھی ایسا کہاں کہتے ہیں
۳
اُردو کی مخالفت اگر کرتے ہیں
لوگ اپنے ہی سایے سے ڈرتے ہیں
مذہب کو زباں سے جوڑنے والے بہارؔ
مذہب پر اِلزام عبث دھرتے ہیں
۴
بگڑے ہوئے حالات سُدھر سکتے ہیں
گرداب میں ڈوب کر اُبھر سکتے ہیں
اِک عزمِ مُصمّم کی ضرورت ہے بہارؔ
اِس وقت بھی ہم کیا نہیں کر سکتے ہیں
۵
جب بزمِ سخن میں طلبہ آتے ہیں
ہندی میں رقم کرکے غزل لاتے ہیں
اُردو رسم الخط سے جو ہیں انجان
وہ بھی اُردو سے فیض یوں پاتے ہیں
उर्दू को बुरा कहते हैं – अमीर चंद बहार
१
एक जहल के सैलाब में जो बहते हैं
एक आलम-ए मौहूम में जो रहते हैं
कम-ज़र्फ़-ओ-कम-अंदेश हैं कज-फ़हम हैं जो
बे-वज्ह वो उर्दू को बुरा कहते हैं
२
उर्दू को जो बाहर की ज़बां कहते हैं
जाहल हैं जो इस बात पे हां कहते हैं
बे-बहरा हैं तारीख़ से वो बेचारे
ज़ी-होश कभी ऐसा कहां कहते हैं
३
उर्दू कि मुख़ालफ़त अगर करते हैं
लोग अपने हि साए से डरते हैं
मज़्हब को ज़बां से जोड़ने वोले बहार
मज़्हब पर इल्ज़ाम अबस धरते हैं
४
बिग्ड़े हुए हालात सुधर सकते हैं
गिर्दाब में डूब कर उभर सकते हैं
एक अज़्म-ए मुसम्मम कि ज़रूरत है बहार
इस वक़्त भी हम क्या नहीं कर सकते हैं
५
जब बज़्म-ए सुख़न में तुलबा आते हैं
हिंदी में रक़म कर के ग़ज़ल लाते हैं
उर्दू रस्म-उल-ख़त से जो हैं अंजान
वो भी उर्दू से फ़ैज़ यूं पाते हैं
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ameer chand bahaar (1925-xxxx). In spite of his eight collections, it was very difficult to assemble any facts about his life. He appears to have taught, first at government college, ludhiana and later at rohtak. Probably English. He translated 26 English poems into urdu nazm format and published them as a collection. He did also compose Ghazal but his specialty seems to be the rubaaii. This collection of rubaaii uses the radeef of Ghalib’s ‘qibla numa kahte haiN’, although it uses a different qaafiya. I take the liberty of including them in this collection because of their tribute to urdu. ameer chand bahaar has a collection of 150 rubaaii about urdu called ‘urdu hai jis ka naam’.
1
ek jahl1 ke sailaab2 meN jo bahte haiN
ek aalam3-e-mauhuum4 meN jo rahte haiN
kam-zarf5 o kam-andesh6 haiN kaj-faham7 haiN jo
be-vaj’h8 vo urdu ko buraa kahte haiN 1.ignorance 2.flood 3.world 4.used here to mean imaginery 5.low (intellectual) capacity 6.short sighted 7.crooked understanding 8.without reason
They get carried away in a flood of ignorance. They live in an imagery world of their own making. Of low intelligence, short-sighted and crooked understanding, they who without reason consider urdu to be bad/evil.
2
urdu ko jo baahir ki zabaaN1 kahte haiN
jaahel2 haiN jo is baat pe haaN kahte haiN
be-bahra3 haiN taariiKh4 se vo bechaare
zii-hosh5 kabhi aisa kahaaN kahte haiN 1.language 2.ignorant 3.unschooled in, unaware of 4.history 5.people of sensibility/knowledge
Those who call urdu a foreign language and those who agree with it, are ignorant people. They are pitiable and unaware of history. People who know, do not say this.
3
urdu ki muKhaalefat1 agar karte haiN
log apne hi saaye se Darte haiN
mazhab ko zabaaN2 se joRne vaale
mazhab pe ilzaam3 abas4 dharte haiN 1.opposition 2.language 3.blame 4.for no reason
If they oppose urdu, it is as if they are afraid of their own shadow/reflection. Those who conjoin language with religion, blame religion for no reason at all.
4
bigRe hue haalaat1 sudhar sakte haiN
girdaab2 meN Doob kar ubhar3 sakte haiN
ek azm4-e musammam5 ki zaruurat6 hai bahaar7
is vaqt bhi hum kya nahiN kar sakte haiN 1.conditions 2.whirlpool 3.emerge, rise 4.determination, resolve 5.strong, steadfast, correct 6.need 7.pen-name of poet
Conditions gone bad can still be corrected/improved. We can rise out of this sinking whirlpool. We need the right resolve, O , bahaar. What is it that we cannot do, even at such a time.
5
jab bazm1-e suKhan2 meN tulaba3 aate haiN
hindi meN raqam4 kar ke Ghazal laate haiN
urdu rasm-ul-Khat5 se jo haiN anjaan6
vo bhi urdu se faiz7 yuN paate haiN 1.gathering 2.poetics, verse 3.students 4.write 5.way of writing, script 6.unschooled 7.benevolence
When students come to poetic gatherings (mushaa’era), they bring Ghazal written in hindi. Thus, even those who are not familiar with urdu script, receive benevolence/benefit from urdu like this.
ameer chand bahaar (1925-xxxx). In spite of his eight collections, it was very difficult to assemble any facts about his life. He appears to have taught, first at government college, ludhiana and later at rohtak. Probably English. He translated 26 English poems into urdu nazm format and published them as a collection. He did also compose Ghazal but his specialty seems to be the rubaaii. This collection of rubaaii uses the radeef of Ghalib’s ‘qibla numa kahte haiN’, although it uses a different qaafiya. I take the liberty of including them in this collection because of their tribute to urdu. ameer chand bahaar has a collection of 150 rubaaii about urdu called ‘urdu hai jis ka naam’.
1
ek jahl1 ke sailaab2 meN jo bahte haiN
ek aalam3-e-mauhuum4 meN jo rahte haiN
kam-zarf5 o kam-andesh6 haiN kaj-faham7 haiN jo
be-vaj’h8 vo urdu ko buraa kahte haiN
1.ignorance 2.flood 3.world 4.used here to mean imaginery 5.low (intellectual) capacity 6.short sighted 7.crooked understanding 8.without reason
They get carried away in a flood of ignorance. They live in an imagery world of their own making. Of low intelligence, short-sighted and crooked understanding, they who without reason consider urdu to be bad/evil.
2
urdu ko jo baahir ki zabaaN1 kahte haiN
jaahel2 haiN jo is baat pe haaN kahte haiN
be-bahra3 haiN taariiKh4 se vo bechaare
zii-hosh5 kabhi aisa kahaaN kahte haiN
1.language 2.ignorant 3.unschooled in, unaware of 4.history 5.people of sensibility/knowledge
Those who call urdu a foreign language and those who agree with it, are ignorant people. They are pitiable and unaware of history. People who know, do not say this.
3
urdu ki muKhaalefat1 agar karte haiN
log apne hi saaye se Darte haiN
mazhab ko zabaaN2 se joRne vaale
mazhab pe ilzaam3 abas4 dharte haiN
1.opposition 2.language 3.blame 4.for no reason
If they oppose urdu, it is as if they are afraid of their own shadow/reflection. Those who conjoin language with religion, blame religion for no reason at all.
4
bigRe hue haalaat1 sudhar sakte haiN
girdaab2 meN Doob kar ubhar3 sakte haiN
ek azm4-e musammam5 ki zaruurat6 hai bahaar7
is vaqt bhi hum kya nahiN kar sakte haiN
1.conditions 2.whirlpool 3.emerge, rise 4.determination, resolve 5.strong, steadfast, correct 6.need 7.pen-name of poet
Conditions gone bad can still be corrected/improved. We can rise out of this sinking whirlpool. We need the right resolve, O , bahaar. What is it that we cannot do, even at such a time.
5
jab bazm1-e suKhan2 meN tulaba3 aate haiN
hindi meN raqam4 kar ke Ghazal laate haiN
urdu rasm-ul-Khat5 se jo haiN anjaan6
vo bhi urdu se faiz7 yuN paate haiN
1.gathering 2.poetics, verse 3.students 4.write 5.way of writing, script 6.unschooled 7.benevolence
When students come to poetic gatherings (mushaa’era), they bring Ghazal written in hindi. Thus, even those who are not familiar with urdu script, receive benevolence/benefit from urdu like this.
