Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. aal-e ahmad suroor (1911-2002) academic, critic, writer, editor and poet. MA in English and urdu literature. He taught at aligaRh and lakhnau universities, serving as head of the department of urdu at aligaRh. He was associated with, if not an active member of the Progressive Writers’ Association. His poetic compositions tend to be thoughtful and philosophical.
1
aye miir¹-e kaarvaan-e vatan! aye shahiid-e-qaum²
tere lahu³ se apna chaman laala-zaar⁴ hai     1.leader 2.martyred by the nation 3.blood 4.blooming with tulips (red to signify blood)
O leader of the caravan of the homeland! You were martyred by the nation. It is your blood that makes red flowers bloom in our garden.
2
tere hi dam-qadam¹ se biyabaaN² mahak³ gaye
apne guloN⁴ meN jo bhi hai teri bahaar⁵ hai    1.strength/power and effort/accomplishment 2.wilderness 3.fragrance 4.roses 5.spring, bloom
It is because of your (moral) power and your effort that the wilderness is fragrant. Whatever bloom there is in our roses, it is because of you.
3
sidq-o-safa¹ ko tujh se mili chashm²-e mo’tabar³
amn⁴ o amaaN⁵ ki dahr⁶ meN tujh se veqaar⁷ hai     1.truth and virtue 2.eye 3.trust, credibility 4.peace 5.refuge, protection 6.world 7.prestige, respect
Truth and virtue (in politics) received a look of credibility because of you. The world respects peace and protection (of the downtrodden) because of what you did.
4
vo saadagi¹ ke laakh adaa’eN² araq-araq³
vo dilbari⁴ keh husn-e-jahaaN⁵ sharmsaar⁶ hai     1.simplicity 2.styles, showing off, swagger 3.an expression meaning – ashamed 4.love, fellow feeling 5.ways of working of the world 6.put to shame
Your simplicity was such, before which royal robes were ashamed. You reached out to everyone, putting to shame the ways in which selfishness worked in the world.
5
sadiyoN¹ ki paa’emaali² ka Khaamosh dard o Gham
azm³-e javaaN⁴ se tere Kharosh⁵-e bahaar⁶ hai     1.centuries 2.trampling 3.determination 4.young, rejuvenated 5.short for “josh o Kharosh”, passion and enthusiastic greeting 6.spring
The pain and sorrow that had silently suffered centuries of trampling rose with renewed determination to greet Spring/Freedom with passion and enthusiasm.
6
kal tha jo saamraaj¹ ka qasr²-e baland-baam³
dhundla⁴ sa aaj ek nishaan-e-mazaar⁵ hai     1.kingdom 2.palace 3.tall, grand 4.faded, foggy 5.image of a mausoleum
That which only yesterday was the grand palace of the kingdom, today looks like a faded image of a mausoleum.
7
tu ne hamaare rindoN¹ ke shauq-e fuzool² ko
apne nafas³ se jur’at⁴-e rindaana kar diya    1.revelers, tavern patrons 2.useless, ineffective 3.breath, words 4.daring
In urdu poetic convention the maikada=tavern is symbolic of a gathering place of free thinkers, rebels, free of narrow ritualistic thought etc and the rind=revelers, patrons of the maikada are rebels. Thus, before gandhi these “rind” were engaged in activities that did not have much effect. With his breath/words he gave them the courage of rebellion.
8
dayr¹ o haram² ke jalve³ faraamosh⁴ ho gaye
yuN ehtemaam⁵-e ziinat⁶-e maiKhaana⁷ kar diya    1.temple 2.mosque 3.images 4.forgotten 5.arrangement 6.beautification 7.tavern
Here ‘maiKhaana=tavern’ is liberal space and is also symbolic of the syncretic culture of hindustan. Thus, the images of temple and mosque faded (such optimism, shattered by present day politics), that is the way in which you arranged the beautification of the tavern/homeland.
9
thi tujh se pahle apni siyaasat¹ gadaagari²
tu ne dua ko zarb³-e kaleemaana⁴ kar diya     1.politics 2.beggary 3.strike, blow 4.miraculous
‘kaleem’ is another name of Moses. He and his staff/stick is associated with working miracles. Thus, “zarb-e kaleemaana” is a miraculous strike/blow. Before you, our politics (demand for freedom) was characterized by appealing and begging. You changed the appeal to a miraculous blow.
10
saaqi bhi aur the, meri sahba¹ bhi aur thi
pur² apni mai³ se shiisha o paimaana⁴ kar diya    1.flask, decanter 2.full 3.wine 4.cup
My wine server was different, my flask was different. You filled your wine in my bottle and cup i.e. the wine of freedom, human dignity and secularism.
11
dahqaaN¹ pe raaz²-e kaj-kulahi³ faash⁴ kar diya
iflaas⁵ ka mizaaj⁶ bhi shaahaana⁷ kar diya     1.farmer, villager 2.secret 3.slanted cap=sign of defiance 4.revealed 5.penury 6.attitude, style 7.royal, dignified
You revealed to the village folk the secret of defiance/resistance. You leant dignity/confidence to the style of penury/poor people.
12
aql¹-e Khiraam-e-mast² ko parvaaz³-e ishq⁴ di
josh-e-junuuN⁵ ko ramz⁶-e hakiimaana⁷ kar diya    1.intelligence, reason 2.drunken saunter 3.flight 4.(universal) love 5.mad passion 6.song 7.wisdom
To the drunken stagger of reason you gave the flight of universal love. You changed mad passion to the song of wisdom. This probably refers to communal hatred converted to harmony (optimism).
13
piir-e-muGhaaN¹ ki yaad meN kaisa suroor² hai
ham ne bhi ek n’aara³-e mastaana⁴ kar diya      1.head wine-maker 2.pen-name of poet, ecstacy 3.cry, declaration 4.intoxication, trance
There is such ecstacy in the memory of the piir-e muGhaan that we too let out a cry of trance. This nazm was composed in 1951 and shows the affection with which gandhi was regarded long after he was gone.