Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. syed ather husain razvi kaifi azmi (1919-2002), azamgaRh. Poet, lyricist, labour organizer, Communist Party member, Progressive Writers’ Association and film maker. Awarded padma shri, and urdu academy awards from uttar pradesh, maharashtra and dehli.
1
dost! maiN dekh chukaa taj mahal
vaapas¹ chal    1.turn back, return
Friend, I have seen enough of the taj mahal. Let us go back.
2
marmariiN¹ marmariiN phooloN se ubaltaa hiiraa
chaaNd kii aaNch meN dahke² hue siimiiN³ miinaar⁴
zehn⁵-e shaa’er se ye kartaa huaa chashmak⁶ paiham⁷
ek malika kaa ziyaa-posh⁸ o fazaa-taab⁹ mazaar¹⁰      1.marble 2.glowing 3.silvery 4.towers 5.mind, imagination 6.wink 7.again and again 8.dressed in brilliance 9.glory of the ambience 10.tomb
Spilling over with marble flowers. Silvery towers glowing in the light of the moon, winks at the mind of the poet again and again (teases his imagination). An empress’s tomb, the glory of the ambience dressed in brilliance.
3
Khud-ba-Khud¹ phir gaye nazroN meN ba-andaaz²-e savaal
vo jo rastoN pe paRe rahte haiN laashoN kii tarah
Khushk³ ho kar jo simaT⁴ jaate haiN be-ras⁵ aa’saab⁶
dhuup meN khopRiyaaN⁷ bajtii haiN taashoN⁸ kii tarah     1.by themselves 2.in the style/nature of 3.dry 4.contract, gather, fold up 5.without juice, dried up, skin and bones 6.limbs 7.skulls 8.playing cards
All by itself sight/imagination turns in the style of a question towards those who lie on the streets like corpses. Their skinny lean limbs dried and folded. In the intense heat of the sun their heads snapping like playing cards.
4
dost! maiN dekh chukaa taj mahal
vaapas¹ chal    1.turn back, return
Friend, I have seen enough of the taj mahal. Let us go back.
5
ye dhaRaktaa¹ huaa gumbad² meN dil-e shaahjahaaN
ye dar-o-baam³ pe haNstaa huaa malika kaa shabaab⁴
jagmagaataa hai har ek tah⁵ se mazaaq-e-tafriiq⁶
aur taariiKh⁷ uRhaatii hai mohabbat kii naqaab⁸      1.throbbing, beating 2.dome 3.literally door and roof – building, monument 4.youth, royal grandeur 5.layer 6.culture/tradition of discrimination 7.history 8.veil
The heart of shaah jahaaN throbbing in the dome, the vain grandeur of the empress mocking this monument through every layer the culture of discrimination (between royalty and commoners) shines/shows through and history tries to pull a veil of the symbol of love over it. I am not sure I understand the meaning of the youth of the empress mocking the building. I could have understood the other way around, with the beauty of the taj preserved forever and the youth of the empress gone. One possibility is as follows. ‘maleka ka shabaab’ can be interpreted as her beauty. Her beauty is making fun of the monument because it has nothing to do with her and everything to do with shah jahaaN’s ego.
6
chaaNdnii¹ aur ye mahal aalam²-e hairat³ kii qasam
duudh kii nahr⁴ meN jis tarah ubaal⁵ aa jaaye
aise sayyaah⁶ kii nazroN meN khupe⁷ kyaa ye samaaN⁸
jis ko farhaad⁹ kii qismat kaa Khayaal aa jaaye     1.moonlight 2.condition 3.amazement 4.canal, river 5.boil, bubble over 6.traveler, tourist 8.be useful, pleasing 8.scene 9.of shiriN-farhaad legend
This has reference to the legend of shiriN-farhaad, like that of Romeo-Juliet. shirin was the wife of a rich nobleman. farhaad was a poor stonemason called to make decorative carvings for the palace. They fell in love. The nobleman agreed to divorce shirin on condition that farhaad dig a canal through the mountains to bring a river of milk to the palace. farhaad set about his task with passion and almost succeeded when the nobleman caused a rumour to spread that shirin had died. farhaad killed himself with his pickaxe. The river of milk bubbling over is also a reference to the same story. I swear by my amazement at this palace in moonlight looking like a river of milk bubbling over. How can this scene please the tourist who remembers the fate of farhaad – similar to the fate of artisans who worked on the monument.
7
dost! maiN dekh chukaa taj mahal
vaapas¹ chal    1.turn back, return
Friend, I have seen enough of the taj mahal. Let us go back.
8
ye damaktii¹ huii chaukhaT² ye tilaa-posh³ kalas⁴
inhiiN jalvoN⁵ ne diyaa qabr-parastii⁶ ko rivaaj⁷
maah-o-anjum⁸ bhii hue jaate haiN majbuur⁹-e sujuud¹⁰
vaah aaraam-gah¹¹-e malika-e maabuud¹²-mizaaj¹³     1.shining 2.threshold 3.gold 4.dome 5.display, beauty 6.grave worshipping 7.tradition 8.moon and stars 9.compelled 10.bow down, prostrate 11.resting place 12.one who is worshipped (usually, god) 13.nature
This glorious threshold, this gold covered/painted dome. These displays of grandeur has created the tradition of grave-worshipping. Even the moon and stars are compelled bow down and pay tribute. O, this resting place of the empress who is habituated to being worshipped.
9
diidanii¹ qasr² nahiiN diidanii¹ taqsiim³ hai ye
ruu⁴-e hastii⁵ pe dhuaaN, qabr⁶ pe raqs-e-anvaar⁷
phail jaaye isii rauze⁸ kaa jo simTaa⁹ daaman¹⁰
kitne jaaN-daar¹¹ janaazoN¹² ko bhii mil jaaye mazaar¹³      1.worth seeing 2.palace, monument 3.distribution (of wealth) 4.face 5.life 6.grave 7.dance of light 8.tomb 9.gathered 10.apron 11.living 12.corpses 13.tomb, home, hovel
simTaa daaman-gathered apron refers to wealth selfishly collected in the apron and not shared. It is not the monument that is worth seeing. What is worth seeing is the (poor) distribution of wealth. If the selfishly held wealth that is represented by this tomb were spread out, how many living corpses (stanza 3 above – vo jo rastoN pe paRe rahte haiN laashoN kii tarah) would have gotten a hovel to shelter in.
10
dost! maiN dekh chukaa taj mahal
vaapas¹ chal    1.turn back, return
Friend, I have seen enough of the taj mahal. Let us go back.