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. This Ghazal (composed in late 1953) is a part of a series with the radeef “guzri hai”, similar to faiz ahmed faiz’s ‘shab-e intezaar guzri hai’. They are all linked to the same icon under Theme Index.
1
kabhi jo koii ghaRi¹ pesh²-e yaar³ guzri⁴ hai
vahi to haasil⁵-e lail-o-nehaar⁶ guzri hai   1.moment, time 2.in the presence of 3.beloved 4.passed, spent 5.net result, product 6.night and day, life
In this case the “beloved” can be a symbol for the romantic beloved, the homeland, socialist ideals or the composing of poetry. Thus the time spent in the service of any of these things is the real benefit, product of the lifetime. All other time is mere maintenance. faiz says ‘junooN meN jitni bhi guzri ba-kaar guzri hai’.
2
bahaar¹ kooche² se tere hazaar guzri hai
ada ada³ se teri sharmsaar⁴ guzri hai 1.spring 2.street 3.every style 4.ashamed
Spring has passed through your street a thousand times. Every time it has passed it has been envious of your beauty.
3
siyaah-masti¹-e shab² meN bhi har ghaRi³ apni
sahar⁴ ke lutf⁵ ki ummeedvaar⁶ guzri hai   1.stone drunk, in a trance 2.night 3.moment 4.dawn 5.pleasure, kindness 6.hopeful
Here ‘sahar’ symbolizes the dawn of a new era of social justice and night symbolizes unjust, oppressive order. Trance/intoxication is the intense desire of getting to the goal. Every moment during this night of oppression, in my state of intense desire for justice, is spent hoping for a new dawn.
4
ye zeest¹ kahte haiN viiraan² jis ko ahl³-e chaman⁴
ba-yaad-e yaar⁵ o talaash⁶-e bahaar⁷ guzri hai    1.life 2.barren 3.people of 4.garden 5.friend, beloved 6.search 7.spring
This takes me back to the 1960s when Singapore was talked of as a model for Asian countries. When Lee Kwan Yew, then PM of Singapore, visited pakistan and was asked what advice he gave them is reported to have said, “What can to I say to them who think life begins after death”. It is customary in urdu poetry to discount “this” life as material/transient/not worth worrying about. Thus, “ahl-e chaman” declare this life to be barren/inconsequential. But suroor says that this same life is spent in the desire of the beloved and search for spring. Here ‘beloved’ and ‘spring’ symbolize an era of social justice, knowledge, god/sprituality or whatever you choose. The important message is that it is NOT barren.
5
vo un ke zaKhm¹ ki lazzat² keh phir taqaaza³ hai
abhi abhi to ani⁴ dil ke paar guzri hai 1.wound 2.pleasure 3.demand 4.tip, point (of an arrow or lance)
The beloved’s glance can be an arrow or a spear. It pierces the heart and the lover enjoys the pain of that wound. He says that the pleasure of the wound that the beloved causes is so intense that already there is a demand for more, even though the tip has only just passed through his heart.
6
kab un ke naqsh-e-qadam¹ ka suraaGh² milta hai
chaman chaman³ to nasiim⁴-e bahaar⁵ guzri hai    1.footprints 2.clue, trace 3.garden 4.breeze 5.spring
The beloved takes a walk in the garden and the poet/lover is always eager just to be able to find her footprints. But now the breeze has been blowing through every garden and covering up her footsteps depriving the poet even of that little satisfaction.
7
tumhaari sham’a-e tajalli¹, hamaari bazm²-e Khayaal
isi tarah to shab-e-intezaar³ guzri hai    1.brilliance 2.gathering, society 3.night of waiting/anticipation
The beloved is beatiful and centre of attention like the candle in a “bazm”, gathering. Her brilliance and the gathering of the poet’s thought/imagination, that is how his night of anticipation has passed. faiz on the other hand thinks that his night of separation will never pass – tum aae ho na shab-e intezaar guzri hai.
8
kab un ke zulf¹-e mo’ambar² se khel aasaan hai
saba³ palaT ke bahut be-qaraar⁴ guzri hai 1.hair 2.fragrant like amber 3.breeze 4.restless
Normally the breeze plays with the beloved’s hair. This is considered to be its domain. How can it be easy for the poet/lover to play with the beloved’s fragrant hair. The breeze would turn back in restless jealousy and blow them away from his hand.
9
azal¹ se diida-vari² ko mili hai tanhaaii³
ye vaz’a⁴-e Khaas⁵ kise saazgaar⁶ guzri hai    1.eternity, beginning 2.looking (as in looking at the beloved transfixed with her beauty) 3.loneliness 4.style, condition 5.special 6.compatible, good luck
In urdu poetry the lover is ‘diida-var’ but he seldom gets to see the beloved. Thus poet/lover has been given loneliness as his condition from the beginning of time. How can this special condition bring good luck to anyone.
10
kisi nigaah ka dil ne fareb khaaya tha
ye vaaredaat bhi kya yaadgaar guzri hai   1.glance 2.deception 3.crime 4.memorable
This has always been a memorable crime, from the beginning of time. Hearts have always been deceived by (amorous) glances, or is he talking about self-deception.
11
kahiN na apne chaman ka charaaGh gul¹ kar de
idhar se ho ke KhizaaN² baar baar guzri hai   1.extinguish 2.dry season, autumn/fall
Autumn/fall is the time for dry winds to blow. The poet is fearful that it will blow away/extinguish the lamp of his garden. This could be that autumn is a season of deprivation and the poet is afraid that his life is will be finished because there has been deprivation upon deprivation.
12
suroor¹ sunte haiN Khoobaan²-e shahr ko shaayed³
hamaari vaz’a-e-junooN⁴ naagavaar⁵ guzri hai    1.pen-name of the poet 2.betters, elders, leaders 3.perhaps 4.style of passion 5.unacceptable
O, suroor, I hear that the leaders of the homeland are unhappy with the style of my passion. This probably refers to the changing political conditions and criticism for speaking out.