aaKhir-e shab-parallel-aaKhir-e shab-faiz-maKhdoom

For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the “Roman” or “Notes” tab.

آخرِ شب – فیض احمد فیض

۱

یاد کا پھر کوئی دروازہ کھلا آخرِ شب

دِل میں بکھری کوئی خوشبوئے حنا آخرِ شب

۲

صبح پھوٹی تو وہ پہلو سے اُٹھا آخرِ شب

وہ جو اک عمر سے آیا نہ گیا آخرِ شب

۳

چاند سے ماند ستاروں نے کہا آخرِ شب

کون کرتا ہے وفا عہدِ وفا آخرِ شب

۴

لمسِ جانانہ لئے مستیٔ پیمانہ لئے

حمد باری کو اُٹھے دستِ دعا آخرِ شب

۵

گھر جو ویراں تھا سرِ شام وہ کیسے کیسے

فرقتِ یار نے آباد کیا آخرِ شب

۶

جس ادا سے کوئی آتا تھا کبھی اوّلِ شب

اُسی انداز سے چل بادِ صبا آخرِ شب

 

आख़िर-ए शब – फ़ैज़ अहमद फ़ैज़

याद का फिर कोई दरवाज़ा खुला आख़िर-ए शब

दिल में बिखरी कोई ख़ुशबू-ए हिना आख़िर-ए शब

सुबह फूटी तो वो पहलू से उठा आख़िर-ए शब

वो जो-एक उम्र से आया न गया आख़िर-ए शब

चाँद से मांद सितारों ने कहा आख़िर-ए शब

कौन करता है वफ़ा अहद-ए वफ़ा आख़िर-ए शब

लम्स-ए जानाना लिए मस्ती-ए पैमाना लिए

हमद-ए बारी को उठे दस्त-ए दुआ आख़िर-ए शब

घर जो वीरां था सर-ए शाम वो कैसे कैसे

फ़ुर्क़त-ए यार ने आबाद किया आख़िर-ए शब

जिस अदा से कोई आता था कभी अव्वल-ए शब

इसी अंदाज़ से चल बाद-ए सबा आख़िर-ए शब

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. faiz’s Ghazal is patterned after maKhdoom’s “aaKhir e shab”. It appears in “mere dil,mere musafir”,and along with “raat bhar” and is entitled,“do GhazleN,maKhdoom ki yaad meN”,Moscow,Oct 1968.This is when faiz received news of the death of his friend. There is a long standing tradition in Urdu poetry that implies that composing in the pattern of someone is to pay tribute to them. This is faiz’s tribute to maKhdoom.
1
yaad ka phir koi darvaza khula aaKhir-e shab
dil meN bikhri koi Khushboo-e hina aaKhir-e shab
“aaKhir e shab” is used literally or metaphorically to convey various meanings. Literally – very late hour of the night just before dawn. Metaphorically – end of life,end of a long journey,giving up at the end of a period of trials and tribulations. It may be used in different ways in different asha’ar. Imagine that faiz has just received news of the passing of his friend and it opens wide a door to memories,late into the night. These memories are the fragrance of henna (of the beloved) keeping him up all night.

2
subah phooTi1 to vo pahloo2 se uTha aaKhir-e shab
vo jo ek umr se3 aaya na gaya aaKhir-e shab
1.breaking of dawn 2.side 3.in a lifetime,for a long time
He finally falls asleep in a trance thinking that his friend/beloved is by his side. Dawn wakes him up and he can now see,the pleasant memories of late night turn into reality. His friend/beloved was never there!

3
chaand se maand4 sitarauN se kaha aaKhir-e shab
kaun karta hai vafa5 ahd-e vafa6 aaKhir-e shab
4.dimming 5.fulfils promise 6.promise of faith/love
Stars have been trying to get the attention of the moon all night long. Now,near dawn,they are beginning to dim. They are disappointed and with a sigh they say,“Who is true to any pledge of faith,late into the night?”. There is added pathos in this when put in the backdrop of the realization that his friend will not be back,will not “keep faith” now.

4
lams7-e jaanana liye,masti-e paimana8 liye
hamd9-e baari10 ko uThe dast-e dua11 aaKhir-e shab
7.touch 8.flask 9.praise/prayer 10.god 11.hands raised or folded in prayer
His hands still carry memories of the beloved’s touch and a lingering sweet intoxication as he raises them in prayer (maybe at the loss of his friend). The parallelism with the 5th she’r in maKhdoom’s Ghazal is beautiful. In maKhdoom’s she’r,noting that the mosque and the church are closed,prayerful hands reach for the flask. In faiz’s she’r,hands still carry the sense of touch of the beloved and remember handling wine. In this state (of intoxication/elation) they are raised in prayer/praising the almighty. Seeming contradiction,neatly juxtaposed.

5
ghar jo veeraaN12 tha sar-e shaam13 vo kaise kaise
furqat-e yaar14 ne aabad15 kiya aaKhir-e shab
12.desolate 13.start of the evening 14.separation from the beloved 15.inhabit,prosper
The home/heart has been desolate/empty from early evening because there is no sign of the beloved. The thing that populates/fills the emptiness is the “absence of the beloved” – as if this absence has a palpable personality and arrives to fill the emptiness.

6
jis ada16 se koi aata tha kabhi avval-e shab17
usi andaaz18 se chal baad-e saba19 aaKhir-e shab
16.style 17.beginning of night 18.style 19.morning breeze
Realizing that the only thing that fills the heart is “emptiness” the poet expresses a plaintive wish,“the rare flair with which she used to arrive,early of an evening,O breeze of morning blow in that same manner late into the night.

faiz’s Ghazal is patterned after maKhdoom’s “aaKhir e shab”. It appears in “mere dil,mere musafir”,and along with “raat bhar” and is entitled,“do GhazleN,maKhdoom ki yaad meN”,Moscow,Oct 1968.This is when faiz received news of the death of his friend. There is a long standing tradition in Urdu poetry that implies that composing in the pattern of someone is to pay tribute to them. This is faiz’s tribute to maKhdoom.
1
yaad ka phir koi darvaza khula aaKhir-e shab
dil meN bikhri koi Khushboo-e hina aaKhir-e shab

“aaKhir e shab” is used literally or metaphorically to convey various meanings. Literally – very late hour of the night just before dawn. Metaphorically – end of life,end of a long journey,giving up at the end of a period of trials and tribulations. It may be used in different ways in different asha’ar. Imagine that faiz has just received news of the passing of his friend and it opens wide a door to memories,late into the night. These memories are the fragrance of henna (of the beloved) keeping him up all night.
2
subah phooTi1 to vo pahloo2 se uTha aaKhir-e shab
vo jo ek umr se3 aaya na gaya aaKhir-e shab

1.breaking of dawn 2.side 3.in a lifetime,for a long time

He finally falls asleep in a trance thinking that his friend/beloved is by his side. Dawn wakes him up and he can now see,the pleasant memories of late night turn into reality. His friend/beloved was never there!
3
chaand se maand4 sitarauN se kaha aaKhir-e shab
kaun karta hai vafa5 ahd-e vafa6 aaKhir-e shab

4.dimming 5.fulfils promise 6.promise of faith/love

Stars have been trying to get the attention of the moon all night long. Now,near dawn,they are beginning to dim. They are disappointed and with a sigh they say,“Who is true to any pledge of faith,late into the night?”. There is added pathos in this when put in the backdrop of the realization that his friend will not be back,will not “keep faith” now.
4
lams7-e jaanana liye,masti-e paimana8 liye
hamd9-e baari10 ko uThe dast-e dua11 aaKhir-e shab

7.touch 8.flask 9.praise/prayer 10.god 11.hands raised or folded in prayer

His hands still carry memories of the beloved’s touch and a lingering sweet intoxication as he raises them in prayer (maybe at the loss of his friend). The parallelism with the 5th she’r in maKhdoom’s Ghazal is beautiful. In maKhdoom’s she’r,noting that the mosque and the church are closed,prayerful hands reach for the flask. In faiz’s she’r,hands still carry the sense of touch of the beloved and remember handling wine. In this state (of intoxication/elation) they are raised in prayer/praising the almighty. Seeming contradiction,neatly juxtaposed.
5
ghar jo veeraaN12 tha sar-e shaam13 vo kaise kaise
furqat-e yaar14 ne aabad15 kiya aaKhir-e shab

12.desolate 13.start of the evening 14.separation from the beloved 15.inhabit,prosper

The home/heart has been desolate/empty from early evening because there is no sign of the beloved. The thing that populates/fills the emptiness is the “absence of the beloved” – as if this absence has a palpable personality and arrives to fill the emptiness.
6
jis ada16 se koi aata tha kabhi avval-e shab17
usi andaaz18 se chal baad-e saba19 aaKhir-e shab

16.style 17.beginning of night 18.style 19.morning breeze

Realizing that the only thing that fills the heart is “emptiness” the poet expresses a plaintive wish,“the rare flair with which she used to arrive, early of an evening, O breeze of morning blow in that same manner late into the night.