For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
آخری سچ ۔ سید مّنوّر علی راناؔ
۱
چہرے تمام دھندلے نظر آ رہے ہیں کیوں
کیوں خواب رتجگوں کی حویلی میں دب گئے
ہے کل کی بات انگلی پکڑ کر کسی کی میں
میلے میں گھومتا تھا کھلونوں کے واسطے
۲
جتنے ورق لکھے تھے مری زندگی نے سب
آندھی کے ایک جھونکے میں بکھرے ہوئے ہیں سب
میں چاہتا ہوں پھر سے سمیٹوں یہ زندگی
بچے تمام پاس کھڑے ہیں بجھے بجھے
۳
شوخی نہ جانے کیا ہوئی رنگت کہاں گئی
جیسے کتاب چھوڑ کے جاتے ہوئے ورق
جیسے کہ بھولنے لگے بچہ کوئی سبق
جیسے جبیں کو چھونے لگے موت کا عرق
۴
جیسے چراغ نیند کی آغوش کی طرف
بڑھنے لگے اندھیرے کی زلفیں بکھیر کر
بھولے ہوئے ہیں ہونٹ ہنسی کا پتہ تلک
دروازہ دل کا بند ہوا چاہتا ہے اب
۵
کیا سوچنا کہ پھول سے بچوں کا ساتھ ہے
اب میں ہوں اسپتال کا بستر ہے رات ہے
आख़री सच – मुनव्वर राना
१
चेहरे तमाम धुँदले नज़र आ रहे हैं क्यूँ
क्यूँ ख़्वाब रतजगों की हवेली में दब गए
है कल की बात उँगली पकढ कर किसी की मैं
मेले मैं घूमता था खिलौनों के वास्ते
२
जितने वरक़ लिखे थे मेरी ज़िंदगी ने सब
आँधी के एक झोंके में बिखरे हुए हैं सब
मैं चाहता हूँ फिर से समेटूँ ये ज़िंदगी
बच्चे तमाम पास खढे हैं बुझे बुझे
३
शूख़ी न जाने क्या हुई रंगत कहाँ गई
जैसे किताब छोढ के जाते हुए वरक़
जैसे के भूलने लगे बच्चा कोई सबक़
जैसे जबीं को छूने लगे मौत का अरक़
४
जैसे चराग़ नींद की आग़ोश की तरफ़
बढ़ने लगे अँधेरे की ज़ुल्फ़ें बिखेर कर
भूले हुए हैं होंट हँसी का पता तलक
दरवाज़ा दिल का बंद हुआ चाहता है अब
५
क्या सोचना के फूल से बच्चों का साथ है
अब मैं हूँ अस्पताल का बिस्तर है रात है
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. syed munavvar ali-munavvar raana (1952-2024), raa’e bareili, kolkata, and lukhnau. He was a very popular and dominating presence on the mushaa’era circuit and wrote in hindi as well as urdu, using simple language. His larger family members moved to pakistan but his father chose to stay. He wrote a long book-length nazm called mohaajir-naama which is best understood as sorrow and regret at the differences and loss caused by partition. His bitterness is best understood when after being bestowed the sahitya akademi award for urdu literature in 2014, he returned it in 2015 to protest increasing intolerance. He remained defiant and controversial for the rest of his life.
1
chehre tamaam1 dhuNdle2 nazar3 aa rahe haiN kyuN
kyuN Khwaab ratjagoN4 ki haveli5 meN dab6 ga’e
hai kal ki baat uNgli pakaR kar kisi ki maiN
mele meN ghoomta tha khilaunoN ke vaaste7 1.all 2.blurred 3.appear 4.sleepless nights 5.palace 6.suppressed 7.looking for
The shaa’er composed this on a hospital bed, as if it were his death bed, anticipating his death, a few years before his passing. Why do all faces before me appear blurred. Why are my dreams suppressed under the palace of sleepless nights i.e., why am I not able to sleep. It was only yesterday that holding someone’s finger, I used to go the village fair, looking for toys.
2
jitnay varaq1 likhe thay meri zindagi2 ne sab
aaNdhi ke aek jhoNke3 meN bikhre4 hue haiN sab
maiN chaahta huN phir se sameTooN5 yeh zindagi
bachche tamaam6 paas khaRe haiN bujhe-bujhe7 1.page 2.life 3.gust 4.scattered 5.gather 6.all 7.extinguished, subdued
All the pages that my life had written, were scattered in a single gust of the storm. I want to gather my life once again as my children stand near by subdued by sorrow.
3
shooKhi1 na jaane kya hui raNgat kahaaN gaii
jaise kitaab chhoR ke jaate hue varaq2
jaise keh bhoolne lage bachcha koi sabaq3
jaise jabiiN4 ko chhoone lage maut5 ka araq6 1.playfulness 2.pages 3.lesson 4.forehead 5.death 6.juice, essence
Where has playfulness gone, why is colour drained out of my body just like pages torn out of a book; just like a child forgetting his lessons; just like Death caressing my brow with its essence/juice …
4
jaise charaaGh niiNd ki aaGhosh1 ki taraf2
baRhne lage aNdhere ki zulfeN3 bikher4 kar
bhoole hue haiN hoNT haNsi ka pata5 talak6
darvaaza dil ka band hua chaahta hai ab 1.lap, embrace 2.towards 3.hair 4.spread 5.sign, clue 6.even
… just as if a lamp proceeds towards the embrace of sleep, spreading its dark hair. My lips have forgotten even faint signs of a smile. The door of the heart wants to be shut.
5
kya sochna keh phool se bachchoN ka saath hai
ab maiN huN aspataal ka bistar hai raat hai What can I say, my beautiful children are with me; I am on a hospital bed facing the coming night.
syed munavvar ali-munavvar raana (1952-2024), raa’e bareili, kolkata, and lukhnau. He was a very popular and dominating presence on the mushaa’era circuit and wrote in hindi as well as urdu, using simple language. His larger family members moved to pakistan but his father chose to stay. He wrote a long book-length nazm called mohaajir-naama which is best understood as sorrow and regret at the differences and loss caused by partition. His bitterness is best understood when after being bestowed the sahitya akademi award for urdu literature in 2014, he returned it in 2015 to protest increasing intolerance. He remained defiant and controversial for the rest of his life.
1
chehre tamaam1 dhuNdle2 nazar3 aa rahe haiN kyuN
kyuN Khwaab ratjagoN4 ki haveli5 meN dab6 ga’e
hai kal ki baat uNgli pakaR kar kisi ki maiN
mele meN ghoomta tha khilaunoN ke vaaste7
1.all 2.blurred 3.appear 4.sleepless nights 5.palace 6.suppressed 7.looking for
The shaa’er composed this on a hospital bed, as if it were his death bed, anticipating his death, a few years before his passing. Why do all faces before me appear blurred. Why are my dreams suppressed under the palace of sleepless nights i.e., why am I not able to sleep. It was only yesterday that holding someone’s finger, I used to go the village fair, looking for toys.
2
jitnay varaq1 likhe thay meri zindagi2 ne sab
aaNdhi ke aek jhoNke3 meN bikhre4 hue haiN sab
maiN chaahta huN phir se sameTooN5 yeh zindagi
bachche tamaam6 paas khaRe haiN bujhe-bujhe7
1.page 2.life 3.gust 4.scattered 5.gather 6.all 7.extinguished, subdued
All the pages that my life had written, were scattered in a single gust of the storm. I want to gather my life once again as my children stand near by subdued by sorrow.
3
shooKhi1 na jaane kya hui raNgat kahaaN gaii
jaise kitaab chhoR ke jaate hue varaq2
jaise keh bhoolne lage bachcha koi sabaq3
jaise jabiiN4 ko chhoone lage maut5 ka araq6
1.playfulness 2.pages 3.lesson 4.forehead 5.death 6.juice, essence
Where has playfulness gone, why is colour drained out of my body just like pages torn out of a book; just like a child forgetting his lessons; just like Death caressing my brow with its essence/juice …
4
jaise charaaGh niiNd ki aaGhosh1 ki taraf2
baRhne lage aNdhere ki zulfeN3 bikher4 kar
bhoole hue haiN hoNT haNsi ka pata5 talak6
darvaaza dil ka band hua chaahta hai ab
1.lap, embrace 2.towards 3.hair 4.spread 5.sign, clue 6.even
… just as if a lamp proceeds towards the embrace of sleep, spreading its dark hair. My lips have forgotten even faint signs of a smile. The door of the heart wants to be shut.
5
kya sochna keh phool se bachchoN ka saath hai
ab maiN huN aspataal ka bistar hai raat hai
What can I say, my beautiful children are with me; I am on a hospital bed facing the coming night.
