For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
آنکھ بھر نہیں آتی ۔ تلوک چند محرومؔ
۱
جب وہ صورت نظر نہیں آتی
کب میری آنکھ بھر نہیں آتی
۲
کوئے دلدار سے نسیمِ سحر
آتی ہے جب اِدھر نہیں آتی
۳
کیا ہوا سوزِ غم کہ اشکوں سے
بوئے داغِ جگر نہیں آتی
۴
حور سے کیا ملے گا دل واعظ
یاں طبیعت اگر نہیں آتی
۵
موت کو بھی خبر نہیں شاید
کہ وہاں سے خبر نہیں آتی
۶
زندگی یا تو ہے وبال کوئی
یا مجھی کو یہ کر نہیں آتی
۷
شب ہجراں وہ شب ہے جس کے بعد
تا قیامت سحر نہیں آتی
۸
شبِ فرقت کی داستاں ہے طویل
نیند المختصر نہیں آتی
۹
ہے طبیعت تری رسا محرومؔ
تجھ کو اُردو مگر نہیں آتی
आँख भर नहीं आती – तिलोक चंद महरूम
१
जब वो सूरत नज़र नहीं आती
कब मेरी आँख भर नहीं आती
२
कू-ए दिल-दार से नसीम-ए सहर
आती है जब इधर नहीं आती
३
क्या हुआ सोज़-ए ग़म के अश्कों से
बू-ए दाग़-ए जिगर नहीं आती
४
हूर से क्या मिलेगा दिल वा’एज़
याँ तबी’अत अगर नहीं आती
५
मौत को भी ख़बर नहीं शा’एद
के वहाँ से ख़बर नहीं आती
६
ज़िंदगी या तो है वबाल कोई
या मुझी को ये कर नहीं आती
७
शब-ए हिज्राँ वो शब है जिस के बा’द
ता-क़यामत सहर नहीं आती
८
शब-ए फ़ुर्क़त की दास्ताँ है तवील
नींद अल-मुख़्तसर नहीं आती
९
है तबी’अत तेरी रसा महरूम
तुझ को उर्दू मगर नहीं आती
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. tilok chand mahroom (1887-1955) and his son jagan nath azad are an illustrious father-son team of urdu shu’ara. From miaNvaali (now in pakistan), they migrated to India in 1948, after unsuccessfully trying to remain in lahore. This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s ‘koi ummeed bar nahiN aati’ and is linked to it in the page ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
jab vo soorat nazar nahiN aati
kab meri aaNkh bhar1 nahiN aati 1.aaNkh bhar aana is eyes well up with tears
When I don’t see that face/image, when do my eyes not well up with tears i.e., they always do.
2
koo1-e dildaar2 se nasiim3-e sahar4
aati hai jab idhar nahiN aati 1.street 2.beloved 3.breeze 4.morning
When the morning breeze blows from the street of the beloved, it never blows towards the poet/lover. The morning breeze blowing from the beloved’s street carries her fragrance. It is that which the poet/lover misses and considers himself unfortunate.
3
kya hua soz1-e Gham2 keh ashkoN3 se
buu4-e daaGh5-e jigar6 nahiN aati 1.fire, passion 2.sorrow 3.tears 4.fragrance 5.wound, scar 6.liver/heart
In urdu poetic tradition, liver is the seat of courage and of blood. Also, the passion of love is intense and causes intense sorrow in the heart. This makes tears of blood flow, hence there is a smell of blood (wound of the liver) in tears. But now it seems that times have changed. Lovers are no longer as passionate as they used to be. They no longer cry tears of blood and there is no smell of the liver in their tears i.e., love is not as intese as it used to be.
4
hoor se kya milega dil vaa’ez1
yaaN tabi’at2 agar nahiN aati 1.preacher 2.tabi’at aana – to be inclined towards, to be attracted to
In urdu poetic tradition the preacher carries a reputation of being a prude, considers it sinful to look at women. Thus, O preacher, if you are not attracted to the beloved in this world how can you expect to get anything from encountering hoor/angel in heaven.
5
maut1 ko bhi Khabar2 nahiN shaa’ed3
keh vahaaN se Khabar2 nahiN aati 1.death 2.awareness, knowledge 3.perhaps
The second misra is probably a bitter statement about the lack of any response/news from the beloved. She never responds to his messages. Perhaps even death does not know this. That is why it is waiting before drawing life out of the poet/lover. The implication is that death is waiting as a courtesy for the poet/lover to hear from the beloved before he dies. Even this courtesy of death becomes a problem for him because his life is too painful to bear and he wishes to die.
6
zindagi yaa1 to hai vabaal2 koi
yaa mujhi ko ye kar3 nahiN aati 1.either, or 2.misfortune, curse 3.tax, payment, dues
Either life is a curse in itself, or it is only I that does not receive its dues.
7
shab-e-hijraaN1 vo shab2 hai jis ke b’aad
ta-qayaamat3 sahar4 nahiN aati 1.night of separation 2.night 3.until doomsday 4.dawn
The night of separation is so long that it lasts forever. Its dawn does not arrive until doomsday i.e., the poet/lover never gets to meet the beloved.
8
shab-e-furqat1 ki daastaaN2 hai taviil3
niiNd al-muKhtasar4 nahiN aati 1.night of separation 2.story 3.long 4.in short
The story of the night of separation is long. Telling that story takes a long time because it never comes to an end. The consequence is that you don’t fall asleep.
9
hai tabii’at1 teri rasaa2 mahroom3
tujh ko urdu magar nahiN aati 1.nature, disposition, character 2.able to reach/grasp/understand, capable, skilful 3.pen-name of the poet
Your nature has the capacity to understand, O mahroom, but you cannot express yourself well because you don’t know urdu. This is a tongue in cheek, self-deprecating statement.
tilok chand mahroom (1887-1955) and his son jagan nath azad are an illustrious father-son team of urdu shu’ara. From miaNvaali (now in pakistan), they migrated to India in 1948, after unsuccessfully trying to remain in lahore. This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s ‘koi ummeed bar nahiN aati’ and is linked to it in the page ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
jab vo soorat nazar nahiN aati
kab meri aaNkh bhar1 nahiN aati
1.aaNkh bhar aana is eyes well up with tears
When I don’t see that face/image, when do my eyes not well up with tears i.e., they always do.
2
koo1-e dildaar2 se nasiim3-e sahar4
aati hai jab idhar nahiN aati
1.street 2.beloved 3.breeze 4.morning
When the morning breeze blows from the street of the beloved, it never blows towards the poet/lover. The morning breeze blowing from the beloved’s street carries her fragrance. It is that which the poet/lover misses and considers himself unfortunate.
3
kya hua soz1-e Gham2 keh ashkoN3 se
buu4-e daaGh5-e jigar6 nahiN aati
1.fire, passion 2.sorrow 3.tears 4.fragrance 5.wound, scar 6.liver/heart
In urdu poetic tradition, liver is the seat of courage and of blood. Also, the passion of love is intense and causes intense sorrow in the heart. This makes tears of blood flow, hence there is a smell of blood (wound of the liver) in tears. But now it seems that times have changed. Lovers are no longer as passionate as they used to be. They no longer cry tears of blood and there is no smell of the liver in their tears i.e., love is not as intese as it used to be.
4
hoor se kya milega dil vaa’ez1
yaaN tabi’at2 agar nahiN aati
1.preacher 2.tabi’at aana – to be inclined towards, to be attracted to
In urdu poetic tradition the preacher carries a reputation of being a prude, considers it sinful to look at women. Thus, O preacher, if you are not attracted to the beloved in this world how can you expect to get anything from encountering hoor/angel in heaven.
5
maut1 ko bhi Khabar2 nahiN shaa’ed3
keh vahaaN se Khabar2 nahiN aati
1.death 2.awareness, knowledge 3.perhaps
The second misra is probably a bitter statement about the lack of any response/news from the beloved. She never responds to his messages. Perhaps even death does not know this. That is why it is waiting before drawing life out of the poet/lover. The implication is that death is waiting as a courtesy for the poet/lover to hear from the beloved before he dies. Even this courtesy of death becomes a problem for him because his life is too painful to bear and he wishes to die.
6
zindagi yaa1 to hai vabaal2 koi
yaa mujhi ko ye kar3 nahiN aati
1.either, or 2.misfortune, curse 3.tax, payment, dues
Either life is a curse in itself, or it is only I that does not receive its dues.
7
shab-e-hijraaN1 vo shab2 hai jis ke b’aad
ta-qayaamat3 sahar4 nahiN aati
1.night of separation 2.night 3.until doomsday 4.dawn
The night of separation is so long that it lasts forever. Its dawn does not arrive until doomsday i.e., the poet/lover never gets to meet the beloved.
8
shab-e-furqat1 ki daastaaN2 hai taviil3
niiNd al-muKhtasar4 nahiN aati
1.night of separation 2.story 3.long 4.in short
The story of the night of separation is long. Telling that story takes a long time because it never comes to an end. The consequence is that you don’t fall asleep.
9
hai tabii’at1 teri rasaa2 mahroom3
tujh ko urdu magar nahiN aati
1.nature, disposition, character 2.able to reach/grasp/understand, capable, skilful 3.pen-name of the poet
Your nature has the capacity to understand, O mahroom, but you cannot express yourself well because you don’t know urdu. This is a tongue in cheek, self-deprecating statement.
