For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
آشنا نہ ہوا ۔ ہیرا لال فلکؔ
۱
درد دل سے مرے جدا نہ ہوا
نالہ لب پر رہا رسا نہ ہوا
۲
اُس نے کھائے قدم قدم پہ فریب
جو زمانے سے آشنا نہ ہوا
۳
اِس میں کس کی رضا تھی کیا معلوم
آدمی آپ ہی فنا نہ ہوا
۴
تم سے تو کیا اُمیدِ غم خواری
میرا حامی مرا خدا نہ ہوا
۵
کون مجھ سا برا ہے دنیا میں
جب بھلا کر کے بھی بھلا نہ ہوا
۶
اُف وہ اِک سجدۂ خلوص جسے
فرض جانا مگر ادا نہ ہوا
۷
کس کو آئی نہ موت دنیا میں
کون سا ساز بے صدا نہ ہوا
۸
وہ بھی میرا ہی تھا فلکؔ معبود
جس کی رحمت کا آسرا نہ ہوا
आश्ना न हुआ – हीरा लाल फ़लक
१
दर्द दिल से मेरे जुदा न हुआ
नाला लब पर रहा, रसा न हुआ
२
उस ने खाए क़दम क़दम पे फ़रेब
जो ज़माने से आश्ना न हुआ
३
इस में किस की रज़ा थी क्या मालूम
आदमी आप हि फ़ना न हुआ
४
तुम से तो क्या उमीद-ए ग़म-ख़्वारी
मेरा हामी मेरा ख़ुदा न हुआ
५
कौन मुझ सा बुरा है दुनिया में
जब भला कर के भी भला न हुआ
६
उफ़ वो एक सज्दा-ए ख़ुलूस जिसे
फ़र्ज़ जाना मगर अदा न हुआ
७
किस को आई न मौत दुनिया में
कौन सा साज़ बे-सदा न हुआ
८
वो भी मेरा हि था फ़लक मा’बूद
जिस की रहमत का आस्रा न हुआ
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. heera lal falak dehlavi (1920?-1982+?). I can only make an educated guess about his birth and death. A collection of his Ghazal was published in 1982 which mentions beKhud dehlavi (1863-1955) and dedicates it to him. He was a minor official in the dehli court system. In the book he describes his encounter with beKhud dehlavi when he (falak) was still a young man. The book says that he started composing in 1940. This Ghazal is composed in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘dard minnat-kash-e davaa na hua’.
1
dard dil se mere juda na hua
naala lab par raha, rasaa na hua 1.seperated 2.wailing, cry 3.lips 4.reach, have an effect
My pain never left my heart. My cry remained on my lips. (I was successful in hiding my pain – which is a high value in urdu poetic convention). Because it remained suppressed, my wailing cry could not even reach the beloved (or god).
2
us ne khaa’e qadam-qadam1 pe fareb2
jo zamaane3 se aashna4 na hua 1.every step 2.deceived, cheated 3.world, ways of the world 4.aware, familiar
They were deceived/cheated at every step, who did not become familiar with the ways of the world.
3
is meN kis ki raza thi kya maa’loom
aadmi aap hi fana na hua 1.willingness, will 2.annihilation, merge with the great spirit
‘fana’ is a highly valued concept in sufiyaana thought. The true devotee is supposed to forget themselves/their ego/their identity and get absorbed and merged in the divine spirit. Thus, humans themselves did not do it (implies that they had the power to do so). But then the shaa’er adds a qualification – was it really their will or the will of god?
4
tum se to kya umeed-e Gham-Khwaari
mera haami mera Khuda na hua 1.hope, expectation 2.sympathy 3.helper
How can I expect any sympathy from you when my god him/herself did not help me.
5
kaun mujh se bura hai duniya meN
jab bhala kar ke bhi bhala na hua Who else can be as bad/unfortunate as me in this world. Even though, I do a lot of good, still I am not considered good.
6
uff! vo ek sajda1-e Khuloos2 jise
farz3 jaana magar ada4 na hua 1.prostration, bowing down, submitting 2.sincerity 3.duty 4.pay, perform
Oh! that one sincere submission (to the will of god), which we knew to be our duty, but still could not do.
7
kis ko aaii na maut1 duniya meN
kaun sa saaz2 be-sadaa3 na hua 1.death 2.musical instrument 3.without sound
Who is it that did not face death in this world. Which musical instrument is it that has never lost its sound.
8
vo bhi mera hi tha falak maa’bood
jis ki rahmat ka aasra na hua 1.pen-name of the poet, sky 2.god 3.benevolence 4.support
That was also my god, O falak, whose generosity I did not receive. This is how Ghalib puts it …
kya vo namrood ki Khudaaii thi
bandagi meN mera bhala na hua
heera lal falak dehlavi (1920?-1982+?). I can only make an educated guess about his birth and death. A collection of his Ghazal was published in 1982 which mentions beKhud dehlavi (1863-1955) and dedicates it to him. He was a minor official in the dehli court system. In the book he describes his encounter with beKhud dehlavi when he (falak) was still a young man. The book says that he started composing in 1940. This Ghazal is composed in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘dard minnat-kash-e davaa na hua’.
1
dard dil se mere juda na hua
naala lab par raha, rasaa na hua
1.seperated 2.wailing, cry 3.lips 4.reach, have an effect
My pain never left my heart. My cry remained on my lips. (I was successful in hiding my pain – which is a high value in urdu poetic convention). Because it remained suppressed, my wailing cry could not even reach the beloved (or god).
2
us ne khaa’e qadam-qadam1 pe fareb2
jo zamaane3 se aashna4 na hua
1.every step 2.deceived, cheated 3.world, ways of the world 4.aware, familiar
They were deceived/cheated at every step, who did not become familiar with the ways of the world.
3
is meN kis ki raza thi kya maa’loom
aadmi aap hi fana na hua
1.willingness, will 2.annihilation, merge with the great spirit
‘fana’ is a highly valued concept in sufiyaana thought. The true devotee is supposed to forget themselves/their ego/their identity and get absorbed and merged in the divine spirit. Thus, humans themselves did not do it (implies that they had the power to do so). But then the shaa’er adds a qualification – was it really their will or the will of god?
4
tum se to kya umeed-e Gham-Khwaari
mera haami mera Khuda na hua
1.hope, expectation 2.sympathy 3.helper
How can I expect any sympathy from you when my god him/herself did not help me.
5
kaun mujh se bura hai duniya meN
jab bhala kar ke bhi bhala na hua
Who else can be as bad/unfortunate as me in this world. Even though, I do a lot of good, still I am not considered good.
6
uff! vo ek sajda1-e Khuloos2 jise
farz3 jaana magar ada4 na hua
1.prostration, bowing down, submitting 2.sincerity 3.duty 4.pay, perform
Oh! that one sincere submission (to the will of god), which we knew to be our duty, but still could not do.
7
kis ko aaii na maut1 duniya meN
kaun sa saaz2 be-sadaa3 na hua
1.death 2.musical instrument 3.without sound
Who is it that did not face death in this world. Which musical instrument is it that has never lost its sound.
8
vo bhi mera hi tha falak maa’bood
jis ki rahmat ka aasra na hua
1.pen-name of the poet, sky 2.god 3.benevolence 4.support
That was also my god, O falak, whose generosity I did not receive. This is how Ghalib puts it …
kya vo namrood ki Khudaaii thi
bandagi meN mera bhala na hua
