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Recitation
آسماں سے ہم ۔ اسرار الحق مجازؔ
۱
اِذن خِرام لیتے ہوئے آسماں سے ہم
ہٹ کر چلے ہیں رہ گزرِ کارواں سے ہم
۲
کیا پوچھتے ہو جھومتے آئے کہاں سے ہم
پی کر اُٹھے ہیں خُمکدۂ آسماں سے ہم
۳
کیوں کر ہوا ہے فاش زمانہ پہ کیا کہیں
وہ رازِ دل جو کہہ نہ سکے راز داں سے ہم
۴
ہمدم یہی ہے رہ گزرِ یارِ خوش خرام
گزرے ہیں لاکھ بار اِسی کہکشاں سے ہم
۵
کیا کیا ہوا ہے ہم سے جنوں میں نہ پوچھئے
اُلجھے کبھی زمیں سے کبھی آسماں سے ہم
۶
ہر نرگسِ جمیل نے مخمور کر دیا
پی کر اُٹھے شراب ہر اِک بوستاں سے ہم
۷
ٹھُکرا دیئے ہیں عقل و خِرد کے صنم کدے
گھبرا چکے تھے کشمکشِ اِمتحاں سے ہم
۸
دیکھیں گے ہم بھی کون ہے سجدہ طرازِ شوق
لے سر اٹھا رہے ہیں ترے آستاں سے ہم
۹
بخشی ہیں ہم کو عشق نے وہ جرأتیں مجازؔ
ڈرتے نہیں سیاستِ اہلِ جہاں سے ہم
आसमाँ से हम – अस्रार-उल-हक़्क़ मजाज़
१
इज़्न-ए-ख़िराम लेते हुए आसमाँ से हम
हट कर चले हैं रहगुज़र-ए-कारवाँ से हम
२
क्या पूछते हो झूमते आए कहाँ से हम
पी कर उठे हैं ख़ुम-कदा-ए-आसमाँ से हम
३
क्यूँकर हुआ है फ़ाश ज़माने पे क्या कहें
वो राज़-ए-दिल जो कह न सके राज़-दाँ से हम
४
हमदम यही है रहगुज़र-ए-यार-ए-ख़ुश-ख़राम
गुज़रे हैं लाख बार इसी कहकशाँ से हम
५
क्या क्या हुआ है हम से जुनूँ में न पूछिए
उलझे कभी ज़मीं से कभी आसमाँ से हम
६
हर नर्गिस-ए-जमील ने मख़मूर कर दिया
पी कर उठे शराब हर इक बोस्ताँ से हम
७
ठुकरा दिए हैं अक़्ल ओ ख़िरद के सनम-कदे
घबरा चुके थे कशमकश-ए-इम्तिहाँ से हम
८
देखेंगे हम भी कौन है सज्दा तराज़-ए-शौक़
ले सर उठा रहे हैं तिरे आस्ताँ से हम
९
बख़्शी हैं हम को इश्क़ ने वो जुर’अतें मजाज़
डरते नहीं सियासत-ए-अहल-ए-जहाँ से हम
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. asrar-ul haq majaz (1911-1955) was progressive as well as romantic poet, a heart-throb. He taught at aligaRh and was a major force in the Progressive Writers’ Association. This Ghazal is a mixture of romance and rebellion with a hint of sufiyaana thought.
1
izn1-e-Khiraam2 lete hue aasmaaN3 se hum
haT kar chale haiN rahguzar4-e kaarvaaN se hum 1.permission 2.saunter, walk, wander 3.sky, god, the powers that be 4.pathway
Taking permission of the skies/god to wander off, we walk a path different from that of the caravan. The poet suggests that his path is different from the path of the crowds. He wants to strike his own path. Why then does he need the permission to do so? Perhaps the first misra is meant to be sarcastic, or by ‘aasmaN’ he means ‘fate’ and his ‘permission’ is really a defiance. Thus, defying fate, he wanders away from the beaten path.
2
kya poochhte ho jhoomte aaye kahaaN se hum
pi kar uThe haiN Khum-kada1-e aasmaaN se hum 1.literally – house of caskets/barrells of wine, tavern
Why do you ask us (isn’t it obvious) where we are coming from, swinging/swaying. We have been drinking at the tavern of heavens. Thus, he is inebriated with the divine wine of love.
3
kyuNkar1 huaa hai faash2 zamaane pe kyaa kaheN
vo raaz-e dil jo kah na sake raazadaaN3 se hum 1.how 2.exposed, revealed 3.friend who shares secrets, confidant
I don’t know how my secret was revealed to the world, the secret which I could not even share with my confidant. This implies that the poet/lover was so distraught that he could not keep his emotions secret. His distraught looks gave it away.
4
humdum1 yahii hai rahguzar2-e yaar-e Khush-Kharaam3
guzre haiN laakh baar isii kahkashaaN4 se hum 1.friend 2.pathway 3.friend of beautiful gait, beloved 4.constellation, stars
The poet/lover and his rival (in urdu poetic tradition rivals can also be friends, suffering the same fate/cruelty, sympathising with each other) wait for the beloved on pathways she is supposed to frequent. The rival/friend is tired/impatient and ready to give up. The poet/lover reassures him, this is the right place, I have been here thousands of times before. At a stretch, I could interpret this to mean comrades in social justice waiting on the path of the socialist movement.
5
kya kya hua hai hum se junuuN1 meN na puuchhiye
uljhe2 kabhii zamiiN se kabhii aasmaaN se hum 1.passion, madness 2.tangled up, clashed
The conflict between “society/fate/god/earth/sky” on the one hand and the poet/lover on the other is a frequent and conventional theme in romantic urdu poetry. Do not ask what kinds of foolish things I have done in the madness of passion. Sometimes I have clashed with the Earth, sometimes with the Sky.
6
har nargis1-e jamil2 ne maKhmoor3 kar diyaa
pii kar uThe sharaab har ek bostaaN4 se hum 1.eye 2.beautiful 3.inebriated 4.garden
‘nargis-e jamil’ is the eye of the beloved. Her beautiful eyes are enough to make him intoxicated. But in this case he seems to have enjoyed drinking from every beautiful ‘garden’ that he has come across.
7
Thukraa1 diye haiN aql o Khirad2 ke sanam-kade3
ghabraa4 chuke haiN kashamakash5-e imtehaaN6 se hum 1.discarded 2.mind and wisdom 3.idol houses, temples 4.disturbed, frightened 5.struggle 6.test
The poet/lover wants to assert the primacy of love over other passions and over rationality. He has discarded the temples of learning, he is tired of the struggle and the trials and tribulations of life. He wants to get back to his passion/love.
8
dekheNge hum bhi kaun hai sajda-taraaz1-e shauq2
le sar uThaa rahe haiN tere aastaaN3 se hum 1.style of prostration 2.desire, love 3.threshold
The poet/lover is unique in his style of showing love. He does ‘sajda’, bows down, prostrates, kisses the ground at the beloved’s threshold. He appears to be throwing a challenge to the beloved. Let us see who else can do ‘sajda’ in my style. I am going to pick up my forehead from your threshold.
9
baKhshii1 haiN hum ko ishq2 ne vo jur’ateN3 majaz
Darte nahiiN siyaasat4-e ahl-e jahaaN5 se hum 1.granted 2.love 3.daring 4.politics, traditions 5.people of the world
Love/Passion (either sufi love or love of humanity) has granted me such daring that I am not afraid of the ways of this world and am willing to fight it.
asrar-ul haq majaz (1911-1955) was progressive as well as romantic poet, a heart-throb. He taught at aligaRh and was a major force in the Progressive Writers’ Association. This Ghazal is a mixture of romance and rebellion with a hint of sufiyaana thought.
1
izn1-e-Khiraam2 lete hue aasmaaN3 se hum
haT kar chale haiN rahguzar4-e kaarvaaN se hum
1.permission 2.saunter, walk, wander 3.sky, god, the powers that be 4.pathway
Taking permission of the skies/god to wander off, we walk a path different from that of the caravan. The poet suggests that his path is different from the path of the crowds. He wants to strike his own path. Why then does he need the permission to do so? Perhaps the first misra is meant to be sarcastic, or by ‘aasmaN’ he means ‘fate’ and his ‘permission’ is really a defiance. Thus, defying fate, he wanders away from the beaten path.
2
kya poochhte ho jhoomte aaye kahaaN se hum
pi kar uThe haiN Khum-kada1-e aasmaaN se hum
1.literally – house of caskets/barrells of wine, tavern
Why do you ask us (isn’t it obvious) where we are coming from, swinging/swaying. We have been drinking at the tavern of heavens. Thus, he is inebriated with the divine wine of love.
3
kyuNkar1 huaa hai faash2 zamaane pe kyaa kaheN
vo raaz-e dil jo kah na sake raazadaaN3 se hum
1.how 2.exposed, revealed 3.friend who shares secrets, confidant
I don’t know how my secret was revealed to the world, the secret which I could not even share with my confidant. This implies that the poet/lover was so distraught that he could not keep his emotions secret. His distraught looks gave it away.
4
humdum1 yahii hai rahguzar2-e yaar-e Khush-Kharaam3
guzre haiN laakh baar isii kahkashaaN4 se hum
1.friend 2.pathway 3.friend of beautiful gait, beloved 4.constellation, stars
The poet/lover and his rival (in urdu poetic tradition rivals can also be friends, suffering the same fate/cruelty, sympathising with each other) wait for the beloved on pathways she is supposed to frequent. The rival/friend is tired/impatient and ready to give up. The poet/lover reassures him, this is the right place, I have been here thousands of times before. At a stretch, I could interpret this to mean comrades in social justice waiting on the path of the socialist movement.
5
kya kya hua hai hum se junuuN1 meN na puuchhiye
uljhe2 kabhii zamiiN se kabhii aasmaaN se hum
1.passion, madness 2.tangled up, clashed
The conflict between “society/fate/god/earth/sky” on the one hand and the poet/lover on the other is a frequent and conventional theme in romantic urdu poetry. Do not ask what kinds of foolish things I have done in the madness of passion. Sometimes I have clashed with the Earth, sometimes with the Sky.
6
har nargis1-e jamil2 ne maKhmoor3 kar diyaa
pii kar uThe sharaab har ek bostaaN4 se hum
1.eye 2.beautiful 3.inebriated 4.garden
‘nargis-e jamil’ is the eye of the beloved. Her beautiful eyes are enough to make him intoxicated. But in this case he seems to have enjoyed drinking from every beautiful ‘garden’ that he has come across.
7
Thukraa1 diye haiN aql o Khirad2 ke sanam-kade3
ghabraa4 chuke haiN kashamakash5-e imtehaaN6 se hum
1.discarded 2.mind and wisdom 3.idol houses, temples 4.disturbed, frightened 5.struggle 6.test
The poet/lover wants to assert the primacy of love over other passions and over rationality. He has discarded the temples of learning, he is tired of the struggle and the trials and tribulations of life. He wants to get back to his passion/love.
8
dekheNge hum bhi kaun hai sajda-taraaz1-e shauq2
le sar uThaa rahe haiN tere aastaaN3 se hum
1.style of prostration 2.desire, love 3.threshold
The poet/lover is unique in his style of showing love. He does ‘sajda’, bows down, prostrates, kisses the ground at the beloved’s threshold. He appears to be throwing a challenge to the beloved. Let us see who else can do ‘sajda’ in my style. I am going to pick up my forehead from your threshold.
9
baKhshii1 haiN hum ko ishq2 ne vo jur’ateN3 majaz
Darte nahiiN siyaasat4-e ahl-e jahaaN5 se hum
1.granted 2.love 3.daring 4.politics, traditions 5.people of the world
Love/Passion (either sufi love or love of humanity) has granted me such daring that I am not afraid of the ways of this world and am willing to fight it.
