For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
mahnaaz
آزمانے کو جی چاہتا ہے ۔ بہادر شاہ اوّل؟
۱
غمِ دل سُنانے کو جی چاہتا ہے
تمہیں آزمانے کو جی چاہتا ہے
۲
سنا ہے کہ جب سے بہت دور ہو تم
بہت دور جانے کو جی چاہتا ہے
۳
اُنہیں ہم سے کوئی شکایت نہیں ہے
یوں ہی رُوٹھ جانے کو جی چاہتا ہے
۴
فقط ہے یہی اُن کی نظروں کا دھوکا
کہ دھوکے میں آنے کو جی چاہتا ہے
۵
دعا ہے کہ ہم سے وہ سو بار رُوٹھیں
ہمارا منانے کو جی چاہتا ہے
۶
نظر وہ نہ آئیں پر اُن کی گلی میں
یوں ہی آنے جانے کو جی چاہتا ہے
आज़्माने को जी चाहता है – बहादुर शाह अव्वल?
१
ग़म-ए दिल सुनाने को जी चाहता है
तुम्हें आज़्माने को जी चाहता है
२
सुना है के जब से बहुत दूर हो तुम
बहुत दूर जाने को जी चाहता है
३
उन्हें हम से कोई शिका’एत नहीं है
यूँ ही रूठ जाने को जी चाहता है
४
फ़क़त है यही उनकी नज़्रों का धोका
के धोके में आने को जी चाहता है
५
दुआ है के हम से वो सौ बार रूठें
हमारा मनाने को जी चाहता है
६
नज़र वो न आएँ पर उनकी गली में
यूँ ही आने जाने को जी चाहता है
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. In some places this Ghazal is attributed to bahadur shah avval (1643-1712), the immediate successor of auraNgzeb. But the linguistic features are quite modern 19th or 20th century. Besides, I could not find any other poetic work of this bahadur shah. In other places, this Ghazal is attributed to ‘unknown’. I am inclined towards the latter.
1
Gham1-e dil sunaane ko jii chaahta hai
tumheN aazmaane2 ko jii chaahta hai 1.sorrows 2.test, try
The poet/lover’s heart has long held its sorrow (pain of unrequited love) to itself. It longs to express it to the beloved and test what her reaction might be; to see if she has any affection for him.
2
sunaa hai keh jab se bahut duur ho tum
bahut duur jaane ko jii chaahta hai Ever since I heard you have gone far away, I too feel like going far, perhaps to be closer to you in spirit or to escape the pain.
3
unheN ham se koii shikaa’et1 nahiiN hai
yuN hii ruuTh2 jaane ko jii chaahta hai 1.complaint 2.to sulk or be upset
The poet/lover is projecting feelings on the beloved. The beloved has no complaints against me, and yet, for no good reason, she feels like sulking anyway – perhaps to get him to grovel, beg forgiveness (for no reason) and try to make up. The only way I can make sense of this she’r is by assuming that the lover is projecting these feelings on the beloved.
4
faqat1 hai yahii un kii nazroN2 kaa dhokaa3
keh dhok’e meN aane ko jii chaahta hai 1.only 2.eyes 3.deception, trickery
The trickery of the beloved’s gaze/her sidelong glances is such that even knowing that this is trickery, the lover wants to be deceived, wants to believe that she likes him – such is the deception of her eyes.
5
du’aa hai keh ham se vo sau baar ruuTheN1
hamaaraa manaane2 ko jii chaahta hai 1.miffed, annoyed 2.to appease or reconcile
Here the lover wishes that the beloved get upset with him a hundred times, just so he’d have an excuse to cajole her. saahir ludhianavi writes from the point of the view of the beloved …
kisi ke manaane meN lazzat voh paa’ii
keh phir ruuThh jaane ko jii chaahta hai
In a slightly different context Ghalib …
vid’aa o vasl judagaana lazzatii daarad
hazaar baar beruu sad-hazaar baar biya
vid’aa o vasl judagaana lazzateN haiN keh phir
hai ek baar bichhaRna5 to sad-hazaar6 baar bhi milne ke liye aa
6
nazar1 voh na aa’eN par un kii galii meN
yuuN hii aane-jaane2 ko jii chaahta hai 1.nazar aanaa – to be seen 2.to walk back and forth
Even if I am unable to see the beloved, I still feel like walking back and forth through her street, just to feel close to her in some way or perhaps a continuation of his self-deception.
In some places this Ghazal is attributed to bahadur shah avval (1643-1712), the immediate successor of auraNgzeb. But the linguistic features are quite modern 19th or 20th century. Besides, I could not find any other poetic work of this bahadur shah. In other places, this Ghazal is attributed to ‘unknown’. I am inclined towards the latter.
1
Gham1-e dil sunaane ko jii chaahta hai
tumheN aazmaane2 ko jii chaahta hai
1.sorrows 2.test, try
The poet/lover’s heart has long held its sorrow (pain of unrequited love) to itself. It longs to express it to the beloved and test what her reaction might be; to see if she has any affection for him.
2
sunaa hai keh jab se bahut duur ho tum
bahut duur jaane ko jii chaahta hai
Ever since I heard you have gone far away, I too feel like going far, perhaps to be closer to you in spirit or to escape the pain.
3
unheN ham se koii shikaa’et1 nahiiN hai
yuN hii ruuTh2 jaane ko jii chaahta hai
1.complaint 2.to sulk or be upset
The poet/lover is projecting feelings on the beloved. The beloved has no complaints against me, and yet, for no good reason, she feels like sulking anyway – perhaps to get him to grovel, beg forgiveness (for no reason) and try to make up. The only way I can make sense of this she’r is by assuming that the lover is projecting these feelings on the beloved.
4
faqat1 hai yahii un kii nazroN2 kaa dhokaa3
keh dhok’e meN aane ko jii chaahta hai
1.only 2.eyes 3.deception, trickery
The trickery of the beloved’s gaze/her sidelong glances is such that even knowing that this is trickery, the lover wants to be deceived, wants to believe that she likes him – such is the deception of her eyes.
5
du’aa hai keh ham se vo sau baar ruuTheN1
hamaaraa manaane2 ko jii chaahta hai
1.miffed, annoyed 2.to appease or reconcile
Here the lover wishes that the beloved get upset with him a hundred times, just so he’d have an excuse to cajole her. saahir ludhianavi writes from the point of the view of the beloved …
kisi ke manaane meN lazzat voh paa’ii
keh phir ruuThh jaane ko jii chaahta hai
In a slightly different context Ghalib …
vid’aa o vasl judagaana lazzatii daarad
hazaar baar beruu sad-hazaar baar biya
vid’aa o vasl judagaana lazzateN haiN keh phir
hai ek baar bichhaRna5 to sad-hazaar6 baar bhi milne ke liye aa
6
nazar1 voh na aa’eN par un kii galii meN
yuuN hii aane-jaane2 ko jii chaahta hai
1.nazar aanaa – to be seen 2.to walk back and forth
Even if I am unable to see the beloved, I still feel like walking back and forth through her street, just to feel close to her in some way or perhaps a continuation of his self-deception.
