Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. aazurda dehlavi-kanhaiyya lal (~1915-xxxx). Due to family financial circumstances he could get formal education only through high school but it is reported that he was an expert is urdu, English and faarsi. His ustaad, haidar dehlavi, migrated to pakistan, but the two maintained a strong relationship. He worked as a clerk in the Press Information Bureau, in the government. He also served as joint secretary of ‘bazm-e adab’. A collection of his Ghazal was published in 1968. This Ghazal is linked to other ham-radeef Ghazal on the Refrain page, under ‘kaun kare’.
1
jab tum hi hamaare ho na sakay, to shikva¹-e dauraaN² kaun karay
jiine ka sahaara³ TooT gaya, phir ziist⁴ ka armaaN⁵ kaun karay    1.complain 2.times, world 3.basis, support 4.life 5.desire
When I couldn’t win your heart, why complain about the times. When the support/basis of my life has crumbled, how can I desire to keep living.
2
aye josh¹-e mohabbat rahne de, ab tark²-e biyaabaaN³ kaun karay
jab raas⁴ havaa⁵-e sahra⁶ ho, phir azm⁷-e gulistaaN⁸ kaun karay     1.passion, madness 2.quitting 3.wilderness 4.compatible, agreeable 5.air, atmosphere 6.desert, wilderness 7.determination, resolve 8.garden
The imagery is drawn from the legend of laila-majnuN. majnuN wanders through the desert like a madman looking for his beloved laila. The passion of love is trying to persuade the poet/lover to give up his wandering in the desert and return home to the ‘garden’. He says … leave me alone, how can I quit the wilderness. When the atmosphere of the desert is agreeable, why resolve to return to the garden.
3
duniya-e vafa¹ o ulfat² meN, ek hashr³ numaayaaN⁴ kaun karay
is ahd⁵-e vafa¹ kay dushman⁶ ko, is vaqt pashemaaN⁷ kaun karay    1.fidelity 2.love 3.tumult 4.appear, emerge 5.promise 6.enemy 7.embarrass
The beloved has made many promises and broken them all. Raising that issue will cause a tumult and embarrass her. ‘ahd-e vafa ka dushman-enemy of the promise of fidelity’ is the beloved. Thus, why raise a tumult in the world of fidelity and love. Why embarrass the beloved at this time.
4
harchand¹ keh Takkar kishti-e dil, toofaan²-e havaadis³ se legi
Gharq-aab⁴ na jab tak kishti ho, andaaza⁵-e toofaaN² kaun karay    1.even though 2.storm 3.mishaps, calamities 4.drown 5.estimate (of the power)
Even though the boat of my heart is going to encounter the storm of calamities, until it does and is drowned how can it know the power of the storm i.e., one should go ahead and sail into the storm even at the risk of getting drowned, otherwise, you will never know. Said moin ehsan jazbi …
aye mauj-e-balaa unko bhi zara, do chaar thapeRe halke se
kuchh log abhi tak sahil se toofaN ka nazaara karte haiN
5
masmoom¹ KhizaaN² ke jhoNkoN³ ne, gulzaar⁴-e tamanna⁵ looT liya
aye kunj⁶-e qafas⁷ ab meray siva⁸, taz’iin⁹-e gulistaaN¹⁰ kaun karay    1.poisonous 2.dry season 3.gusts of wind 4.garden 5.desires 6.corner 7.cage 8.except for 9.decoration, embellish, rejuvenation 10.garden
In poetic convention the poet is often portrayed as a bird. Sometimes the bird is caged and pining away for its freedom. In this case the poet/bird is addressing the cage corner. Poisonous gusts of dry wind have robbed/looted the garden of desires. O cage corner, (let me go), who else but I can restore the garden to its glory.
6
vo shooKh¹ bhi mujh tak aa na saka, TooTa na tilasm²-e dast³-e fiza⁴
biimaar-e mohabbat ki mushkil⁵, ab dekhiya aasaaN⁶ kaun karay     1.mischievous, playful, beloved 2.enchantment 3.hand 4.air 5.difficulty 6.easy
The imagery is that of the poet/lover on his death bed waiting for the beloved to visit so that he can let out his last breath with ease and die. But for some reason the beloved has not been able to come and the enchantment of the hand of air is still not broken i.e., the poet is still breathing. Now it remains to be seen how the difficulty of the dying poet can be made easy. It remains for us to answer the question.
7
aNgusht¹ ba-dandaaN² chaaragar³, hairat⁴ se mera muNh taktay⁵ haiN
ye dard jo tum ne baKhsha⁶ hai, is dard ka darmaaN⁷ kaun karay    1.finger 2.between the teeth 3.healer 4.puzzled 5.stare 6.granted 7.cure
The healer bites his finger and stares at me with a puzzled look. This pain that you have gifted to me, who can cure this pain i.e., it is incurable and healer is puzzled, does not know what to do.
8
ab hijr¹ ki shab² mujh be-kas³ kay, monis⁴ haiN yahi, GhamKhwaar⁵ yahi
ek daaGh⁶-e jigar⁷ ki taabish⁸ se, taaroN ko pashemaaN⁹ kaun karay    1.separation 2.night 3.powerless 4.friend 5.sympathiser 6.wound 7.liver/heart 8.brilliance 9.embarrass
The poet/lover is powerless and spends sleepless nights staring at the sky. The stars of the sky are his only friends, they are the only ones who sympathize with him. If he were to show the brightness of the wounds of his heart, they would be embarrassed at their own relative dullness. Why would I show this brightness to my friends and embarrass them.
9
begaana¹-e mu’aani² rahne dey, afsaana³-e ishq o ulfat⁴ ko
tauhiin⁵-e vafa⁶ hai aazurda⁷, ab un ko pashemaaN⁸ kaun karay    1.stranger 2.meaning 3.story 4.love 5.insult 6.fidelity 7.pen-name of the poet 8.embarrass
Let the story of love remain a stranger to (devoid of) meaning. What is the ‘meaning of the story of love’. Of course, it is the beloved and her name should remain out of it for fear of her reputation. O aazurda this is an insult to love, why embarrass her now. This could also be about the story on the day of judgement and the poet/lover should not complain. Said sheiKh ibrahim zauq …
ham nahiN vo jo kareN Khuun ka daa’va tujh par
balkeh poochhega Khuda bhi to mukar jaa’eNge