For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
عہدِ یادگار اپنا ۔ پریتپال سنگھ بیتابؔ
۱
مِل نہ پائے گا ہرگز واپس اعتبار اپنا
اور یاد آئے گا عہدِ یادگار اپنا
۲
ساتھ لے گئی آندھی سارے سبز خوابوں کو
زرد رہ گیا پیچھے شہرِ شاخسار اپنا
۳
توڑ جب دیا ہم نے سارے چبھتے رشتوں کو
رکھ دیا ہے یہ باقی کس نے ایک خار اپنا
۴
لامکاں میں سوچا تھا اِک مکان اپنا ہو
بن گیا مگر زنداں ذات کا حصار اپنا
۵
یہ سفر ہی ایسا ہے کون واپس آیا ہے
کس لئے کرے کوئی آخر اِنتظار اپنا
۶
ہم نہ تھے کوئی مجنوں ہو گیا مگر بیتابؔ
بھیڑ سے نکلنے میں جامہ تار تار اپنا
अहद-ए यादगार अपना – प्रीतपाल सिंघ बेताब
१
मिल न पाएगा हरगिज़ वापस ए’तेबार अपना
और याद आएगा अहद-ए यादगार अपना
२
साथ ले गई आंधी सारे सब्ज़ ख़्वाबौं को
ज़र्द रह गया पीछे शहर-ए शाख़सार अपना
३
तोढ जब दिया हम ने चुभते सारे रिश्तौं को
रख दिया है ये बाक़ी किस ने एक ख़ार अपना
४
लामकां में सोचा था एक मकान अपना हो
बन गया मगर ज़िन्दां ज़ात का हिसार अपना
५
ये सफ़र हि ऐसा है कौन वापस आया है
किस लिये करे कोई आख़र इन्तेज़ार अपना
६
हम न थे कोई मज्नूं हो गया मगर बेताब
भीढ से निकलने में जामा तार तार अपना
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. priitpal singh betaab (1949-xxxx) pooNch, kashmir. MA, LLB. kashmir (state) administrative service, achieving a very high level position and retiring as Director, Food and Supplies. He started composing verse in 1970, published 9 collections of verse and received numerous awards even as he continued his ‘day time job’. He grew up in pooNchh and apparently missed it a lot. There is a strong element of exile from home in his compositions. This Ghazal is composed in the zamin of ‘mizshgaan-e aahu pushtKhaar apna’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
mil na paayega hargiz1 vaapas2 e’tebaar3 apna
aur yaad aayega ahd4-e yaadgaar5 apna 1.under any circumstance 2.get back, return 3.confidence, self-confidence 4.times, period 5.memorable
Under no circumstances will we be able to get back our youthful confidence (carefree attitude). We will remember again and again that memorable period of our lives. This is possibly about mutual trust various communities had in each other as the poet was growing up. Those days of mutual trust are gone.
2
saath le gaii aandhi saare sabz-KhwaaboN1 ko
zard2 rah gaya piichhe shahr-e-shaaKhsaar3 apna 1.literally green dreams meaning ‘castles in the air’ 2.pale, forlorn 3.dwellings/community in dense trees
A storm came in and blew away all our beautiful dreams for the future, leaving our community behind, wilted and forlorn. What kind of a storm was this … communal disharmony and bigotry!
3
toR jab diya hum ne chubhte1 saare rishtoN2 ko
rakh diya hai ye baaqi3 kis ne ek Khaar4 apna 1.pricking, irritating 2.relationships, associations 3.remaining 4.thorn
The poet thought that he had broken off all irritating relationships of the past. But someone has left one/some thorn remaining i.e., either the memory of those relationships still irritates or one or more of them is still not broken off.
4
lamakaaN1 meN socha tha, ek makaan2 apna ho
ban gaya magar3 zindaaN4 zaat5 ka hisaar6 apna 1.non-space, outer space 2.place 3.but 4.prison 5.community, caste, creed 6.boundary wall
The poet was an idealist. He wanted to stand in a place with total freedom all around – not restricted by ‘territory’ or conventions, but the restrictions of the community he was born into became a prison with boundary walls of caste all around him.
5
ye safar1 hi aisa hai kaun vaapas2 aaya hai
kis liye kare koii aaKhir3 intezaar4 apna 1.journey 2.return 3.finally, at all 4.waiting
The journey he is talking about could be the journey of life and journey of migration from rural to urban areas (he writes a lot about the loss of his rural home). Thus, such is this journey. Who has ever returned. Why then should anyone wait, anticipating their coming back.
6
ham na the koii majnuN1 ho gaya magar betaab2
bhiiR3 se nikalne meN jaama4 taar-taar5 apna 1.of laila-majnuN legend 2.pen-name of the poet, also means restless 3.crowd 4.clothes 5.shredded to threads
O betaab, you were never like majnuN but emerging from the crowd you appear to have become one with clothes torn to shreds. It is possible that by crowd he means the urban milieu and becoming majnuN there could mean missing laila. laila is the memory of his rural surroundings that he grew up in.
priitpal singh betaab (1949-xxxx) pooNch, kashmir. MA, LLB. kashmir (state) administrative service, achieving a very high level position and retiring as Director, Food and Supplies. He started composing verse in 1970, published 9 collections of verse and received numerous awards even as he continued his ‘day time job’. He grew up in pooNchh and apparently missed it a lot. There is a strong element of exile from home in his compositions. This Ghazal is composed in the zamin of ‘mizshgaan-e aahu pushtKhaar apna’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
mil na paayega hargiz1 vaapas2 e’tebaar3 apna
aur yaad aayega ahd4-e yaadgaar5 apna
1.under any circumstance 2.get back, return 3.confidence, self-confidence 4.times, period 5.memorable
Under no circumstances will we be able to get back our youthful confidence (carefree attitude). We will remember again and again that memorable period of our lives. This is possibly about mutual trust various communities had in each other as the poet was growing up. Those days of mutual trust are gone.
2
saath le gaii aandhi saare sabz-KhwaaboN1 ko
zard2 rah gaya piichhe shahr-e-shaaKhsaar3 apna
1.literally green dreams meaning ‘castles in the air’ 2.pale, forlorn 3.dwellings/community in dense trees
A storm came in and blew away all our beautiful dreams for the future, leaving our community behind, wilted and forlorn. What kind of a storm was this … communal disharmony and bigotry!
3
toR jab diya hum ne chubhte1 saare rishtoN2 ko
rakh diya hai ye baaqi3 kis ne ek Khaar4 apna
1.pricking, irritating 2.relationships, associations 3.remaining 4.thorn
The poet thought that he had broken off all irritating relationships of the past. But someone has left one/some thorn remaining i.e., either the memory of those relationships still irritates or one or more of them is still not broken off.
4
lamakaaN1 meN socha tha, ek makaan2 apna ho
ban gaya magar3 zindaaN4 zaat5 ka hisaar6 apna
1.non-space, outer space 2.place 3.but 4.prison 5.community, caste, creed 6.boundary wall
The poet was an idealist. He wanted to stand in a place with total freedom all around – not restricted by ‘territory’ or conventions, but the restrictions of the community he was born into became a prison with boundary walls of caste all around him.
5
ye safar1 hi aisa hai kaun vaapas2 aaya hai
kis liye kare koii aaKhir3 intezaar4 apna
1.journey 2.return 3.finally, at all 4.waiting
The journey he is talking about could be the journey of life and journey of migration from rural to urban areas (he writes a lot about the loss of his rural home). Thus, such is this journey. Who has ever returned. Why then should anyone wait, anticipating their coming back.
6
ham na the koii majnuN1 ho gaya magar betaab2
bhiiR3 se nikalne meN jaama4 taar-taar5 apna
1.of laila-majnuN legend 2.pen-name of the poet, also means restless 3.crowd 4.clothes 5.shredded to threads
O betaab, you were never like majnuN but emerging from the crowd you appear to have become one with clothes torn to shreds. It is possible that by crowd he means the urban milieu and becoming majnuN there could mean missing laila. laila is the memory of his rural surroundings that he grew up in.
