For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
اشعار کا جادو کم نہ ہوا ۔ کلیم عاجزؔ
۱
غزلیں بھی کہیں پُر غم کتنی، اس پر بھی علاجِ غم نہ ہوا
دولت تو بٹی ڈھیروں ڈھیروں، لیکن یہ خزانہ کم نہ ہوا
۲
کس شام نہ بھیگی یہ پلکیں، کس صبح یہ دامن نم نہ ہوا
بجلی بھی تڑپ کر تھمتی ہے، اس دل کا تڑپنا کم نہ ہوا
۳
عالم میں حسیں آئے کیا کیا، لیکن یہ کبھی عالم نہ ہوا
جس روز سنور کر تم نکلے، اُس روز کہاں ماتم نہ ہوا
۴
کہنے کو بہاریں آئیں بہت، پھولوں کا بھی کِھلنا کم نہ ہوا
اشکوں کا کوئی دامن نہ بنا، زخموں کا کوئی مرہم نہ ہوا
۵
موسم نے تو بدلے رنگ بہت، بازارِ جنوں برہم نہ ہوا
زنجیروں کی یورش بڑھتی گئی، دیوانوں کا جمگھٹ کم نہ ہوا
۶
رنگیں ہے ہمیشہ صحنِ چمن، رنگین مزاجوں کے دم سے
کرتے ہیں لہو سے گلکاری، پھولوں کا اگر موسم نہ ہوا
۷
دل اپنا نہ تھا آئینہ تھا، لیکن تھی عجب قسمت اس کی
اچھا تھا تو سب منہ دیکھتے تھے، ٹوٹا تو کسی کو غم نہ ہوا
۸
اربابِ غزل سے اے عاجزؔ، اربابِ ستم بھی عاجز ہیں
تلوار نے منتر خوب پڑھا، اشعار کا جادو کم نہ ہوا
अश’आर का जादू कम न हुआ – कलीम आजेज़
१
ग़ज़लें भी कहीं पुर-ग़म कितनी, इस पर भी इलाज-ए ग़म न हुआ
दौलत तो बटी ढेरौं ढेरौं, लैकिन ये ख़ज़ाना कम न हुआ
२
किस शाम नहीं भीगी पलकें, किस सुबह ये दामन नम न हुआ
बिजली भी तढप कर थमती है, इस दिल का तढपना कम न हुआ
३
आलम में हंसीं आए क्या क्या, लैकिन ये कभी आलम न हुआ
जिस रोज़ संवर कर तुम निकले, उस रोज़ कहाँ मातम न हुआ
४
कहने को बहारें आईं बहुत, फूलौं का भी खिलना कम न हुआ
अश्कौं का कोई दामन न बना, ज़ख्मौं का कोई मरहम न हुआ
५
मौसम ने तो बदले रंग बहुत, बाज़ार-ए जुनूं बरहम न हुआ
ज़ंजीरौं की यूरिश बढती गई, दीवानों का जमघट कम न हुआ
६
रंगीं है हमेशा सहन-ए चमन, रंगीन मिज़ाजों के दम से
करते हैं लहू से गुलकारी, फूलौं का अगर मौसम न हुआ
७
दिल अपना नहीं था आईना था, लैकिन थी अजब किस्मत उस की
अच्छा था तो सब मुंह देखते थे, टूटा तो किसी को ग़म न हुआ
८
अर्बाब-ए ग़ज़ल से अए आजेज़, अर्बाब-ए सितम भी आजेज़ हैं
तलवार ने मंतर ख़ूब पढ़ा, अश’आर का जादू कम न हुआ
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. kaleem ahmed aajiz (1924-2015) writer, poet, academician, recipient of padma shri, taught urdu at paTna university. He has written powerfully and with much feeling about communal harmony in India as well as other political themes. He considers himself a successor of mir taqi mir, composing in his style.
1
GhazleN bhi kahiiN pur-Gham1 kitni, is par bhi ilaaj2-e Gham nah hua
daulat3 to baTii DheroN DheroN4, laikin yeh Khazaana5 kam nah hua 1.full of sorrow 2.cure, healing 3.wealth 4.heaps 5.treasure
We (poets) recited many sorrowful Ghazal, but there was no cure for sorrow. We distributed heaps of wealth (of our verse), but the treasure is still not used up. The implications … poets write about social ills/sorrows, but there is still no cure. They have not exhausted their ability to keep writing and will continue to do so.
2
kis shaam nah bheegi yeh palkeN1, kis sub’h yeh daaman2 nam3 nah hua
bijli bhi taRap4 kar thamti5 hai, is dil ka taRapna kam nah hua 1.eyelids 2.hem of the garment 3.moist 4.writhing in pain 5.stop, rest
The imagery that you cry and tears collect in the gathering of the garment which gets moist/wet. Thus, which evening was it that the eyelids did not shed tears, which morning was it, that the garment was not wet. Even lightning rests for while after writhing in pain for a bit, but my heart has not stopped to rest … it is still throbbing with the pain it feels.
3
aalam1 meN hasiiN2 aaye kya kya, laikin yeh kabhi aalam3 nah hua
jis roz4 saNvar5 kar tum niklay, uss roz4 kahaaN maatam6 nah hua 1.world 2.beauties 3.condition 4.day 5.embellished, dolled up 6.mourning, lamentation
O how many beauties appeared in this world, but the condition (of the world/of lovers) was never like this. The day you came out all dolled up, there never was such lamentation/wailing as on that day (all the lovers beating their chests, yearning for her).
4
kahnay ko bahaareN1 aaiiN bahut, phooloN ka bhi khilna2 kam nah hua
ashkoN3 ka koi daaman4 nah bana, zaKhmoN5 ka koi marham6 nah hua 1.srings 2.blossoming 3.tears 4.hem of the garment 5.wounds 6.ointment
Spring is a time of joy and love. There may be an expectation of getting some healing for the wounds of love. But apparently this did not happen. Thus, we can talk about all the springs that came around; about the flowers that always bloomed profusely; but there was no hem of the garment to collect tears, there was no ointment to heal wounds.
5
mausam1 ne to badlay2 raNg3 bahut, baazaar-e junooN4 barham5 nah hua
zanjeerooN6 ki yuurish7 baRhti gayi, diivaanoN ka jamghaT8 kam nah hua 1.seasons 2.changed 3.colours, styles 4.madness of passion 5.disperse, scatter, confused 6.chains 7.onslaught, attack 8.crowd
Many seasons turned, years passed, but the tradition of mad passionate love never lost its appeal. There was an onslaught/attack to chain and imprison all the mad/passionate lovers, but their crowd never reduced.
6
rangiiN1 hai hamesha sahn2-e chaman3, rangeen1 mizaajoN4 kay dam5 se
karte haiN lahoo6 say gulkaari7, phooloN ka agar mausam8 nah hua 1.colourful, passionate 2.yard, meadow 3.garden 4.character, nature, personality 5.power 6.blood 7.embroidery, embellishment 8.season
The yard/meadow of the garden always remained colourful because of the power of the passionate lovers. They embellish the garden with their blood when it is not the season for flowers to bloom.
7
dil apna nah tha aaiina1 tha, laikin thi ajab2 qismat uss ki
achchha tha to sab muNh daekhtay thay, TooTa to kisi ko Gham3 nah hua 1.mirror 2.strange 3.sorrow
It was not just my heart, it was mirror (showing the true picture of the world to whoever looked into it). But it had a strange fate. When it was whole, everyone looked into it to see their image, but when it broke, there was no mourning. Nobody missed it. This would well be about the verse he writes/speaks – showing a mirror to the world.
8
arbaab1-e Ghazal say aye aajiz2, arbaab1-e sitam3 bhi aajiz4 haiN
talvaar nay mantar5 Khoob paRha, ash’aar6 ka jaadu kam nah hua 1.owners, lords 2.pen-name of the poet 3.oppression, torment – used here to imply power 4.tired, vexed 5.magic spell 6.couplets, verse
O aajiz, the lords of power are tired of the lords of Ghazal i.e., the poets (because they speak ‘truth to power’). The tried the magic spell (fear) of the sword on them, but the message of their verse never lost its magic/fascination with the people.
kaleem ahmed aajiz (1924-2015) writer, poet, academician, recipient of padma shri, taught urdu at paTna university. He has written powerfully and with much feeling about communal harmony in India as well as other political themes. He considers himself a successor of mir taqi mir, composing in his style.
1
GhazleN bhi kahiiN pur-Gham1 kitni, is par bhi ilaaj2-e Gham nah hua
daulat3 to baTii DheroN DheroN4, laikin yeh Khazaana5 kam nah hua
1.full of sorrow 2.cure, healing 3.wealth 4.heaps 5.treasure
We (poets) recited many sorrowful Ghazal, but there was no cure for sorrow. We distributed heaps of wealth (of our verse), but the treasure is still not used up. The implications … poets write about social ills/sorrows, but there is still no cure. They have not exhausted their ability to keep writing and will continue to do so.
2
kis shaam nah bheegi yeh palkeN1, kis sub’h yeh daaman2 nam3 nah hua
bijli bhi taRap4 kar thamti5 hai, is dil ka taRapna kam nah hua
1.eyelids 2.hem of the garment 3.moist 4.writhing in pain 5.stop, rest
The imagery that you cry and tears collect in the gathering of the garment which gets moist/wet. Thus, which evening was it that the eyelids did not shed tears, which morning was it, that the garment was not wet. Even lightning rests for while after writhing in pain for a bit, but my heart has not stopped to rest … it is still throbbing with the pain it feels.
3
aalam1 meN hasiiN2 aaye kya kya, laikin yeh kabhi aalam3 nah hua
jis roz4 saNvar5 kar tum niklay, uss roz4 kahaaN maatam6 nah hua
1.world 2.beauties 3.condition 4.day 5.embellished, dolled up 6.mourning, lamentation
O how many beauties appeared in this world, but the condition (of the world/of lovers) was never like this. The day you came out all dolled up, there never was such lamentation/wailing as on that day (all the lovers beating their chests, yearning for her).
4
kahnay ko bahaareN1 aaiiN bahut, phooloN ka bhi khilna2 kam nah hua
ashkoN3 ka koi daaman4 nah bana, zaKhmoN5 ka koi marham6 nah hua
1.srings 2.blossoming 3.tears 4.hem of the garment 5.wounds 6.ointment
Spring is a time of joy and love. There may be an expectation of getting some healing for the wounds of love. But apparently this did not happen. Thus, we can talk about all the springs that came around; about the flowers that always bloomed profusely; but there was no hem of the garment to collect tears, there was no ointment to heal wounds.
5
mausam1 ne to badlay2 raNg3 bahut, baazaar-e junooN4 barham5 nah hua
zanjeerooN6 ki yuurish7 baRhti gayi, diivaanoN ka jamghaT8 kam nah hua
1.seasons 2.changed 3.colours, styles 4.madness of passion 5.disperse, scatter, confused 6.chains 7.onslaught, attack 8.crowd
Many seasons turned, years passed, but the tradition of mad passionate love never lost its appeal. There was an onslaught/attack to chain and imprison all the mad/passionate lovers, but their crowd never reduced.
6
rangiiN1 hai hamesha sahn2-e chaman3, rangeen1 mizaajoN4 kay dam5 se
karte haiN lahoo6 say gulkaari7, phooloN ka agar mausam8 nah hua
1.colourful, passionate 2.yard, meadow 3.garden 4.character, nature, personality 5.power 6.blood 7.embroidery, embellishment 8.season
The yard/meadow of the garden always remained colourful because of the power of the passionate lovers. They embellish the garden with their blood when it is not the season for flowers to bloom.
7
dil apna nah tha aaiina1 tha, laikin thi ajab2 qismat uss ki
achchha tha to sab muNh daekhtay thay, TooTa to kisi ko Gham3 nah hua
1.mirror 2.strange 3.sorrow
It was not just my heart, it was mirror (showing the true picture of the world to whoever looked into it). But it had a strange fate. When it was whole, everyone looked into it to see their image, but when it broke, there was no mourning. Nobody missed it. This would well be about the verse he writes/speaks – showing a mirror to the world.
8
arbaab1-e Ghazal say aye aajiz2, arbaab1-e sitam3 bhi aajiz4 haiN
talvaar nay mantar5 Khoob paRha, ash’aar6 ka jaadu kam nah hua
1.owners, lords 2.pen-name of the poet 3.oppression, torment – used here to imply power 4.tired, vexed 5.magic spell 6.couplets, verse
O aajiz, the lords of power are tired of the lords of Ghazal i.e., the poets (because they speak ‘truth to power’). The tried the magic spell (fear) of the sword on them, but the message of their verse never lost its magic/fascination with the people.
You will need to publish a better quality poetry.