For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
بیروت ۔ احمد فرازؔ
۱
یہ سر بریدہ بندھا ہے کس کا
یہ جامۂ خوں کفن ہے کس کا
یہ زخم خوردہ ردا ہے کس کی
یہ پارہ پارہ صدا ہے کس کی
۲
یہ کس لہو سے زمین یاقوت بن گئی ہے
یہ کس کی آغوش کس کا تابوت بن گئی ہے
یہ کس نگر کے سپوت ہیں
جو دیارِ انگار میں کھڑے ہیں
۳
یہ کون بے آسرا ہیں
جو تیغ قاتلاں سے
کٹی ہوئی فصل کی طرح
جا بجا پڑے ہیں
۴
یہ کون ماں ہے
جو اپنے لختِ جگر کو ملبے میں ڈھونڈتی ہے
یہ کون بابا ہے
جس کی آواز شورِ محشر میں دب گئی ہے
۵
یہ کون معصوم ہیں کہ جن کو
سیاہ اندھی دئیے سمجھ کر بجھا رہی ہے
اِنہیں کوئی جانتا نہیں ہے
اِنہیں کوئی جاننا نہ چاہے
۶
یہ کس قبیلے کے سر بکف جاں نثار ہیں
جن کو کوئی پہچانتا نہیں ہے
کوئی بھی پہچاننا نہ چاہے
کہ ان کی پہچان امتہاں ہے
کہ ان کی پہچان میں زیاں ہے
۷
نہ کوئی بچہ نہ کوئی بابا نہ کوئی ماں ہے
محل سراؤں میں خوش مقدر شیوخ چپ
بادشاہ چپ ہیں
۸
حرم کے سب پاسبان عالم پناہ چپ ہیں
منافقوں کے گروہ کے سربراہ چپ ہیں
تمام اہل ریا کہ جن کے لبوں پہ ہے لا الہ چپ ہیں
बैरूत – अहमद फ़राज़
१
ये सर-बुरीदा बंधा है किस का
ये जामा-ए ख़ून कफ़न है किस का
ये ज़ख़्म-ख़ुर्दा रिदा है किस की
ये पारा-पारा सदा है किस की
२
ये किस लहू से ज़मीन याक़ूत बन गई है
ये किसकी आग़ोश किस का ताबूत बन गई है
ये किस नगर के सुपूत हैं
जो दयार-ए अंगार में खढे हैं
३
ये कौन बे-आसरा हैं
जो तेग़-ए क़ातिलां से
कटी हुई फ़स्ल की तरह
जा-बा-जा पढे हैं
४
ये कौन मां है
जो अपने लख़्त-ए जिगर को मल्बे में ढूंडती है
ये कौन बाबा है
जिसकी आवाज़ शोर-ए महशर में दब गई है
५
ये कौन मासूम हैं के जिन को
सियाह आँधी दिये समझ कर बुझा रही है
इन्हें कोई जानता नहीं है
इन्हें कोई जानना ना चाहे
६
ये किस क़बीले के सर-बकफ़ जां निसार हैं
जिन को कोई पहचानता नहीं है
कोई भी पहचानना न चाहे
के इन की पहचान इम्तेहां है
के इन की पहचान में ज़ियां है
७
न कोई बच्चा, न कोई बाबा. न कोई मां है
महल-सराओं में ख़ुश-मुक़द्दर शयूख़ चुप
बादशाह चुप हैं
८
हरम के सब पासबान-ए आलम-पनाह चुप हैं
मुनाफ़िक़ों के गिरोह के सरबराह चुप हैं
तमाम अहल-ए रिया के जिन के लबौं पे है ला-इलाह चुप है
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ahmad faraz (1931-2008) popular love and romance poet as well as a substantial contributor to progressive themes. Here he writes with great feeling about the struggle of Palestinian people to regain their homeland. Written about the massacre of Palestinian refugees in shaTiila and sabra, this is even more forcefully applicable to Ghazza today.
1
yeh sar-buriida1 bandha2 hai kis ka
yeh jaama3-e KhooN kafan4 hai kis ka
yeh zaKhm-Khurdaa5 rida6 hai kis ki
yeh paara-paara7 sadaa8 hai kis ki 1.head split 2.tied, bandaged 3.garment 4.burial shroud 5.wound stained 6.shawl, head cover 7.broken 8.sound, voice
Whose split head is this bound in cloth
Whose blood stained garment is this, that is a shroud
Whose blood stained head cover
Who is sobbing in a broken voice
2
yeh kis lahu1 se zamiin yaaqoot2 ban gaii hai
yeh kis ki aaGhosh3 kis ka taaboot4 ban gaii hai
yeh kis nagar ke supoot5 haiN
jo dayaar6-e aNgaar meN khaRay haiN 1.blood 2.ruby 3.lap, embrace 4.funeral bier 5.child, son 6.realm, field
Whose blood is this that stains the earth ruby red
Whose lap is this that has turned into a funeral bier
Which homeland are these the sons of
Who stand in a field of fire.
3
yeh kaun be-aasra1 haiN
jo teGh2-e qaatilaaN3 se
kaTi hui fasl4 ki tarah
jaa-ba-jaa5 paRay haiN 1.helpless 2.sword 3.killers 4.harvest 5.here and there, scattered
Who are these helpless people
Who, by the sword of the killers
Like freshly cut harvest
Are scattered all over the field
4
yeh kaun maaN hai
jo apnay laKht1-e jigar2 ko malbay3 meN DhoonDti hai
yeh kaun baaba hai
jis ki aavaaz shor4-e mahshar5 meN dab gaii hai 1.piece of 2.liver/heart 3.pile, ruins 4.noise, din 5.doomsday
Who is this mother
Looking for her beloved child among the ruins
Who is this father
Whose voice is drowned in the noise of doomsday
5
yeh kaun maasoom1 haiN keh jin ko
siyaah-aandhi2 diye3 samajh kar bujha rahi hai
inheN koii jaanta nahiN hai
inheN koii jaan’na na chaahay 1.innocents 2.dark/fierce storm/winds 3.lamp
Who are these innocents, whom
These fierce storms blow out like tiny lamps
No one knows who they are
No one wants to know who they are
6
yeh kis qabeele1 ke sar-bakaf2 jaaN-nisaar3 haiN
jin ko koii pahchaanta4 nahiN hai
koii bhi pahchaan’na na chaahay
keh in ki pahchaan imtehaaN5 hai
keh in ki pahchaan meN ziyaaN6 hai 1.tribe 2.head in hand 3.ready to sacrifice life 4.knows 5.test 6.loss
What tribe do these braves belong to
Who no one knows
No one wants to know
For knowing them tests loyalties
For in knowing them there is great loss/risk
7
na koii bachcha, na koii baaba, na koii maaN hai
mahal-saraaoN1 meN Khush-muqaddar2 shayooKh3 chup4
baadshaah chup haiN 1.palaces 2.fortunate 3.plural for shaiKh 4.silent, quiet
Among them, no child, no father or mother, they are unknowns
In the palaces, the fortunate shaiKh, looks the other way
The king remains quiet
8
haram1 ke sab paasbaan2-e aalam-panaah3 chup haiN
munaafiqoN4 ke giroh5 ke sarbaraah6 chup haiN
tamaam7 ahl-e-riya8 keh jin ke laboN9 peh hai la-ilaah10 chup haiN 1.kaa’ba 2.caretakers 3.protectors of the world 4.used in the sense of irreligious, secular 5.group 6.leader 7.all 8.hypocrites 9.lips 10.islamic declaration of faith
The caretakers of the k’aaba, the protectors of the world, look the other way
The leaders of secular groups are silent
All the hypocrites whose lips profess faith, are quiet
ahmad faraz (1931-2008) popular love and romance poet as well as a substantial contributor to progressive themes. Here he writes with great feeling about the struggle of Palestinian people to regain their homeland. Written about the massacre of Palestinian refugees in shaTiila and sabra, this is even more forcefully applicable to Ghazza today.
1
yeh sar-buriida1 bandha2 hai kis ka
yeh jaama3-e KhooN kafan4 hai kis ka
yeh zaKhm-Khurdaa5 rida6 hai kis ki
yeh paara-paara7 sadaa8 hai kis ki
1.head split 2.tied, bandaged 3.garment 4.burial shroud 5.wound stained 6.shawl, head cover 7.broken 8.sound, voice
Whose split head is this bound in cloth
Whose blood stained garment is this, that is a shroud
Whose blood stained head cover
Who is sobbing in a broken voice
2
yeh kis lahu1 se zamiin yaaqoot2 ban gaii hai
yeh kis ki aaGhosh3 kis ka taaboot4 ban gaii hai
yeh kis nagar ke supoot5 haiN
jo dayaar6-e aNgaar meN khaRay haiN
1.blood 2.ruby 3.lap, embrace 4.funeral bier 5.child, son 6.realm, field
Whose blood is this that stains the earth ruby red
Whose lap is this that has turned into a funeral bier
Which homeland are these the sons of
Who stand in a field of fire.
3
yeh kaun be-aasra1 haiN
jo teGh2-e qaatilaaN3 se
kaTi hui fasl4 ki tarah
jaa-ba-jaa5 paRay haiN
1.helpless 2.sword 3.killers 4.harvest 5.here and there, scattered
Who are these helpless people
Who, by the sword of the killers
Like freshly cut harvest
Are scattered all over the field
4
yeh kaun maaN hai
jo apnay laKht1-e jigar2 ko malbay3 meN DhoonDti hai
yeh kaun baaba hai
jis ki aavaaz shor4-e mahshar5 meN dab gaii hai
1.piece of 2.liver/heart 3.pile, ruins 4.noise, din 5.doomsday
Who is this mother
Looking for her beloved child among the ruins
Who is this father
Whose voice is drowned in the noise of doomsday
5
yeh kaun maasoom1 haiN keh jin ko
siyaah-aandhi2 diye3 samajh kar bujha rahi hai
inheN koii jaanta nahiN hai
inheN koii jaan’na na chaahay
1.innocents 2.dark/fierce storm/winds 3.lamp
Who are these innocents, whom
These fierce storms blow out like tiny lamps
No one knows who they are
No one wants to know who they are
6
yeh kis qabeele1 ke sar-bakaf2 jaaN-nisaar3 haiN
jin ko koii pahchaanta4 nahiN hai
koii bhi pahchaan’na na chaahay
keh in ki pahchaan imtehaaN5 hai
keh in ki pahchaan meN ziyaaN6 hai
1.tribe 2.head in hand 3.ready to sacrifice life 4.knows 5.test 6.loss
What tribe do these braves belong to
Who no one knows
No one wants to know
For knowing them tests loyalties
For in knowing them there is great loss/risk
7
na koii bachcha, na koii baaba, na koii maaN hai
mahal-saraaoN1 meN Khush-muqaddar2 shayooKh3 chup4
baadshaah chup haiN
1.palaces 2.fortunate 3.plural for shaiKh 4.silent, quiet
Among them, no child, no father or mother, they are unknowns
In the palaces, the fortunate shaiKh, looks the other way
The king remains quiet
8
haram1 ke sab paasbaan2-e aalam-panaah3 chup haiN
munaafiqoN4 ke giroh5 ke sarbaraah6 chup haiN
tamaam7 ahl-e-riya8 keh jin ke laboN9 peh hai la-ilaah10 chup haiN
1.kaa’ba 2.caretakers 3.protectors of the world 4.used in the sense of irreligious, secular 5.group 6.leader 7.all 8.hypocrites 9.lips 10.islamic declaration of faith
The caretakers of the k’aaba, the protectors of the world, look the other way
The leaders of secular groups are silent
All the hypocrites whose lips profess faith, are quiet
You can’t see the tears in my eyes. So beautifully expressed.
Thank you Shahed for each and every ghazal and nazm that you post.