Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. faiz ahmed faiz (1911-1984) a poet of romance, resistance, labour leader, journalist, political activist, Lenin Peace Prize awardee writes with great finesse and delicacy using the beloved as a metaphor for the homeland and/or the socialist revolution.
1
raNg pairaahan¹ ka Khushbu zulf² lahraane ka naam
mausam-e-gul³ hai tumhaare baam⁴ par aane ka naam    1.dress, robe 2.spread 3.flowering season, spring 4.roof top
When you catch a glimpse of the beloved’s dress, that is colour. When she spreads out her hair, that is fragrance. When she appears on the rooftop, that is spring. The “beloved” is both the conventional beloved and either the homeland or social justice.
2
dosto us chashm¹ o lab² ki kuchh kaho jis ke baGhair³
gulsitaaN ki baat raNgiN hai na mai-Khaane ka naam    1.eyes 2.lips 3.without
Without the mention of the beauty of the beloved’s eyes and lips any talk of the garden/homeland or of the tavern (liberal space) is not colourful/beautiful. The beloved here is a metaphor for social justice and/or the homeland itself.
3
phir nazar meN phool mahke¹ dil meN phir sham’eN jaliN
phir tasavvur² ne liya us bazm³ meN jaane ka naam    1.spread fragrance 2.imagination 3.assembly
I am not sure, but I can easily imagine that faiz wrote this in exile. There is thought of returning home (or going into the presence of the beloved) and immediately fragrance spreads, lamps light up in the heart, even if it is mere ‘tasavvur’/imagination. Also, the juxtaposition of sight and smell … fragrance spreading in the ‘nazar’/sight is beautiful.
4
dilbari¹ Thahraa² zabaan-e Khalq³ khulvaane ka naam
ab nahiN lete pari-ru⁴ zulf⁵ bikhraane ka naam    1.love 2.decided/settled 3.creation/people 4.fairy faced 5.hair
“zabaan kholan” is an expression that means to speak ill of. Thus, it has been settled that the new norm of ‘dilbari’ is only to get people to talk ill of you. Now “pari-ru”/comrades do not even think of spreading their hair/fragrance. They are afraid of the consequences.
5
ab kisi laila ko bhi iqraar¹-e mahbubi² nahiN
in dinoN badnaam hai har ek divaane ka naam    1.agreement, confession 2.love
No laila admits to reciprocating the love of her lover. All lovers are in disrepute. Lovers are comrades and oppression has increased so much that everyone is cautious and does not admit to loving the revolution.
6
mohtasib¹ ki Khair² uNchaa hai usi ke faiz³ se
rind⁴ ka, saaqi ka, mai⁵ ka, Khum⁶ ka, paimaane⁷ ka naam    1.enforcer of laws/traditions, shaiKh 2.blessing 3.benevolence 4.patron of the tavern, reveler 5.wine 6.cask, barrel 7.cup, goblet
May the shaiKh be blessed. It is because of his benevolence that the reveler, the saaqi, the wine, the cask and the goblet are famous and well respected.
7
ham se kahte haiN chaman vaale Gharibaan¹-e chaman
tum koi achchhaa saa rakh lo apne viraane² ka naam   1.away from home, exiled 2.desolation
The poet is exiled is among others who are similarly away from their homeland. They ask him to give their desolate abode some nice name so that they may deceive/console themselves.
8
faiz un ko hai taqaazaa¹-e vafaa² ham se jinheN
aashna³ ke naam se pyaara hai begaane⁴ ka naam   1.demand 2.faith 3.friend 4.other
The ‘un’ can be the beloved or the rulers of the country. The rulers demand faith/loyalty from the poet/revolutionary when they themselves are beholden to the “other” (neo-colonialist power) rather than to the “aashna” (their own people).