For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
دلربا کا پردۂ ساز ۔ سید شفاعت ہینسن ریحانیؔ
۱
جب نگاہوں میں ہے وہ جلوۂ ناز
میں جھکاؤں کہاں جبینِ نیاز
۲
فخرِ ناقوس اور نازِ اذاں
میرے دل کی شکست کی آواز
۳
عقل کس کس کا اِنکشاف کرے
سارا عالم ہے راز اندر راز
۴
میرے نغمے نہیں مرے نغمے
میں ہوں اِک دلربا کا پردۂ ساز
۵
خاک کے پتلے اور ہوائے فلک
یہ ہیں اِس دور کے نشیب و فراز
۶
اُن کی آواز کون سنتا ہے
جو نہیں سنتے وقت کی آواز
۷
آدمی کو جگا دیا تو نے
جوہری دَور تیری عمر دراز
۸
جب ہے مرنا ہی تو وطن پہ مریں
آج دیتا ہے فرض یہ آواز
۹
حق اُسی کا ہے گل پہ ریحانیؔ
جو بشر ہے چمن میں خار نواز
दिलरुबा का पर्दा-ए राज़ – सय्यद शफ़ा’अत हैन्सन
१
जब निगाहौं में है वो जल्वा-ए नाज़
मैं झुकाऊं कहां जबीन-ए नियाज़
२
फ़ख़्र-ए नाक़ूस और नाज़-ए अज़’आं
मेरे दिल की शिकस्त की आवाज़
३
अक़्ल किस किस का इन्केशाफ़ करे
सारा आलम है राज़ अंदर राज़
४
मेरे नग़्मे नहीं मेरे नग़्मे
मैं हूं एक दिलरुबा का पर्दा-ए साज़
५
ख़ाक के पुत्ले और हवा-ए फ़लक
ये हैं इस दौर के नशेब ओ फ़राज़
६
उन की आवाज़ कौन सुनता है
जो नहीं सुनते वक़्त की आवाज़
७
आदमी को जगा दिया तू ने
जौहरी दौर तेरी उम्र दराज़
८
जब है मरना हि तो वतन पे मरें
आज देता है फ़र्ज़ ये आवाज़
९
हक़ उसी का है गुल पे रेहानी
जो बशर है चमन में ख़ार-नवाज़
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. syed shafaa’at Hanson rehaani (1912-????), born in lukhnau. Educated in urdu and faarsi in raampur and later in punjab university. Started composing at an early age both in urdu and in faarsi with mirza jafar ali KhaaN asar lakhnavi (urdu) and farruKh shiiraazi (faarsi) as his mentors. He is a Christian urdu poet who has written conventional Ghazal as well as Christian devotional nazm. He has four collections to his credit and also compiled a booklet on devotional nazm for observing Good Friday and celebrating Easter. He served as pastor at the Methodist Church in hyderabad. This is one of several Ghazal without a radeef (Ghair-mudarraf) but with the required qaafiya – in this case, styled after Ghalib’s ‘maiN huN apni shikast ki aavaaz’. There are similarly styled Ghazal by the likes of josh malihabadi, ahmad faraaz, faani badayuni, hasrat mohani and many more. All are linked to the ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
jab nigaahoN1 meN hai vo jalva2-e naaz3
maiN jhukaauN kahaaN jabiin4-e niyaaz5 1.eyes 2.image, manifestation 3.beauty, glory 4.forehead 5.offering, devotion
When I see the manifestation of that glory with my eyes (all around me), where should I bow my head in devotion. Said Ghalib (faarsi) …
maqsood-e maa ze dair o haram juz habeeb neest
har jaa kuneem sajda be’din aastaaN rasad
urdu recomposition shahed …
sajda hai bus habeeb ka ho dair ya haram
jaata us aastaaN pe hai chaahe karo jahaaN
2
faKhr1-e naaquus2 aur naaz3-e az’aaN4
mere dil ki shikast5 kii aavaaz 1.hubris, arrogance 2.conch shell, shankh 3.pride 4.call to prayer 5.breaking
The hubris of shaNkh blowing, the pride of the call to prayer just break my heart i.e., the claim to exclusivity/superiority is heartbreaking when the spirit should be one and the same.
3
aql1 kis kis ka inkeshaaf2 kare
saara aalam3 hai raaz4 andar raaz 1.mind, intelligence 2.discover, reveal 3.world, universe 4.secret, mystery
How much can the mind discover/reveal, the whole universe is shrouded in layers of secrets/mysteries. Editorial comment – instead of admiring the layers of secret, admitting that we don’t understand it and keeping on trying to do so, there is an underlying statement, “you don’t know, you cannot know, therefore you must believe xxx”. And this “xxx” comes in many flavours, we fight over which one to pick.
4
mere naGhme1 nahiN mere naGhme
maiN huN ek dilruba2 ka parda3-e saaz4 1.songs 2.beloved, divine 3.used here to mean sheet (of music) 4.musical instrument
My songs are not my own, they reflect divine music. Said Ghalib …
aate haiN Ghaib se ye mazaamiiN Khayaal meN
Ghalib sariir-e Khaama navaa-e sarosh hai
O Ghalib, these themes come to mind out of the mysterious unknown. The scraping of the pen is the sound of an angel’s wings.
5
Khaak1 ke putle2 aur havaa-e-falak3
ye haiN is daur4 ke nasheb-o-faraaz5 1.dust, clay 2.statues, idols 3.the ways of the sky/heavens/fate 4.times, period 5.ups and downs, working, daily affairs
I found several ways of thinking about this. ‘Khaak ke putle’ are clearly humans, supposedly made out of clay. ‘havaa-e-falak’ can mean the mysterious ways in which heavens/fate work or it might be interpreted as ‘putting on airs of the sky/powerful’. Thus, one meaning can be that humans are mere lumps of clay and the mysterious ways of fate govern the affairs of the times. Another, more cynical meaning could be … look at these lumps of clay and see how they put on airs as if they are all powerful like the sky. That is the way the world appears these days.
6
un ki aavaaz1 kaun sunta hai
jo nahiN sunte vaqt2 ki aavaaz 1.sound, voice, words, speech 2.time
Here ‘vaqt’ might mean the eternal flow of time. It is all powerful and sets the direction of life. “Not listening to the words to time” can mean being arrogant in the face of the powers of fate.
Those who do not listen to it are doomed to oblivion – nobody listens to their words. But ‘vaqt ki aavaaz’ can also mean the ‘cry of the times’ i.e., the cry of the needy and oppressed. Thus, if you don’t listen to the oppressed, then you are not worth listening to.
7
aadmi ko jagaa diya tuu ne
jauhari-daur1 teri umr-daraaz2 1.atomic age 2.long life
There are two possible ways in which I could see this – a positive and a sarcastic way. “aadmi ko jagaa dena” may mean waking humans up to their greater potential. O atomic age, you have given humans great knowledge and power. May you live long. “jagaa dena” can also be used in a sarcastic way to mean exactly the opposite. Humans have been blinded with arrogance. In this case “umr-daraaz” will also have to be interpreted to mean sarcasm. May you live long is said in the spirit of cursing the atomic age.
8
jab hai marna hi to vatan1 pe mareN
aaj deta hai farz2 ye aavaaz3 1.homeland 2.duty 3.call
This Ghazal is dated Oct 1962, and it is possible that this she’r represents feelings in India because of the war with China. If one has to die, why not die defending the homeland. Today your duty calls you.
9
haq1 usi ka hai gul2 pe rehaani3
jo bashar4 hai chaman meN Khaar-navaaz5 1.rights, claim 2.rose 3.pen-name of the poet, also means fragrance 4.human 5.thorn nurturing
Only that person has rights over the rose, O rehaani, who, in this garden nurtures thorns. This could mean that those who have undergone suffering in this world have rights to happiness in the hereafter or it could also mean that only those who help the needy have rights to rewards.
syed shafaa’at Hanson rehaani (1912-????), born in lukhnau. Educated in urdu and faarsi in raampur and later in punjab university. Started composing at an early age both in urdu and in faarsi with mirza jafar ali KhaaN asar lakhnavi (urdu) and farruKh shiiraazi (faarsi) as his mentors. He is a Christian urdu poet who has written conventional Ghazal as well as Christian devotional nazm. He has four collections to his credit and also compiled a booklet on devotional nazm for observing Good Friday and celebrating Easter. He served as pastor at the Methodist Church in hyderabad. This is one of several Ghazal without a radeef (Ghair-mudarraf) but with the required qaafiya – in this case, styled after Ghalib’s ‘maiN huN apni shikast ki aavaaz’. There are similarly styled Ghazal by the likes of josh malihabadi, ahmad faraaz, faani badayuni, hasrat mohani and many more. All are linked to the ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
jab nigaahoN1 meN hai vo jalva2-e naaz3
maiN jhukaauN kahaaN jabiin4-e niyaaz5
1.eyes 2.image, manifestation 3.beauty, glory 4.forehead 5.offering, devotion
When I see the manifestation of that glory with my eyes (all around me), where should I bow my head in devotion. Said Ghalib (faarsi) …
maqsood-e maa ze dair o haram juz habeeb neest
har jaa kuneem sajda be’din aastaaN rasad
urdu recomposition shahed …
sajda hai bus habeeb ka ho dair ya haram
jaata us aastaaN pe hai chaahe karo jahaaN
2
faKhr1-e naaquus2 aur naaz3-e az’aaN4
mere dil ki shikast5 kii aavaaz
1.hubris, arrogance 2.conch shell, shankh 3.pride 4.call to prayer 5.breaking
The hubris of shaNkh blowing, the pride of the call to prayer just break my heart i.e., the claim to exclusivity/superiority is heartbreaking when the spirit should be one and the same.
3
aql1 kis kis ka inkeshaaf2 kare
saara aalam3 hai raaz4 andar raaz
1.mind, intelligence 2.discover, reveal 3.world, universe 4.secret, mystery
How much can the mind discover/reveal, the whole universe is shrouded in layers of secrets/mysteries. Editorial comment – instead of admiring the layers of secret, admitting that we don’t understand it and keeping on trying to do so, there is an underlying statement, “you don’t know, you cannot know, therefore you must believe xxx”. And this “xxx” comes in many flavours, we fight over which one to pick.
4
mere naGhme1 nahiN mere naGhme
maiN huN ek dilruba2 ka parda3-e saaz4
1.songs 2.beloved, divine 3.used here to mean sheet (of music) 4.musical instrument
My songs are not my own, they reflect divine music. Said Ghalib …
aate haiN Ghaib se ye mazaamiiN Khayaal meN
Ghalib sariir-e Khaama navaa-e sarosh hai
O Ghalib, these themes come to mind out of the mysterious unknown. The scraping of the pen is the sound of an angel’s wings.
5
Khaak1 ke putle2 aur havaa-e-falak3
ye haiN is daur4 ke nasheb-o-faraaz5
1.dust, clay 2.statues, idols 3.the ways of the sky/heavens/fate 4.times, period 5.ups and downs, working, daily affairs
I found several ways of thinking about this. ‘Khaak ke putle’ are clearly humans, supposedly made out of clay. ‘havaa-e-falak’ can mean the mysterious ways in which heavens/fate work or it might be interpreted as ‘putting on airs of the sky/powerful’. Thus, one meaning can be that humans are mere lumps of clay and the mysterious ways of fate govern the affairs of the times. Another, more cynical meaning could be … look at these lumps of clay and see how they put on airs as if they are all powerful like the sky. That is the way the world appears these days.
6
un ki aavaaz1 kaun sunta hai
jo nahiN sunte vaqt2 ki aavaaz
1.sound, voice, words, speech 2.time
Here ‘vaqt’ might mean the eternal flow of time. It is all powerful and sets the direction of life. “Not listening to the words to time” can mean being arrogant in the face of the powers of fate.
Those who do not listen to it are doomed to oblivion – nobody listens to their words. But ‘vaqt ki aavaaz’ can also mean the ‘cry of the times’ i.e., the cry of the needy and oppressed. Thus, if you don’t listen to the oppressed, then you are not worth listening to.
7
aadmi ko jagaa diya tuu ne
jauhari-daur1 teri umr-daraaz2
1.atomic age 2.long life
There are two possible ways in which I could see this – a positive and a sarcastic way. “aadmi ko jagaa dena” may mean waking humans up to their greater potential. O atomic age, you have given humans great knowledge and power. May you live long. “jagaa dena” can also be used in a sarcastic way to mean exactly the opposite. Humans have been blinded with arrogance. In this case “umr-daraaz” will also have to be interpreted to mean sarcasm. May you live long is said in the spirit of cursing the atomic age.
8
jab hai marna hi to vatan1 pe mareN
aaj deta hai farz2 ye aavaaz3
1.homeland 2.duty 3.call
This Ghazal is dated Oct 1962, and it is possible that this she’r represents feelings in India because of the war with China. If one has to die, why not die defending the homeland. Today your duty calls you.
9
haq1 usi ka hai gul2 pe rehaani3
jo bashar4 hai chaman meN Khaar-navaaz5
1.rights, claim 2.rose 3.pen-name of the poet, also means fragrance 4.human 5.thorn nurturing
Only that person has rights over the rose, O rehaani, who, in this garden nurtures thorns. This could mean that those who have undergone suffering in this world have rights to happiness in the hereafter or it could also mean that only those who help the needy have rights to rewards.
