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. The two loves are love of the beloved and love of country. Perhaps this is an answer to the crticism that Faiz is not true to either, switching from one to the other, not remaining true to the classical tradition of romantic poetry. This is a continuing theme among many compositions such as “pahli si mohabbat”, “mauzoo e suKhan” and others. Still fresh in his mind are all the ways of romantic love, beautiful expressed here.
1
taaza¹ haiN abhi yaad meN ae saaqi-e gulfaam²
vo aks³-e ruKh-e yaar⁴ se lahke⁵ hue ayyaam⁶
vo phool si khilti hui deedar⁷ ki sa’at⁸
vo dil sa dhaRakta hua ummeed ka hangaam⁹
ummeed ke lo jaga Gham-e dil ka naseeba¹⁰   1.fresh 2.flower bodied, beautiful cup bearer 3.reflection, image 4.face of the beloved 5.made bright, beautiful 6.days 7.seeing, union 8.moment
9.moment 10.fortune
Fresh in memory still, O beautiful saaqi are those glorious days enriched by the image of the beloved. Her sight like a blooming flower, hope like the wild beating of my heart. Hope that kindles the fortune of my sad heart, hope that it has finally turned.
2
lo shauq¹¹ ki tarsi hui¹² shab ho gayee aaKhir¹³
lo Doob gaye dard ke be-Khwaab¹⁴ sitaare
ab chamke ga be sabr nigaahoN ka muqaddar¹⁵ 11.desire, longing 12.thirsty, deprived 13.at last 14.sleepless 15.fortune
Hope that my thirst of desire is at long last about to be slaked, that starry sleepless night of pain at an end. Now the fortune of my impatient eyes will be rekindled.
3
iss baam¹⁶ se niklega tere husn ka Khurshid¹⁷
uss kunj¹⁸ se phooTegi kiran rang-e hina ki
iss dar¹⁹ se bahega teri raftaar²⁰ ka seemaab²¹
uss raah pe phoole gi shafaq²² teri qaba²³ ki 16.rooftop 17.sun 18.corner 19.door 20.speed, flow, gait 21.mercury, restlessness 22.horizon 23.robe
Hope that now your beauty will shine like the sun from this rooftop, a ray of light like your henna will burst forth from that grove. That your mercurial gait will appear at that door, the colours of your robe will set that street aglow.
4
phir dekhe haiN vo hijr²⁴ ke tapte hue²⁵ din bhi
jab fikr²⁶-e dil o jaaN meN fuGhaaN²⁷ bhool gayee hai
har shab²⁸ vo siyah bojh²⁹ ke dil baiTh gaya hai
har subah ki lau³⁰ teer si seene meN lagi hai
tanhaai³¹ meN kya kya na tujhe yaad kiya hai 24.separation (from the beloved) 25.scorching 26.worry 27.anguished cry 28.night 29.dark burden 30.flame 31.loneliness
But the poet’s eyes have also turned to the suffering of humanity (in his homeland). But again, I have also seen those scorching days of separation, when even anguish is forgotten in the worry for survival, when every night a dark burden has crushed my heart, when every dawn’s ray of light has stung my bosom like a sharp arrow. Dawn’s early rays of light would normally bring cheer. Here they sting like arrows, anticipating the pain of the day. Oh, how I have missed you through those lonely days.
5
kya kya na dil-e zaar³² ne DhoonDi haiN panaaheN³³
aankhoN se lagaya hai kabhi dast-e saba³⁴ ko
Daali haiN kabhi gardan-e mahtaab³⁵ meN baaheN³⁶
chaaha hai isi raNg³⁷ meN laila-e vatan³⁸ ko
taRpa hai isi taur³⁹ se dil is ki lagan meN 32.sorrowful heart 33.refuge(s) 34.hand of Zephyr (morning breeze) 35.moon 36.arms 37.in the same likeness, way 38.beloved homeland 39.in the same fashion
How my sorrowful heart has looked for refuge/escape. At times kissing the hand of the Zephyr, at times reaching up to hug the moon. In the same fashion have I loved my Laila, my homeland, ust like this has my heart longed for her.
6
DhoonDi hai yuN hi shauq⁴⁰ ne aasa’esh-e manzil⁴¹
ruKhsaar ke Kham⁴² meN kabhi kaakul ki shikan⁴³ meN
us jaan-e jahaN⁴⁴ ko bhi yuNhi qalb o nazar⁴⁵ ne
haNs haNs ke sada di⁴⁶ kabhi ro ro ke pukaara
poore kiye sab harf e tamanna⁴⁷ ke taqaaze⁴⁸
har dard ko ujyaala⁴⁹ har ek Gham ko saNwaara⁵⁰ 40.desire, longing 41.comfort of destination/fulfilment 42.curves of the face, beautiful curves 43.curls of the locks (of hair) 44.dearest in the world 45.heart and eye 46.called for 47.words of desire 48.demands 49.brightened up 50.beautiful
In the same way has Desire sought refuge in the comfort of love. Sometimes in her beautiful curves, sometimes in the curls of her tresses. My eyes and heart have sought this other love too, called out sometimes in sorrow, sometimes in happiness. I have tried to satsify all demands of desire, brought every pain (of my suffering people) to light, tended to every sorrow.
7
vaapas nahiN phera⁵¹ koii farmaan⁵² junooN⁵³ ka
tanha⁵⁴ nahiN lauTi⁵⁵ kabhi aavaaz jaras⁵⁶ ki
Khairiiyat-e-jaaN⁵⁷, rahat-e-tan⁵⁸, sehat-e-damaaN⁵⁹
sab bhool gaiiN maslehateN⁶⁰ ahl-e-havas⁶¹ ki 51.did not return (unanswered) 52.order, diktat 53.passion 54.alone, unaccompanied 55.return 56.bell, call, announcement 57.well being of life (self) 58.comfort of the body 59.health of hem (robe), reputation 60.intent, purpose, 61.people of greed/lust
The poet/lover has never overlooked any demands of passion, the call for action never went unanswered. Well being, comfort and security were laid aside to answer the call. “daaman” – the hem of the apron is supposed to be kept clean, not allowed to be soiled (even if you have to walk through mud and dirt). Thus “sehat e daaman” comes to stand for a clean reputation. “Khairiiyat e jaaN, rahat e tan, sehat e damaaN” are here all portrayed as the needs of this world, the goals (maslehat) of the self-centered (ahl e havas). The poet has set aside these conventional goals.
8
iss raah⁶² meN jo sab pe guzarti⁶³ hai vo guzri
tanha⁵⁴ pas-e-zindaaN⁶⁴ kabhi rusvaa⁶⁵ sar-e-baazaar⁶⁶
garje haiN bahut shaiKh sar-e-gosha-e-mimbar⁶⁷
kaRke haiN bahut ahl-e hakam⁶⁸ bar sar-e darbar⁶⁹
chhoRa nahiN GhairoN⁷⁰ ne kabhi naavak-e dushnaam⁷¹
chooTi nahiN apnoN se koi tarz-e malaamat⁷² 62.way, endeavour 63.happens, comes to pass 64.behind/in the prison 65.shamed, insulted 66.head of the bazar, in the open 67.from the top of the corner of the pulpit 68.people of power 69.at the head of the court (imperial) 70.other, the opponent 71.insult, malign 72.way of criticism, blame
We (poets/lovers) have borne whatever calamities have befallen in this endeavour, sometimes alone, behind bars, sometimes out in the open. The shaikh has shouted from the pulpit, and the powerful have proclaimed from the podium. My enemies have never spared any arrow of accusation, and even friends have not refrained from their ways of blame.
9
iss ishq, na uss ishq pe naadim⁷³ hai magar dil
har daaGh⁷⁴ hai iss dil meN bajuz⁷⁵ daaGh-e nadaamat⁷⁶     73.regretful, penitent 74.scar(s) 75.except for 76.regret, penitence
But I regret neither this love nor that, this heart has many scars except for the scar of penitence.