GhairauN ki zabaaN samjho – anand narain mulla

For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the “English” or “Notes” tab.

غیروں کی زباں سمجھو ۔ آنند نارائن مُلّا

۱

فقط اپنی صدا ہی کو نہ آوازِ جہاں سمجھو

حدودِ آشیاں ہی کو نہ صحنِ گُلسِتاں سمجھو

۲

خروشِ بزم میں بھی سازِ دل چھیڑے ہی جاتا ہوں

اکیلا ہوں ابھی لیکن مُجھی کو کارواں سمجھو

۳

مری نظروں میں جو کچھ ہے ارے اُس کو تو سچ مانو

مری باتوں کو تم چاہے مرا حُسنِ بیاں سمجھو

۴

فلک والو فلک پر رہ کے سمجھے ہو نہ سمجھو گے

زمیں کا درد کیا ہے آ کے زیرِ آسماں سمجھو

۵

یہ دردِ جاوداں والا تصوّر عشق کا کب تک

غمِ ہستی میں اب اِس کو نِشاطِ ناگہاں سمجھو

۶

کہیں تیغ و قلم سے بھی مِٹے ہیں تفرقے دل کے

مِٹانا ہے تو پہلے رکھ کے ساغر درمیاں سمجھو

۷

شعور و فکر کی ہے تربیت اور پختگی اِس سے

الگ چلتے رہو لیکن مذاقِ کارواں سمجھو

۸

لبِ مادر نے مُلّا لوریاں جس میں سُنائی تھیں

وہ دِن آیا ہے اب اُس کو بھی غیروں کی زباں سمجھو

ग़ैरौं की ज़बां समझो – आनन्द नारायन मुल्ला

फ़क़त अपनी सदा ही को न आवाज़-ए जहां समझो

हुदूद-ए आशियां हि को न सहन-ए गुल्सितां समझो

ख़रोश-ए बज़्म में भी साज़-ए दिल छेड़े हि जाता हुं

अकेला हुं अभी लैकिन मुझी को कारवां समझो

मेरी नज़्रौं में जो कुछ है अरे उस को तो सच मानो

मेरी बातौं को तुम चाहे मेरा हुस्न-ए बयां समझो

फ़लक वालो फ़लक पर रह के समझे हो न समझोगे

ज़मीं का दर्द क्या है आ के ज़ेर-ए आस्मां समझो

ये दर्द-ए जावेदां वाला तसव्वुर इश्क़ का कब तक

ग़म-ए हस्ती में अब इस को निशात-ए नागहां समझो

कहीं तेग़ ओ क़लम से भी मिटे हैं तफ़्रेक़े दिल के

मिटाना है तो पहले रख के साग़र दर्मियां समझो

शऊर ओ फ़िक्र की है तर्बियत और पोख़्तगी इस से

अलग चलते रहो लैकिन मज़ाक़-ए कारवां समझो

लब-ए मादर ने मुल्ला लोरियां जिस में सुनाई थीं

वो दिन आया है अब उस को भी ग़ैरौं कि ज़बां समझो

 

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. anand narain mulla (1901-1997) was a progressive thinker, poet, jurist, politician, member of the lok sabha and then the rajya sabha. He followed the deliberations of the Constituent Assembly and wrote with much feeling about partition and also about the status of urdu, communal hatred and blind faith. This Ghazal was written in Jan 1949 in the backdrop of the deliberations of the Constituent Assembly. A few ash’aar have been omitted in this version.
1
faqat1 apni sadaa2 hi ko na aavaaz-e jahaaN samjho
hudood3-e aashiyaaN4 hi ko na sahn5-e gulsitaaN6 samjho 
1.only 2.voice 3.limits 4.nest 5.yard, expanse 6.garden

Do not be so narrow minded as to think that your voice alone is the voice of the world. Do not think that the extent of your nest is the expanse of the garden.
2
Kharosh1-e bazm2 meN bhi saaz3-e dil chheRe hi jaata huN
akela huN abhi laikin mujhi ko kaarvaaN samjho   
1.noise 2.assembly 3.music
Even in this noise, I keep singing the song of my heart. I am by myself still, but think of me as a gathering caravan.

3
meri nazrauN meN jo kuchh hai are us ko to such maano
meri baatauN ko tum chaahe mera husn-e-bayaaN1 samjho  
1.beautiful speech
You may discount my verse as beautiful (but ineffective) poetry, but at least consider the vision (of unity) that I have in my eyes.

4
falak1 vaalo, falak par rah ke samjhe ho na samjhoge
zamiN ka dard kya hai aa ke zer2-e aasmaaN samjho    
1.skies, heavens 2.under
O, you who dwell in the heavens, you will never understand the pain of earth dwellers from over there. Come beneath the sky (on earth) and feel what they feel. This may be a reflection on etherial and unrealistic debates in the Constituent Assembly.

5
ye dard-e-jaavedaaN1 vaala tasavvur2 ishq3 ka kab tak
Gham-e-hasti4 meN ab is ko nishaat-e-naagahaaN5 samjho   
1.eternal pain/suffering in love 2.concept 3.love 4.pain/trials of living 5.unpredictable/undependable pleasure
The ‘eternal pain of love’ which itself is an idealistic view of unrequited love is used here as a symbolic of all idealism. How long will you hang on to idealism. In the struggle for life, consider this as undependable and discuss realistic plans.

6
kahiN teGh1 o qalam se bhi miTe haiN tafreqe2 dil ke
miTaana hai to pahle rakh ke saaGhar3 darmiyaaN4 samjho   
1.sword 2.differences 3.flask (of wine) 4.between
The flast of wine could be a symbol of love and/or of liberal thinking and acceptance of the “other”. Differences of the heart can never be settled by the sword or the pen … force or pure logic. Consider using love and acceptance.

7
sha’oor1 o fikr2 ki hai tarbiyat3 aur poKhtagi4 is se
alag chalte raho laikin mazaaq-e-kaarvaaN5 samjho   
1.knowledge 2.reason 3.training/learning 4.maturity 5.ways of the group
Your own knowledge and reason will improve and become more mature if you consider the ways of the group (of others).

8
lab-e-maadar1 ne mulla2 loriyaaN jis meN sunaaii thiiN
vo din aaya hai ab us ko bhi GhairauN3 ki zabaaN samjho   
1.mother’s lips 2.pen name of the poet 3.other, foreign
This was written in the context of the discussion of ‘national language’ in the Constituent Assembly. Early thinking and the suggestion of both nehru and gandhi was ‘hindustani’ be adopted as a compromise/amalgam of the two rival claims (though both are, or at least were at that time, the same language in two different scripts). But this compromise was rejected in favour of ‘hindi’ as the national language. It was argued that ‘urdu’ is foreign. anand narain mulla protests … the time has come when the language in which I heard lullabies from my mother’s lips, should now be considered foreign.

anand narain mulla (1901-1997) was a progressive thinker, poet, jurist, politician, member of the lok sabha and then the rajya sabha.  He followed the deliberations of the Constituent Assembly and wrote with much feeling about partition and also about the status of urdu, communal hatred and blind faith.  This Ghazal was written in Jan 1949 in the backdrop of the deliberations of the Constituent Assembly.  A few ash’aar have been omitted in this version.
1
faqat1 apni sadaa2 hi ko na aavaaz-e jahaaN samjho
hudood3-e aashiyaaN4 hi ko na sahn5-e gulsitaaN6 samjho

1.only 2.voice 3.limits 4.nest 5.yard, expanse 6.garden

Do not be so narrow minded as to think that your voice alone is the voice of the world.  Do not think that the extent of your nest is the expanse of the garden.
2
Kharosh1-e bazm2 meN bhi saaz3-e dil chheRe hi jaata huN
akela huN abhi laikin mujhi ko kaarvaaN samjho

1.noise 2.assembly 3.music

Even in this noise, I keep singing the song of my heart.  I am by myself still, but think of me as a gathering caravan.
3
meri nazrauN meN jo kuchh hai are us ko to such maano
meri baatauN ko tum chaahe mera husn-e-bayaaN1 samjho

1.beautiful speech

You may discount my verse as beautiful (but ineffective) poetry, but at least consider the vision (of unity) that I have in my eyes.
4
falak1 vaalo, falak par rah ke samjhe ho na samjhoge
zamiN ka dard kya hai aa ke zer2-e aasmaaN samjho

1.skies, heavens 2.under

O, you who dwell in the heavens, you will never understand the pain of earth dwellers from over there.  Come beneath the sky (on earth) and feel what they feel.  This may be a reflection on etherial and unrealistic debates in the Constituent Assembly.
5
ye dard-e-jaavedaaN1 vaala tasavvur2 ishq3 ka kab tak
Gham-e-hasti4 meN ab is ko nishaat-e-naagahaaN5 samjho

1.eternal pain/suffering in love 2.concept 3.love 4.pain/trials of living 5.unpredictable/undependable pleasure

The ‘eternal pain of love’ which itself is an idealistic view of unrequited love is used here as a symbolic of all idealism.  How long will you hang on to idealism.  In the struggle for life, consider this as undependable and discuss realistic plans.
6
kahiN teGh1 o qalam se bhi miTe haiN tafreqe2 dil ke
miTaana hai to pahle rakh ke saaGhar3 darmiyaaN4 samjho

1.sword 2.differences 3.flask (of wine) 4.between

The flast of wine could be a symbol of love and/or of liberal thinking and acceptance of the “other”.  Differences of the heart can never be settled by the sword or the pen … force or pure logic.  Consider using love and acceptance.
7
sha’oor1 o fikr2 ki hai tarbiyat3 aur poKhtagi4 is se
alag chalte raho laikin mazaaq-e-kaarvaaN5 samjho

1.knowledge 2.reason 3.training/learning 4.maturity 5.ways of the group

Your own knowledge and reason will improve and become more mature if you consider the ways of the group (of others).
8
lab-e-maadar1 ne mulla2 loriyaaN jis meN sunaaii thiiN
vo din aaya hai ab us ko bhi GhairauN3 ki zabaaN samjho

1.mother’s lips 2.pen name of the poet 3.other, foreign

This was written in the context of the discussion of ‘national language’ in the Constituent Assembly.  Early thinking and the suggestion of both nehru and gandhi was ‘hindustani’ be adopted as a compromise/amalgam of the two rival claims (though both are, or at least were at that time, the same language in two different scripts).  But this compromise was rejected in favour of ‘hindi’ as the national language.  It was argued that ‘urdu’ is foreign.  anand narain mulla protests … the time has come when the language in which I heard lullabies from my mother’s lips, should now be considered foreign.

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