For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
غریب کی دنیا ۔ گیان سنگھ شاطرؔ
۱
جس جگہ جام و مے کے دور چلیں
عشقِ بے تاب محوِ حسن رہے
کس کو فرصت ہے ایسے عالم میں
داستانِ غمِ حیات سنے
۲
دیکھیے تو غریب کی دنیا
صبح کھایا تو فکرِ شام ہوئی
پیٹ بھرنے کی حسرتوں ہی میں
اُس کی عمرِ رواں تمام ہوئی
۳
کتنی ویرانیاں ہیں آنکھوں میں
غم سے چہرے ہیں دھول دھول سبھی
ایک نخلِ حیات سے جیسے
جھڑ گئے خواہشوں کے پھول سبھی
۴
جب سے دنیا ظہور میں آئی
سب نے اِفلاس کو دبایا ہے
اِس کی بنیاد پر امیروں نے
زندگی کا محل بنایا ہے
۵
معجزے قدرتِ الہٰی کے
زندگی کا اِسے سوانگ کہیں
یا کسی نامراد بیوہ کی
ایک اُجڑی ہوئی سی مانگ کہیں
۶
کتنے دنیا میں انقلاب آئے
رسمِ نظمِ رواں نہ توڑ سکے
سیم و زر کے طلسم کو اب تک
دستِ محنت کشاں نہ توڑ سکے
۷
اہلِ ثروت، یہ مفلس و نادار
جوئے ہستی کے بہتے دھارے ہیں
ساتھ رہ کر بھی مل نہیں پاتے
یعنی دریا کے دو کنارے ہیں
ग़रीब की दुनिया – ज्ञान सिंह शातिर
१
जिस जगह जाम ओ मय के दौर चलें
इश्क़-ए बे-ताब मह्व-ए हुस्न रहे
किस को फ़ुर्सत है ऐसे आलम में
दास्तान-ए ग़म-ए हयात सुने
२
देखिए तो ग़रीब की दुनिया
सुबह खाया तो फ़िक्र-ए शाम हुई
पेट भरने की हसरतों ही में
उस की उम्र-ए रवां तमाम हुई
३
कितनी वीरानियाँ हैं आँखों में
ग़म से चेहरे हैं धूल-धूल सभी
एक नख़्ल-ए हयात से जैसे
झड़ गए ख़्वाहिशों के फूल सभी
४
जब से दुनिया ज़हूर में आई
सब ने इफ़्लास को दबाया है
इस की बुनियाद पर अमीरों ने
ज़िंदगी का महल बनाया है
५
मोजज़े क़ुद्रत-ए इलाही के
ज़िंदगी का इसे स्वांग कहें
या किसी नामुराद बेवा की
एक उजड़ी हुई-सी मांग कहें
६
कितने दुनिया में इन्क़ेलाब आए
रस्म-ए नज़्म-ए रवां न तोड़ सके
सीम ओ ज़र के तिलिस्म को अब तक
दस्त-ए मेहनत-कशां न तोड़ सके
७
अहल-ए सरवत, ये मुफ़लिस ओ नादार
जुए-ए हस्ती के बहते धारे हैं
साथ रख कर भी मिल नहीं पाते
यानी दरिया के दो किनारे हैं
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. gyaan siNgh shaatir (1936-xxxx) hoshiarpur, punjab. He was from a rural agricultural background with no tradition of formal education. His father was annoyed with his desire for schooling and after he graduated from high school with high honours, threw him out of the house at 17. He walked to dehli where he worked as a construction labourer and graduated from the polytechnic college as a civil engineer. Hired by the government on dam construction projects he was sent to Moscow for further training and appointed (1962) as Executive Engineer in hyderabad, where he settled and called home. He started composing in the mid 1960s. In addition to a collection of rubaaii and Ghazal, he published a novel too. ratan panDorvi was his ustaad. This nazm is linked to yaum-e mazdoor on the Theme Index page.
1
jis jagah1 jaam-o-mai2 ke daur3 chaleN
ishq-e betaab4 mahv5-e husn6 rah’e
kis ko fursat7 hai ais’e aalam8 meN
daastaan9-e Gham10-e hayaat11 sun’e 1.where 2.goblet and wine 3.circulation, going around 4.restless, eager 5.engrossed, spellbound 6.beauty 7.leisure, time 8.condition 9.story 10.pain 11.life
Where the goblets of wine forever go round,
And love in beauty’s spell is bound
Who has leisure in such delight
To heed life’s sorrow, grief, or plight?
2
dekhiye to Ghariib ki duniya
sub’h khaaya to fikr1-e shaam hui
p’eT bharn’e ki hasratoN2 hii meN
uss ki umr-e-ravaaN3 tamaam4 hui 1.worry 2.longing 3.flowing/passing life 4.finished, consumed
Behold the poor man’s life, his plight
If he eats at morn, where’s the meal at night
The longing to satiate his hunger burns,
This lone pursuit as his whole life turns.
3
kitni viiraaniyaaN1 haiN aaNkhoN meN
Gham2 se chehre3 haiN dhool-dhool4 abhi
a’ek naKhl5-e hayaat6 se jais’e
jhaR7 ga’e KhwaahishoN8 ke phool sabhi 1.desolation 2.sorrow 3.face, appearance 4.dusty, lacklustre 5.tree 6.life 7.shed, dropped 8.desires
In their eyes, a look of deep desolation
Faces covered in the dust of deprivation
As from the tree of life that our hopes fed
All blossoms of desire have been shed.
4
jab se duniya zahoor1 meN aa’ii
sab ne iflaas2 ko dabaaya3 hai
uss ki buniyaad4 par amiiroN5 ne
zindagi ka mahal6 banayaa hai 1.manifestation, appearance 2.penury, poverty 3.oppressed 4.foundation 5.wealthy 6.palace
Ever since the time of creation,
Penury has seen oppression
On the back of poverty stodd wealth
Laying the foundation of its palace in stealth
5
mo’jeze1 qudrat2-e ilaahi3 ke
zindagi ka is’e suwaaNg4 kah’eN
ya kisi naamuraad5 beva6 kii
a’ek ujRi7 hui si maaNg8 kaheN 1.miracles 2.nature, ability, power 3.god 4.masquerade, deception 5.unfortunate 6.widow 7.ruined, unadorned 8.parting of the hair
Is this a miracle of God’s hand,
Or a masquerade that life has planned?
Or is it an unfortunate widow’s vow,
Like erased vermillion of her brow?
6
kitn’e duniya meN inqelaab1 aa’e
rasm2-e nazm3-e ravaaN4 na toR sak’e
siim-o-zar5 ke tilasm6 ko ab tak
dast7-e mehnat-kashaaN8 na toR sak’e 1.revolutions, upheavels, changes 2.traditions 3.running, order, administration 4.flowing, ongoing 5.silver and gold, wealth 7.hand 8.labourer, worker
How many upheavals the world has known,
Yet the unchanged stream of order still has flown;
The spell of silver and gold remains,
Unscathed yet by the workers’ pains.
7
ahl1-e sarvat2, ye muflis3 o naadaar4
juu5-e hastii6 ke baht’e dhaar’e meN
saath rah kar bhi mil nahiiN paat’e
y’aani dariya7 ke do kinaar’e8 haiN 1.people of 2.abundance, plenty 3.pauper 4.helpless 5.river 6.life 7.river 8.sides, banks
The rich, the poor, both drift along,
In life’s wild torrent, swift and strong;
Never meeting yet together they glide,
Like riverbanks on either side.
gyaan siNgh shaatir (1936-xxxx) hoshiarpur, punjab. He was from a rural agricultural background with no tradition of formal education. His father was annoyed with his desire for schooling and after he graduated from high school with high honours, threw him out of the house at 17. He walked to dehli where he worked as a construction labourer and graduated from the polytechnic college as a civil engineer. Hired by the government on dam construction projects he was sent to Moscow for further training and appointed (1962) as Executive Engineer in hyderabad, where he settled and called home. He started composing in the mid 1960s. In addition to a collection of rubaaii and Ghazal, he published a novel too. ratan panDorvi was his ustaad. This nazm is linked to yaum-e mazdoor on the Theme Index page.
1
jis jagah1 jaam-o-mai2 ke daur3 chaleN
ishq-e betaab4 mahv5-e husn6 rah’e
kis ko fursat7 hai ais’e aalam8 meN
daastaan9-e Gham10-e hayaat11 sun’e
1.where 2.goblet and wine 3.circulation, going around 4.restless, eager 5.engrossed, spellbound 6.beauty 7.leisure, time 8.condition 9.story 10.pain 11.life
Where the goblets of wine forever go round,
And love in beauty’s spell is bound
Who has leisure in such delight
To heed life’s sorrow, grief, or plight?
2
dekhiye to Ghariib ki duniya
sub’h khaaya to fikr1-e shaam hui
p’eT bharn’e ki hasratoN2 hii meN
uss ki umr-e-ravaaN3 tamaam4 hui
1.worry 2.longing 3.flowing/passing life 4.finished, consumed
Behold the poor man’s life, his plight
If he eats at morn, where’s the meal at night
The longing to satiate his hunger burns,
This lone pursuit as his whole life turns.
3
kitni viiraaniyaaN1 haiN aaNkhoN meN
Gham2 se chehre3 haiN dhool-dhool4 abhi
a’ek naKhl5-e hayaat6 se jais’e
jhaR7 ga’e KhwaahishoN8 ke phool sabhi
1.desolation 2.sorrow 3.face, appearance 4.dusty, lacklustre 5.tree 6.life 7.shed, dropped 8.desires
In their eyes, a look of deep desolation
Faces covered in the dust of deprivation
As from the tree of life that our hopes fed
All blossoms of desire have been shed.
4
jab se duniya zahoor1 meN aa’ii
sab ne iflaas2 ko dabaaya3 hai
uss ki buniyaad4 par amiiroN5 ne
zindagi ka mahal6 banayaa hai
1.manifestation, appearance 2.penury, poverty 3.oppressed 4.foundation 5.wealthy 6.palace
Ever since the time of creation,
Penury has seen oppression
On the back of poverty stodd wealth
Laying the foundation of its palace in stealth
5
mo’jeze1 qudrat2-e ilaahi3 ke
zindagi ka is’e suwaaNg4 kah’eN
ya kisi naamuraad5 beva6 kii
a’ek ujRi7 hui si maaNg8 kaheN
1.miracles 2.nature, ability, power 3.god 4.masquerade, deception 5.unfortunate 6.widow 7.ruined, unadorned 8.parting of the hair
Is this a miracle of God’s hand,
Or a masquerade that life has planned?
Or is it an unfortunate widow’s vow,
Like erased vermillion of her brow?
6
kitn’e duniya meN inqelaab1 aa’e
rasm2-e nazm3-e ravaaN4 na toR sak’e
siim-o-zar5 ke tilasm6 ko ab tak
dast7-e mehnat-kashaaN8 na toR sak’e
1.revolutions, upheavels, changes 2.traditions 3.running, order, administration 4.flowing, ongoing 5.silver and gold, wealth 7.hand 8.labourer, worker
How many upheavals the world has known,
Yet the unchanged stream of order still has flown;
The spell of silver and gold remains,
Unscathed yet by the workers’ pains.
7
ahl1-e sarvat2, ye muflis3 o naadaar4
juu5-e hastii6 ke baht’e dhaar’e meN
saath rah kar bhi mil nahiiN paat’e
y’aani dariya7 ke do kinaar’e8 haiN
1.people of 2.abundance, plenty 3.pauper 4.helpless 5.river 6.life 7.river 8.sides, banks
The rich, the poor, both drift along,
In life’s wild torrent, swift and strong;
Never meeting yet together they glide,
Like riverbanks on either side.
