Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. maKhdoom mohiuddin (1908-1969), progressive, communist, freedom fighter, labour union leader/organizer, beloved of the city of hyderabad.
1
ek bosiida¹ haveli² yaani³ farasooda⁴ samaaj⁵
le rahi hai naz‍a’⁶ ke aalam⁷ meN murdoN⁸ se Khiraaj⁹       1.dilapidated, ruined 2.palace 3.meaning 4.outdated, obsolete 5.society, social order, capitalism 6.last breath, last minutes of life 7.condition 8.dead people 9.tribute
Here haveli is used as a symbol for society/social order and it is implied that it is the dying decaying social order of capitalism. This dying social order, on its last breath, is demanding tribute/tax (even) from the dead (it needs to be propped up). The idea is to herald a new socialist, just order.
2
ek musalasil¹ karb² meN Doobe hue sab baam-o-dar³
jis taraf⁴ dekho andhera, jis taraf dekho khanDar⁵     1.continuous 2.grief, anguish 3.walls and doors, dwellings 4.direction 5.ruins
Every dwelling/household drowned in a continuous anguish. Whichever direction you look, there is darkness, wherever you turn, there are ruins.
3
maar¹ o kazshdum² ka Thikaana³ jis ki diivarauN ke chaak⁴
uff ye raKhne⁵ kis qadar⁶ taariik, kitn’e haulnaak⁷ 1.snakes 2.scorpions 3.dwelling 4.cracks 5.fractures, passage ways 6.so much 7.fearsome
The cracks in its wall harbour snakes and scorpions. Its dark passage ways so feasome.
4
jin meN raht’e haiN mahaajan¹ jin meN bast’e² haiN amiir
jin meN kaashii ke barahman jin meN kaa’be ke faqiir     1.money lenders 2.live
In this ruined palace live moneylenders and capitalists, preachers and priests.
5
rahzanoN¹ kaa qasr²-e shuuraa³, qaatiloN⁴ kii Khwaabagaah⁵
khilkhilaate⁶ haiN jaraa’em⁷ jagmagaate⁸ haiN gunaah⁹    1.robbers 2.palace 3.consultative assembly, conspiratorial gathering 4.killers 5.bedchamber 6.burst out laughing 7.crimes 8.sparkle 9.sins
This is a palace of conspiratorial gathering of robbers, the resting place of killers where crimes laugh out loud and sins/injustice sparkles.
6
jis jagah¹ kaTtaa hai sar insaaf² kaa eemaan³ kaa
roz-o-shab⁴ neelaam⁵ hotaa hai jahaaN⁶ insaan kaa   1.place 2.justice 3.trust, truth 4.day and night 5.auction 6.where
The place where the heads of justice and truth are chopped off, where day and night human beings are auctioned off to the highest bidder.
7
ziist¹ ko dars-e-ajal² detii hai jis kii baargaah³
qahqahaa⁴ ban kar nikaltii hai jahaaN har ek aah⁵     1.life 2.lesson of death 3.palace, court 4.loud laughter 5.sigh
The palace which gives a lesson of death to life where the sigh of every victim emerges as loud laughter of the oppressor.
8
siim-o-zar¹ ka devtaa² jis jaa³ kabhi sotaa nahiiN
zindagi ka bhool kar jis jaa guzar⁴ hotaa nahiiN     1.silver and gold, wealth 2.god 3.place, jis jaa-where 4.passage, sojourn
The place where the god of wealth never sleeps (where the work of grubby acquisition continues all the time); where the spirit of living never passes through even by mistake.
9
haNs rahaa hai zindagi par is tarah¹ maazi² kaa haal
Khanda-zan³ ho jis tarah ismat⁴ pe qahbaa⁵ kaa jamaal⁶     1.like this 2.past 3.smiling, sneering 4.chastity 5.prostitution 6.beauty, glory
maazi ka haal-the condition of life in the past are conditions under the old capitalist order. Thus, conditions under capitalism laugh at life like the beauty of a prostitute sneers at chastity. Thus life under socialism is compared to chastity while life under capitalism is compared to prostitution-prostitution of labour in the service of capital.
10
ae’k jaanib¹ haiN vahiiN un be-navaauN² ke giroh³
haaN inhiiN be-naan⁴-o-be-poshish⁵ gadaaoN⁶ ke giroh    1.direction, side 2.voiceless, unheard, suppressed 3.group 4.without bread, hungry 5.without a cover, unclothed 6.beggars
There (in the same palace of obsolete capitalism) on side is the group of paupers, hungry and unclothed …
11
jin ke dil kuchl’e¹ hu’e, jin kii tamannaa² paa’emaal³
jhaaNkataa⁴ hai jin kii aaNkhoN meN jahannum⁵ kaa jalaal⁶     1.crushed 2.desires 3.trodded down 4.peeps 5.of hell 6.anger
… in whose crushed hearts and desires trodden underfoot, peeps out of their eyes their hellish anger i.e., the poet/revolutionary sees anger and a sense of rebellion in the eyes of the crushed masses.
12
aye Khuda-e do-jahaaN¹! vo jo har ek dil meN hai
dekh tere haath kaa shahkaar² kis manzil³ meN hai     1.two worlds 2.masterpiece 3.stage/condition
O god of both worlds, who resides in every heart; look at the condition of the pride of your creation, your masterpiece.
13
jaanta huN maut¹ kaa hamsaaz²-o-hamdam³ kaun hai
kaun hai paravardigaar⁴-e bazm⁵-e maatam⁶ kaun hai     1.death 2.in harmony with 3.friend, helper 4.nurturer, sustainer 5.gathering 6.grief
The poet is still addressing Khudaa-e do jahaaN and saying – I know who the friend in harmony with death is; I know who sustains this gathering of grief. The implication is that it is Khudaa-e do-jahaaN who is responsible i.e., orthodoxy, organized religion is a partner with capitalism in the exploitation of humanity.
14
kooRh¹ ke dhabbe² chhupaa saktaa nahiiN malboos³-e diiN⁴
bhookh ke sho’le⁵ bujhaa saktaa nahiiN rooh-ul-amiiN⁶    1.leprosy 2.scars, wounds 3.garment, covering 4.faith 5.flames 6.archangel Gabriel
The covering of faith cannot hide the scars of leprosy; archangel Gabriel cannot extinguish the flames of hunger i.e., promises of future rewards in heaven cannot hide misery in the present world.
15
aye javaaN-saal¹-e jahaaN² jaan³-e jahaan-e zindagi
saarbaan⁴-e zindagi rooh⁵-e ravaan⁶-e zindagi     1.of youthful years, young 2.world 3.life 4.camel-driver used here to mean guide 5.soul 6.moving, flowing, progress
Having described the conditions of the dilapidated palace of obsolete capitalism, having identified the sustainers of the system the poet appears to be turning towards the youthful system of change – the coming socialist order. He describes it as the youthful vigour, the life and soul of the world; the guide and spirit of progress.
16
jis ke KhooN-e-garm¹ se bazm²-e charaaGhaaN³ zindagi
jis ke firadausi⁴ tanaffus⁵ se gulistaaN⁶ zindagi     1.warm blood 2.gathering 3.illuminated, lit up 4.heavenly 5.breath 6.garden
Normally a gathering is lit up with lamps of oil but the new youthful movement provides its warm blood as fuel for the lamps with light up the gathering of life. In addition to that its heavenly breath turns life/world into a garden. This is the promise of socialism.
17
bijliyaaN¹ jis ki kaniizeN² zalazale³ jis ke safiir⁴
jis kaa dil Khaibar-shikan⁵ jis ki nazar arjun⁶ kaa tiir⁷       1.lightning 2.slave girl 3.earthquakes 4.messenger, harbinger 5.one who breaks through the fort of Khaibar 6.arjun of mahabharat 7.arrow
Here arjun’s archery and the conquest of the fort of Khaibar are used as symbols of victory. The poet continues to describe the youthful socialist movement as powerful and victorious who can deploy lightning and whose coming is announced by earthquakes (revolutionary changes).
18
haaN vo naGhma¹ chheR jis s’e muskuraa’e zindagi
too bajaa’e saaz²-e ulfat³ aur gaa’e zindagi     1.song 2.musical instrument, harmony 3.love
The poet/revolutionary now calls upon the youthful socialist movement to break out into song that will make life smile with joy. The movement will play harmonious music of love and life will sing.
19
aa unhiiN khaND’roN¹ pe aazaadi kaa paracham² khol deN
aa unheeN khaND’roN pe aazaadi kaa paracham khol deN   1.ruins 2.banner
Come that we may spread out the banner of freedom on these ruins. The ruins here are those of the dilapidated, obsolete capitalist system and aazaadi may not be about freedom from colonialism but freedom from capitalism.