jabiin-e haram ko bhi Kham dekhte haiN-krishn gopal maGhmum

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

جبینِ حرم کو بھی خم دیکھتے ہیں ۔ کرشن گوپال مغمومؔ

۱

ستم بیش، الطاف کم دیکھتے ہیں

دورنگیِ عالم کو ہم دیکھتے ہیں

۲

ستم پر ستم، غم پہ غم دیکھتے ہیں

تماشا یہ کیا دم بہ دم دیکھتے ہیں

۳

ترے حسن کی جلوہ سامانیوں کو

بہت دیکھنے پر بھی کم دیکھتے ہیں

۴

خبر کیا کہ پھر دیکھ پائیں نہ پائیں

ترا جلوہ ہم دم بہ دم دیکھتے ہیں

۵

سوا ہے تری تابشِ حسن اُن سے

ترے گیسوئے خم بہ خم دیکھتے ہیں

۶

ودیعت ہوئی ہے ہمیں چشمِ بینا

نہ دیکھے گا کوئی جو ہم دیکھتے ہیں

۷

رُخِ آتشیں سے ہٹا لو یہ پردہ

کہ ہم اپنی آنکھوں کا دم دیکھتے ہیں

۸

ترے آستانے کی شان اللہ اللہ

جبینِ حرم کو بھی خم دیکھتے ہیں

۹

اک ادنیٰ کرشمہ ہے یہ میکدے کا

کہ ہر جام میں شانِ جم دیکھتے ہیں

۱۰

نہیں لالہ و گل پہ شبنم کے قطرے

ہم آگ اور پانی بہم دیکھتے ہیں

۱۱

محبّت کا افسانہ بھولیں تو کیونکر

اسے اپنے دل پر رقم دیکھتے ہیں

۱۲

بس اک صبح عشرت کے شوقِ طلب  میں

زمانے کی ہر شامِ غم دیکھتے ہیں

۱۳

نظر ہے کچھ ایسی ہی مغمومؔ اپنی

ستم میں بھی شانِ کرم دیکھتے ہیں

जबीन-ए हरम को भी ख़म देखते हैं – क्रिष्ण गोपाल मग़्मूम

सितम बेश, अल्ताफ़ कम देखते हैं

दोरंगी-ए आलम को हम देखते हैं

सितम पर सितम, ग़म पे ग़म देखते हैं

तमाशा ये क्या दम-ब-दम देखते हैं

तेरे हुस्न की जल्वा सामानियौं को

बहुत देखने पर भी कम देखते हैं

ख़बर क्या के फिर देख पाएं न पाएं

तेरा जल्वा हम दम-ब-दम देखते हैं

सिवा है तेरी ताबिश-ए हुस्न उन से

तेरे गेसु-ए ख़म-ब-ख़म देखते हैं

वदी’अत हुई है हमें चश्म-ए बीना

न देखेगा कोई जो हम देखते हैं

रुख़-ए आतिशीं से हटा लो ये पर्दा

के हम अपनी आंखौं का दम देखते हैं

तेरे आस्ताने कि शान अल्लाह अल्लाह

जबीन-ए हरम को भी ख़म देखते हैं

एक अदना करिश्मा है ये मैकदे का

के हर जाम में शान-ए जम देखते हैं

१०

नहीं लाला-ओ-गुल पे शब्नम के क़तरे

हम आग और पानी बहम देखते हैं

११

मोहब्बत का अफ़्साना भूलें तो क्यूंकर

इसे अपने दिल पर रक़म देखते हैं

१२

बस एक सुबह इश्रत के शौक़-ए तलब में

ज़माने कि हर शाम-ए ग़म देखते हैं

१३

नज़र है कुछ ऐसी हि मग़्मूम अपनी

सितम में भी शान-ए करम देखते हैं

 

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. krishn gopal baada maGhmum (1916-xxxx), aTak district (now in pakistan). His father was a scholar of urdu and faarsi and grandfather (tulsidas) was also an urdu shaa’er. Ill-treatment by his stepmother drove him to seclusion and reading. All the books at home including religious texts were in urdu. He read up all of them and learnt to write too. Interest in shaa’eri started from childhood. In college he was a class fellow of jagan nath azad and through him became a disciple of tilok chand mahroom. Continued education including for the Public Service Commission exam. Worked for the government of panjab and later haryana, retiring in 1974. There are at least 10 collections of his shaa’eri including Ghazal, rubaaii and nazm. This Ghazal, composed in the zamin of Ghalib’s, ‘jahaaN tera naqsh-e qadam dekhte haiN’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
sitam1 besh2, altaaf3 kam dekhte haiN
do-raNgi4-e aalam5 ko ham dekhte haiN  
1.torture, oppression 2.more 3.favours, kindness 4.two colours/styles like the English phrase two-faced 5.world
I see more oppression and less kindness. I see the two-faced character of the world.

2
sitam1 par sitam Gham pe Gham dekhte haiN
tamaasha2 ye kya dam-ba-dam3 dekhte haiN  

1.torture, oppression 2.spectacle, scene 3.minute by minute, every minute
Torture upon torture, sorrow upon sorrow – what kind of a scene is this that we see every minute.

3
tere husn1 ki jalva-saamaaniyoN2 ko
bahut dekhne par bhi kam dekhte haiN  
1.beauty 2.means of manifestation/appearance
This is probably addressed to god. Even if we see the means by which you manifest yourself many times, it is still not enough. We need to see more.

4
Khabar1 kya keh phir dekh paa’eN na paa’eN
tera jalva2 ham dam-ba-dam3 dekhte haiN   
1.knowledge 2.manifestation, appearance 3.minute by minute, again and again
Who knows whether we will be able to see it again or not. That is why we see your manifestation every minute – every chance we get.

5
siva1 hai teri taabish2-e husn3 un se
tere gesu4-e Kham-ba-Kham5 dekhte haiN  
1.beyond, more 2.brilliance, splendour 3.beauty 4.hair 5.curl by curl
The curly hair of the beloved are beautiful. But if we get stuck on looking at the beauty of each curl, curl by curl, then we will miss the big picture. Applying this to the concept of god … the splendour of your beauty is far more than any one of them, but we keep looking at your signs/manifestations one by one.

6
vadii’at1 hui hai hameN chashm-e-biina2
na dekhoge koi jo ham dekhte haiN  
1.trust, grant 2.discerning eye
We (poets or even the poet himself) have received discerning sight as a trust. You will not be able to see what we see (and write).

7
ruKh1-e aatishiiN2 se haTa lo ye parda
keh ham apni aaNkhoN ka dam3 dekhte haiN  
1.face 2.fiery, brilliant 3.power
It is commonly accepted that humans do not have the ability to bear the sight of the divine e.g., moosa/Moses fainted on mount tuur when the divine manifested itself as a brilliant flash of light. But here the poet insists that he might do better. Thus, remove the veil from you brilliant face. I want to test the power of my eyes.

8
tere aastaane1 ki shaan2 allaah-allaah
jabiin3-e haram4 ko bhi Kham5 dekhte haiN   
1.threshold 2.glory 3.forehead 4.mosque 5.bowed down
The poet distinguishes between the universal divine spirit and conventional, orthodox houses of worship including the haram and the dair even though ‘dair’ is not written out probably because of rhyming requirements. Thus, by god, the glory of your threshold. See even the forehead of the mosque bows before it.

9
ek adna1 karishma2 hai ye maikade3 ka
keh har jaam4 meN shaan5-e jam6 dekhte haiN   
1.low, ordinary 2.miracle 3.tavern 4.cup (of wine) 5.glory 6.short for jamshed
‘jamshed’ is a legendary acient Persian monarch, who is said to have a miraculous cup into which he could look and foretell the future. It is used as a metaphor for a very valuable object. The maikada/tavern is a metaphor for a liberal, secular place where everyone has equal rights and respect. Thus, it is an everyday, ordinary miracle of the tavern that we see the glory of the cup of jamshed in every wine cup.

10
nahiiN laala1-o-gul2 pe shabnam3 ke qatre4
ham aag5 aur paani baham6 dekhte haiN  
1.tulip 2.rose 3.dew 4.drops 5.fire 6.together, side by side
The tulip and rose are considered to be deep red, much like fire is. Thus, these are not dew drops on rose and tulip. What we see is fire and water together. Said josh malihabadi …
kali pe bele ki kis ada se, paRa hai shabnam ka ek moti
nahiN! ye heere ki keel pahne, koi pari muskura rahi hai

11
mohabbat ka afsaana1 bhooleN to kyuNkar2
ise apne dil par raqam3 dekhte haiN   
1.legend, story 2.how 3.written, engraved
If we are asked for forget about love, how can we. We see it engraved on our hearts.

12
bas ek sub’h ishrat1 ke shauq2-e talab3 meN
zamaane4 ki har shaam5-e Gham dekhte haiN  
1.joy, pleasure 2.wish 3.demand, desire 4.world, society 5.night
In poetic tradition dawn is associated with brightness and joy and night is associated with darkness and sorrow. There are two levels at which this she’r can be interpreted. At the personal level … the poet wishes for the dawn of joy and because of the demands of this wish he continues to suffer the sorrow thrown at him every day by the world … the need to earn a livelihood. At a universial level, he sees the wish for happiness that everyone has and he experiences the pain of humanity when they don’t get dark night instead. Said amiir minaaii …
Khanjar chale kisi pe taRapte haiN ham amiir
saare jahaaN ka dard hamaare jigar meN hai

13
nazar1 hai kuchh aisi hi maGhmum2 apni
sitam3 meN bhi shaan4-e karam5 dekhte haiN  
1.sight, discerning eye 2.pen-name of the poet 3.cruelty 4.glory, dignity 5.kindness, benevolence
At a conventional level, the beloved is always cruel to the poet/lover but he greatly values this cruelty because it is a sign that she is paying attention. Thus, O maGhmum, by discerning eye is such that I see the glory of benevolence even in the cruelty that the beloved inflicts on me. But equally, this might apply to the divine beloved – you accept the misfortune of fate as a trial.

krishn gopal baada maGhmum (1916-xxxx), aTak district (now in pakistan).  His father was a scholar of urdu and faarsi and grandfather (tulsidas) was also an urdu shaa’er.  Ill-treatment by his stepmother drove him to seclusion and reading.  All the books at home including religious texts were in urdu.  He read up all of them and learnt to write too.  Interest in shaa’eri started from childhood.  In college he was a class fellow of jagan nath azad and through him became a disciple of tilok chand mahroom.  Continued education including for the Public Service Commission exam.  Worked for the government of panjab and later haryana, retiring in 1974.  There are at least 10 collections of his shaa’eri including Ghazal, rubaaii and nazm.  This Ghazal, composed in the zamin of Ghalib’s, ‘jahaaN tera naqsh-e qadam dekhte haiN’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
sitam1 besh2, altaaf3 kam dekhte haiN
do-raNgi4-e aalam5 ko ham dekhte haiN

1.torture, oppression 2.more 3.favours, kindness 4.two colours/styles like the English phrase two-faced 5.world

I see more oppression and less kindness.  I see the two-faced character of the world.
2
sitam1 par sitam Gham pe Gham dekhte haiN
tamaasha2 ye kya dam-ba-dam3 dekhte haiN

1.torture, oppression 2.spectacle, scene 3.minute by minute, every minute

Torture upon torture, sorrow upon sorrow – what kind of a scene is this that we see every minute.
3
tere husn1 ki jalva-saamaaniyoN2 ko
bahut dekhne par bhi kam dekhte haiN

1.beauty 2.means of manifestation/appearance

This is probably addressed to god.  Even if we see the means by which you manifest yourself many times, it is still not enough.  We need to see more.
4
Khabar1 kya keh phir dekh paa’eN na paa’eN
tera jalva2 ham dam-ba-dam3 dekhte haiN

1.knowledge 2.manifestation, appearance 3.minute by minute, again and again

Who knows whether we will be able to see it again or not.  That is why we see your manifestation every minute – every chance we get.
5
siva1 hai teri taabish2-e husn3 un se
tere gesu4-e Kham-ba-Kham5 dekhte haiN

1.beyond, more 2.brilliance, splendour 3.beauty 4.hair 5.curl by curl

The curly hair of the beloved are beautiful.  But if we get stuck on looking at the beauty of each curl, curl by curl, then we will miss the big picture.  Applying this to the concept of god … the splendour of your beauty is far more than any one of them, but we keep looking at your signs/manifestations one by one.
6
vadii’at1 hui hai hameN chashm-e-biina2
na dekhoge koi jo ham dekhte haiN

1.trust, grant 2.discerning eye

We (poets or even the poet himself) have received discerning sight as a trust.  You will not be able to see what we see (and write).
7
ruKh1-e aatishiiN2 se haTa lo ye parda
keh ham apni aaNkhoN ka dam3 dekhte haiN

1.face 2.fiery, brilliant 3.power

It is commonly accepted that humans do not have the ability to bear the sight of the divine e.g., moosa/Moses fainted on mount tuur when the divine manifested itself as a brilliant flash of light.  But here the poet insists that he might do better.  Thus, remove the veil from you brilliant face.  I want to test the power of my eyes.
8
tere aastaane1 ki shaan2 allaah-allaah
jabiin3-e haram4 ko bhi Kham5 dekhte haiN

1.threshold 2.glory 3.forehead 4.mosque 5.bowed down

The poet distinguishes between the universal divine spirit and conventional, orthodox houses of worship including the haram and the dair even though ‘dair’ is not written out probably because of rhyming requirements.  Thus, by god, the glory of your threshold.  See even the forehead of the mosque bows before it.
9
ek adna1 karishma2 hai ye maikade3 ka
keh har jaam4 meN shaan5-e jam6 dekhte haiN

1.low, ordinary 2.miracle 3.tavern 4.cup (of wine) 5.glory 6.short for jamshed

‘jamshed’ is a legendary acient Persian monarch, who is said to have a miraculous cup into which he could look and foretell the future.  It is used as a metaphor for a very valuable object.  The maikada/tavern is a metaphor for a liberal, secular place where everyone has equal rights and respect.  Thus, it is an everyday, ordinary miracle of the tavern that we see the glory of the cup of jamshed in every wine cup.
10
nahiiN laala1-o-gul2 pe shabnam3 ke qatre4
ham aag5 aur paani baham6 dekhte haiN

1.tulip 2.rose 3.dew 4.drops 5.fire 6.together, side by side

The tulip and rose are considered to be deep red, much like fire is.  Thus, these are not dew drops on rose and tulip.  What we see is fire and water together.  Said josh malihabadi …
kali pe bele ki kis ada se, paRa hai shabnam ka ek moti
nahiN! ye heere ki keel pahne, koi pari muskura rahi hai
11
mohabbat ka afsaana1 bhooleN to kyuNkar2
ise apne dil par raqam3 dekhte haiN

1.legend, story 2.how 3.written, engraved

If we are asked for forget about love, how can we.  We see it engraved on our hearts.
12
bas ek sub’h ishrat1 ke shauq2-e talab3 meN
zamaane4 ki har shaam5-e Gham dekhte haiN

1.joy, pleasure 2.wish 3.demand, desire 4.world, society 5.night

In poetic tradition dawn is associated with brightness and joy and night is associated with darkness and sorrow.  There are two levels at which this she’r can be interpreted.  At the personal level … the poet wishes for the dawn of joy and because of the demands of this wish he continues to suffer the sorrow thrown at him every day by the world … the need to earn a livelihood.  At a universial level, he sees the wish for happiness that everyone has and he experiences the pain of humanity when they don’t get dark night instead.  Said amiir minaaii …
Khanjar chale kisi pe taRapte haiN ham amiir
saare jahaaN ka dard hamaare jigar meN hai
13
nazar1 hai kuchh aisi hi maGhmum2 apni
sitam3 meN bhi shaan4-e karam5 dekhte haiN

1.sight, discerning eye 2.pen-name of the poet 3.cruelty 4.glory, dignity 5.kindness, benevolence

At a conventional level, the beloved is always cruel to the poet/lover but he greatly values this cruelty because it is a sign that she is paying attention.  Thus, O maGhmum, by discerning eye is such that I see the glory of benevolence even in the cruelty that the beloved inflicts on me.  But equally, this might apply to the divine beloved – you accept the misfortune of fate as a trial.