Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is called shaa’er-e inqelaab, poet of change/revolution. He is very secular and nationalistic in his writings and rebels against orthodoxy. His range of language and vocabulary is simply amazing. This is a particularly hard hitting and daring nazm with reason/rationality striking blows against orthodoxy.
1
rakaab¹ thaam² ke chal rooh³-e aalam⁴-e iijaad⁵
chala hai ilm⁶ su⁷-e dasht⁸-e jahl⁹ bahr¹⁰-e jehaad¹¹    1.stirrup 2.holding 3.spirit 4.world of 5.invention, creativity 6.knowledge, wisdom 7.towards 8.wilderness 9.ignorance 10.with the intention of 11.conflict, war
To hold the stirrup for a rider is to be in service to him. Here, ‘ilm’ (rationality, knowledge) is the rider and the spirit of the world of creativity is holding the stirrup. The rider, ‘ilm’, is setting out to make war on the wilderness of ignorance.
2
dayaar¹-e laat-o-habal² meN pukaar kar kah do
keh ho raha hai bashar³ bandagi⁴ se ab aazaad    1.domain 2.pre-islamic godesses 3.human 4.servitude, supplication
‘laat-o-habal’ are being used here as symbolic of ignorance and superstition. Declare loudly in the domain of ignorance and superstition that humans have set out to free themselves from servitude of and supplication to blind belief and superstition.
3
tamaam¹ zauq²-e suruur³ o tahoor⁴ o hoor⁵ o qasoor⁶
fuGhaaN⁷, keh qasr⁸-e ibaadat⁹ hai saKht¹⁰ kaj-buniyaad¹¹     1.all, total 2.taste, desire 3.pleasure 4.ritual cleansing, purifying 5.nymph 6.mansion 7.wail, alas 8.palace 9.ritual worship 10.hard, excessive 11.crooked foundation
All the desire for rewards in heaven … pleasure, rituals, nymphs and mansions … these form a crooked foundation of the palace of worship. Said Ghalib …
taa’at meN taa rahe na mai o aNgabiiN ki laag
dozaKh meN Daal do koii le kar behisht ko
4
voh ek nigaah¹-e tajassus² hai suu³-e zaat⁴ o sifaat⁵
samajh rahe haiN jise muftiyaan⁶-e diiN⁷, ilhaad⁸     1.look, sight 2.search 3.towards 4.being, person (of god) 5.attributes 6.religious scholar/jurist 7.faith 8.atheism
It is but a searching look towards the divine being and its attributes that the scholars of faith have labelled as ‘atheism’. The implication is that these ‘scholars’ are scared of even any questioning.
5
lab¹-e sha’oor² ka hai sirf³ ek tabassum⁴-e tanz⁵
vujood⁶-e rabb⁷ o ra’uuf⁸ o jaleel⁹ o barr¹⁰ o javaad¹¹     1.lips 2.knowledge, wisdom 3.only 4.smile 5.sarcasm, criticism 6.existence 7.lord 8.merciful 9.glorious, powerful 10.just, beneficient 11.eternal, everlasting
The claim of existence of god and all the names and attributes of god are nothing but a sarcastic smile on the lips of knowledge.
6
musaaferaan¹-e rah²-e justuju³-e umr-e-abad⁴
talab⁵ kareNge na Khizr⁶ o masiih⁷ se imdaad⁸     1.travelers 2.path 3.search 4.eternal life 5.demand, ask for 6.guide 7.healer 8.help
Khizr is a character mentioned in all Abrahamic texts. He looked for and found the spring of the nectar of life and lives forever. ‘masiih’ also is supposed to have brought the dead back to life. Seeking help from them to achieve eternal life may be considered a conventional way of getting it. But those who travel on the path searching for eternal life refuse to take such conventional help. The implication is that they will seek eternal life through their work rather than through supplication.
7
zah-e-nasiib¹ keh ab haiN rahiin²-e baad³-e sumoom⁴
charaaGh-e taKht⁵-e kayaani⁶ o sham’a-e taaj-e qubaad⁷     1.as luck would have it, it is good luck that 2.mortgaged to, obliged to 3.breeze 4.deadly 5.seat, throne 6.of kayaan-ancient Persian king 7.ancient Persian king
The lamp of the throne of kayaan and the candle of the crown of qubaad are symbolic of royal pomp and glory. It is a matter of good fortune that they have been blown out by deadly desert winds.
8
tujhe Khabar¹ bhi hai aivaan²-e daulat³-e parvez⁴
keh ab hai tiisha⁵ ba-kaf⁶ Khoon-e daaman⁷-e farhaad⁸     1.awareness 2.palace 3.wealth, treasure 4.Persian king 5.pickaxe 6.in hand 7.hem of the garment 8.of shirin-farhaad legend
This has reference to the legend of shirin-farhaad. ‘farhaad’ was a sculptor hired to work in the palace of Khusro parvez, the king. He fell in love with shirin, the king’s wife and pestered the king to divorce shirin so he could marry her. The king set him an impossible task of carving a canal through the mountain and make a river of milk flow to the palace. farhaad set about digging a canal with his pick-axe and was about to succeed. The king panicked and caused a rumour to spread that shirin had died. Upon hearing this, farhaad killed himself with the pickaxe. The palace containing the treasure of parvez is used as a symbol of capitalist exploitation and the blood of farhaad as the blood of workers. Thus, do you even know, O capitalists, that the blood of the worker has risen up with pickaxe in hand.
9
fiza¹-e azm² pe Ghaltiida³ hai lavaa⁴-e husain
laraz⁵ raha hai dil-e vaarisaan⁶-e ibn-e-ziyaad⁷     1.air, wind 2.resolve, determination 3.spread over 4.banner 5.tremble 6.progeny 7.commander of the forces of yaziid
This has reference to the battle of karbala, in which husain takes a resolute and principled stand even in the face of certain death. yaziid’s forces under ibn-e ziyaad kill his small band of supporters. the banner of husain is a symbol of resolve and resistance against tyranny and yaziid and ibn-e ziyaad are symbolic of tyranny. Thus, the banner of resolve and resistance waves in the air and the hearts of the progeny of tyrants are trembling in fear.
10
is aadmi ko Khudaara¹ javaaN to hone do
masiih²-e vaqt banega ye tiflak³-e jallaad⁴     1.by god 2.healer 3.infant 4.executioner, killer
By ‘tiflak-e jallaad’ josh means that in the infancy of the evolution of humanity, humans were cruel to each other, but with the development of culture, civilization, learning and knowledge, things will change. As humanity matures/comes of age it will become the healer of the times.
11
DhaluNga¹ ab na sinaan² o tabar³ ke saanche⁴ meN
dar⁵-e bashar⁶ pe qasam⁷ kha raha hai ye faulaad⁸    1.cast 2.spear 3.battle-axe, hatchette 4.mould 5.door, domain 6.humanity 7.swear, promise 8.iron, steel
Iron and steel swear/declare at the door of humanity that they will never again be cast into the mould or spears and hatchetts. Thus, with the rise of knowledge, the poet hopes for the end of war.
12
jab auj¹-e dil pe khulega lavaa²-e hubb³-e ameem⁴
kisi luGhat⁵ meN na paayega baar⁶ harf⁷-e inaad⁸    1.heights 2.banner 3.love 4.universal 5.dictionary 6.burden 7.word 8.conflict
When the banner of universal love is raised at the heights of the heart, then the word of conflict will not burden any dictionary.
13
voh saamne hai dar¹-e qasr²-e uqda-haa³-e daqiiq⁴
qadam⁵ baRhaaye hue saahibaan⁶-e bast-o-kushaad⁷     1.door 2.palace 3.knots, mysteries 4.fine, subtle 5.step 6.owners, lords 7.opening and closing, governance, administration
In front of us is the door of the palace of subtle, knotty mysteries. The owners of rule making are stepping forward to unravel these knots.
14
ba-hukm¹-e fikr² banegi hareem³-e amn-o-amaaN⁴
bah rabb⁵-e kaa’ba ye ibrat-saraa⁶-e kaun-o-fasaad⁷    1.by the order of 2.rationality 3.sanctuary 4.peace and prosperity 5.lord 6.place of learning 7.building and destroying, continuous development
By the order of rationality, by the lord of kaa’ba, this domain of learning and development will turn into a sanctuary of peace and prosperity.
15
Khuda gavaah¹ keh be-sarfa² hai huqooq³-e ilaah⁴
magar⁵ baraa⁶-e nigahdaari⁷-e huqooq³-e ibaad⁸     1.witness 2.useless 3.rights 4.god 5.but 6.for, with the intent of 7.keeping an eye on 8.plural of ‘abd used here to mean humanity
god is my witness that divine rights/dictats are useless except for safekeeping of the rights of humanity. Thus he says that divine dictats should be designed/used for moral/ethical needs rather than rewards in heaven.
16
hazaar shukr¹ keh hai rahnuma²-e aab-e-hayaat³
meri yeh Khaak⁴-e masiihaa-mizaaj⁵ o Khizr-nehaad⁶    1.thanks 2.guide 3.nectar of immortality, amrit 4.dust, clay 5.healing nature 6.guiding/teaching disposition/habit
Khizr is a character mentioned in all Abrahamic texts. He has travelled all over the world and knows all the byways and seaways. He is considered the guide and patron saint of all travellers/seekers. Because josh write ‘meri Khaak’ I am inclined to interpret this to mean ‘my writings/verse’ with him referring to his own verse as ‘Khaak’ in feigned humility. Thus, a thousand thanks that it is a guide towards nectar of life – my verse that heals and teaches. I also think that by ‘eternal life’ is used in the same sense as ‘umr-e abad’ in she’r 6, where he does not mean eternal biological life but long reputational life.
17
kulaah¹-e gosha²-e haft³-aasmaaN hai chashm-ba-raah⁴
uTh aye zamiin-e gohar-manzar⁵ o aqiiq-savaad⁶    1.cap 2.corner 3.seven 4.eyes on the path, eagerly waiting 5.pearl-like 6.dark ruby
Here zamiin/earth symbolizes earthly/humble status. But it is potentially very valuable like pearls and rubies. Rise O humble earth, you have great value like rare jewels. Rise, the seventh heaven is eagerly waiting for you respectfully cap in hand. This is a call to humanity to rise to divine status which it deserves.
18
Khuda gavaah¹ keh nau-e-bashar² ki jaudat³ hai
naseem⁴-e nasl⁵ o gohar-teenat⁶ o bilor-nazshaad⁷   1.witness 2.human species, humanity 3.intelligence, excellence 4.fragrant breeze 5.species, humanity 6.nature/character of pearls, sparkling 7.crystal/clear pedigree, unblemished
josh is playing up the value of human intelligence/rationality as opposed to blind belief. god is my witness that it is human intelligence that blows like a fresh breeze, sparkles like pearls and is unblemished like crystal. A fresh breeze is symbolic of new thinking, sparkling is symbolic of brilliant intuition and unblemished crystal represents clear thinking.
19
Gharaz¹ hai ilm² se aye josh³ but⁴ mile ke Khuda⁵
uTha bhi parda-e asraar⁶ harche-baada-baad⁷     1.objective, purpose 2.knowledge 3.pen-name of the poet 4.idol 5.disembodied spirit 6.mysteries 7.whatever happens happens
Because of the context of the nazm, I interpret ‘ilm’/knowledge to mean knowledge of the universal spirit of human-ness. O josh, the purpose is the realization of the knowledge of universality/one-ness of humanity, whethere you get there through an idol or through a spiritual being. Lift the veil from this mystery and let whatever happens, happen.