For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
کہیے کسے یہاں اپنا ۔ بہادر شاہ ظفرؔ
۱
دل تھا کب یار مہرباں اپنا
ہو گیا وہ عدوئے جاں اپنا
۲
ہائے کہیے کسے یہاں اپنا
کون اپنا ہے اور کہاں اپنا
۳
شوق سے تم رہو مرے دل میں
جانیے آپ اِسے مکاں اپنا
۴
ہم پھرے ڈھونڈتے عبث اُس کو
دل میں تھا یارِ دلسِتاں اپنا
۵
پہنچ جائیں گے بامِ عرش تلک
ہے اگر عشق نردباں اپنا
۶
وہ کماندار گر لگائے تیر
دل کو سمجھے مرے نشاں اپنا
۷
سنتے ہیں باغ میں گری بجلی
جل گیا ہو نہ آشیاں اپنا
۸
ہو وہ جانِ جہاں نہ ہرگز دوست
اور دشمن ہو اِک جہاں اپنا
۹
آہ کرنے کی بھی نہیں طاقت
اِس قدر دل ہے ناتواں اپنا
۱۰
غنچے گلشن میں ہوں شگفتہ ہزار
پر نہ ہو دل یہ شادماں اپنا
۱۱
شمع ساں لگ اُٹھے زباں کو آگ
گر کروں سوزِ دل بیاں اپنا
۱۲
ہم ہوئے پیر اے ظفرؔ لیکن
دل ہے اب تک وہی جواں اپنا
कहिये किसे यहां अपना – बहादुर शाह ज़फ़र
१
दिल था कब यार मेहरबां अपना
हो गया वो अदू-ए जां अपना
२
हाए कहिये किसे यहां अपना
कौन अपना है और कहां अपना
३
शौक़ से तुम रहो मेरे दिल में
जानिये आप इसे मकां अपना
४
हम फिरे ड़ूंडते अबस उस को
दिल में था यार-ए दिल-सितां अपना
५
पहुंच जाएंगे बाम-ए अर्श तलक
है अगर इश्क़ नर्दबां अपना
६
वो कमांदार गर लगाए तीर
दिल को समझे मेरे निशां अपना
७
सुनते हैं बाग़ में गिरी बिजली
जल गया हो न आशियां अपना
८
हो वो जान-ए जहां न हरगिज़ दोस्त
और दुश्मन हो एक जहां अपना
९
आह करने की भी नहीं ताक़त
इस क़दर दिल है नातवां अपना
१०
ग़ुंचे गुलशन में हों शगुफ़्ता हज़ार
पर न हो दिल ये शादमां अपना
११
शम’अ-सां लग उठे ज़बां को आग
गर करूं सोज़-ए दिल बयां अपना
१२
हम हुए पीर अए ज़फ़र लैकिन
दिल है अब तक वही जवां अपना
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. bahaadur shaah zafar (1775-1862) became titular/nominal emperor of India in 1837. He was a scholar of faarsi and arabi and started composing at an early age. zauq and after zauq’s death in 1854, Ghalib became his ustaad. zafar used to hold frequent mushaa’era in the Red Fort. This Ghazal, in the same style of Ghalib’s ‘zikr us parivash ka aur phir bayaaN apna’. I am not sure if there was any influence/connection. Never-the-less, I have linked it to ‘Ghalib peshrau ham asr’ simply because it is enjoyable to compare how different shu’ara use the same radeef. zafar keeps moving from being romantic, self-pitying to sufiyaana.
1
dil tha kab yaar1 mehrbaaN2 apna
ho gaya vo adu3-e jaaN apna 1.friend, beloved 2.kind, generous 3.enemy
In reading this if you do a slight pause after ‘dil’, then it appears to be addressed to the heart. O heart, when was the beloved kind to me. Finally, she has become my sworn enemy. If you read it without the pause – when was my heart a kind friend to me. Finally, it has become my sworn enemy. Thus, the poet/lover’s heart itself is angry with him, probably because he fell for the cruel beloved and now the heart has to suffer the consequences.
2
haa’e kahiye kise yahaaN apna
kaun apna aur kahaaN apna Woe/alas, who can we call our (friend) here (in this world). Who can be ours, why would they be.
3
shauq1 se tum raho mere dil meN
jaaniye2 aap ise makaaN3 apna 1.with pleasure 2.know, consider 3.house, home
Be in my heart with pleasure. Consider it your home. Of course, this is addressed to the beloved.
4
ham phire DhoonDte abas1 us ko
dil meN tha yaar2-e dil-sitaaN3 apna 1.useless 2.friend, beloved, god 3.heart-stealing
This is probably about divinity in the sufiyaana spirit. We made a useless effort to search for him outside. It turned out that my heart-stealing friend/beloved/god was in my heart all along. It is quite common to refer to god as the yaar or beloved, but a little less common to refer to him as heart-stealing.
5
pahuNch jaayeNge baam1-e arsh2 talak
hai agar3 ishq nardbaaN4 apna 1.roof, top 2.seventh heaven 3.if 4.ladder
Surely, we will reach the heavenly seat of god, if “ishq – sufiyaana love” were to be our ladder.
6
vo kamaaNdaar1 gar lagaaye tiir2
dil ko samjhe mere nishaaN3 apna 1.bow bearer, archer 2.arrow 3.used here to mean target
The poet/lover wishes that if the beloved puts an arrow to her bow, then she consider his heart to be the target. He wants to make sure that the arrow be meant for him and not the rival.
7
sunte haiN baaGh meN giri bijli1
jal gaya ho na aashiyaaN2 apna 1.lightning 2.nest
The poet/bird is in a cage or simply away from the garden. He has heard that lightning struck somewhere in the garden. He is fearful that it was on his nest and that it got burned.
8
ho vo jaan-e-jahaaN1 na hargiz2 dost
aur dushman ho ek jahaaN3 apna 1.life of the world, beloved 2.never 3.world
In one reading the poet could be saying – I wish that she would never make me her favoured lover. If she does, then the whole world will become my enemy. More likely – that life and soul of the world will never become my friend i.e., will never favour me as her chosen suitor. And on top of it the world has become my enemy (simply out of jealousy at the imagined thought that she favours him).
9
aah1 karne ki bhi nahiN taaqat2
is qadar3 dil hai naatavaaaN4 apna 1.sigh 2.strength 3.so much 4.weak
I do not even have the strength to sigh. My heart has become so weak.
10
Ghunche1 gulshan meN hoN shagufta2 hazaar
par na ho dil ye shaadmaaN3 apna 1.buds 2.bloom 3.happy
A thousand buds may bloom in the garden, but my heart will not be happy. It is implied that this is because the beloved is not with him.
11
sham’a-saaN1 lag uThe zabaaN ko aag
gar2 karuN soz3-e dil bayaaN4 apna 1.like a candle 2.if 3.fire, pain, passion, sorrow 4.narrate
If I were to narrate/describe/relate the sorrow of my heart, then my tongue would catch fire like a candle.
12
ham hue piir1 aye zafar2 laikin
dil hai ab tak vahi javaaN3 apna 1.old 2.pen-name of the poet 3.young
O zafar, I have aged a lot but my heart is still young as before.
bahaadur shaah zafar (1775-1862) became titular/nominal emperor of India in 1837. He was a scholar of faarsi and arabi and started composing at an early age. zauq and after zauq’s death in 1854, Ghalib became his ustaad. zafar used to hold frequent mushaa’era in the Red Fort. This Ghazal, in the same style of Ghalib’s ‘zikr us parivash ka aur phir bayaaN apna’. I am not sure if there was any influence/connection. Never-the-less, I have linked it to ‘Ghalib peshrau ham asr’ simply because it is enjoyable to compare how different shu’ara use the same radeef. zafar keeps moving from being romantic, self-pitying to sufiyaana.
1
dil tha kab yaar1 mehrbaaN2 apna
ho gaya vo adu3-e jaaN apna
1.friend, beloved 2.kind, generous 3.enemy
In reading this if you do a slight pause after ‘dil’, then it appears to be addressed to the heart. O heart, when was the beloved kind to me. Finally, she has become my sworn enemy. If you read it without the pause – when was my heart a kind friend to me. Finally, it has become my sworn enemy. Thus, the poet/lover’s heart itself is angry with him, probably because he fell for the cruel beloved and now the heart has to suffer the consequences.
2
haa’e kahiye kise yahaaN apna
kaun apna aur kahaaN apna
Woe/alas, who can we call our (friend) here (in this world). Who can be ours, why would they be.
3
shauq1 se tum raho mere dil meN
jaaniye2 aap ise makaaN3 apna
1.with pleasure 2.know, consider 3.house, home
Be in my heart with pleasure. Consider it your home. Of course, this is addressed to the beloved.
4
ham phire DhoonDte abas1 us ko
dil meN tha yaar2-e dil-sitaaN3 apna
1.useless 2.friend, beloved, god 3.heart-stealing
This is probably about divinity in the sufiyaana spirit. We made a useless effort to search for him outside. It turned out that my heart-stealing friend/beloved/god was in my heart all along. It is quite common to refer to god as the yaar or beloved, but a little less common to refer to him as heart-stealing.
5
pahuNch jaayeNge baam1-e arsh2 talak
hai agar3 ishq nardbaaN4 apna
1.roof, top 2.seventh heaven 3.if 4.ladder
Surely, we will reach the heavenly seat of god, if “ishq – sufiyaana love” were to be our ladder.
6
vo kamaaNdaar1 gar lagaaye tiir2
dil ko samjhe mere nishaaN3 apna
1.bow bearer, archer 2.arrow 3.used here to mean target
The poet/lover wishes that if the beloved puts an arrow to her bow, then she consider his heart to be the target. He wants to make sure that the arrow be meant for him and not the rival.
7
sunte haiN baaGh meN giri bijli1
jal gaya ho na aashiyaaN2 apna
1.lightning 2.nest
The poet/bird is in a cage or simply away from the garden. He has heard that lightning struck somewhere in the garden. He is fearful that it was on his nest and that it got burned.
8
ho vo jaan-e-jahaaN1 na hargiz2 dost
aur dushman ho ek jahaaN3 apna
1.life of the world, beloved 2.never 3.world
In one reading the poet could be saying – I wish that she would never make me her favoured lover. If she does, then the whole world will become my enemy. More likely – that life and soul of the world will never become my friend i.e., will never favour me as her chosen suitor. And on top of it the world has become my enemy (simply out of jealousy at the imagined thought that she favours him).
9
aah1 karne ki bhi nahiN taaqat2
is qadar3 dil hai naatavaaaN4 apna
1.sigh 2.strength 3.so much 4.weak
I do not even have the strength to sigh. My heart has become so weak.
10
Ghunche1 gulshan meN hoN shagufta2 hazaar
par na ho dil ye shaadmaaN3 apna
1.buds 2.bloom 3.happy
A thousand buds may bloom in the garden, but my heart will not be happy. It is implied that this is because the beloved is not with him.
11
sham’a-saaN1 lag uThe zabaaN ko aag
gar2 karuN soz3-e dil bayaaN4 apna
1.like a candle 2.if 3.fire, pain, passion, sorrow 4.narrate
If I were to narrate/describe/relate the sorrow of my heart, then my tongue would catch fire like a candle.
12
ham hue piir1 aye zafar2 laikin
dil hai ab tak vahi javaaN3 apna
1.old 2.pen-name of the poet 3.young
O zafar, I have aged a lot but my heart is still young as before.
