khelti hogi – seemaab abkarabadi
Click on any she’r for word meanings and explanatory discussion.

1
nasim-e-subah¹ gulshan meN gulauN se khelti hogi
kisi ki aaKhiri² hichki³ kisi ki dil-lagi⁴ hogi1.morning breeze 2.last 3.hiccup, gasp, (last) breath 4.mischief
In urdu poetry the image of dawn often painted is that of buds sleeping all night long. Along comes the mischievous morning breeze and wakes them up … they blossom into flowers. See for example josh malihabadi’s kaliyauN ki bedaari
lapeTe muNh so rahin theeN kaliyaaN, saba ne aa kar jo gudgudaaya
sarak gaye haiN saroN se aaNchal, tamaam gulshan mahak raha hai
seemab akbarabadi adds a different touch. It is mere playfulness for the breeze but the last gasp (death) for buds, because soon after they bloom they die.

2
tujhe daanista¹ mahfil² meN jo dekha ho to mujrim³ huN
nazar⁴ aaKhir nazar hai be-iraada⁵ uTh gaii hogi1.intentionally 2.gathering 3.guilty, culpable 4.sight 5.unintentional, helpless
The poet/lover is discreet in company and does not so much as look directly at the beloved for fear of maligning her name. Thus, if I have so much as intentionally looked at you in the gathering, then I am culpable/guilty. But then, he (his eyes) cannot help it, after all eyes are eyes, they have been raised unintentionally.

3
mohabbat meN Khudi¹ hadd²-e jahaan-e-be-Khudi³ hogi
vo aalam⁴ doosra hoga, vo duniya doosri hogi1.ego 2.limit, boundary 3.world of self-forgetfulness/total submission 4.state of mind
In sufi tradition one has to lose one’s identity and merge with the identity/spirit of god (whatever that means). The epitome of love (of god) is when ego is banished beyond the boundaries of the world of ‘self-forgetfulness’. It will be a different feeling, a different world.

4
baRi dilchaspiyauN¹ se subah-shaam²-e zindagi hogi
maiN dekhuN ga unheN aur saari duniya dekhti hogi1.interesting 2.day and night
The passing of the days and nights of life would be very interesting if I could look at her and the whole world could see (instead of looking at her furtively, when nobody is looking).

5
fiza-e-dil¹ meN nashtar² hai taRap dard-e-tamanna³ ki
bas itni kaundti⁴ hogi, jo bijli⁵ kaundti hogi1.atmosphere/domain of the heart 2.dagger 3.pain of longing 4.strike 5.lightning
In the domain of the heart, pain of longing is like a dagger. It cuts through the heart like intense, quick and repeated strikes of lightning.

6
yahi aalam¹ raha parda-nashini² ka to zaahir³ hai
Khudaaii⁴ aap se hogi na ham se bandagi⁵ hogi1.conditions 2.observing pardah/veil 3.apparent, plain 4.god-like 5.slave-like
The poet/lover considers the beloved to be like god and himself to be her slave – much like a conventional god-creature relationship. But then, he also wants to see his god and she is hidden from him because she is behind a pardah. Thus, it is plain that if the observance of pardah continues then you cannot be god-like and I cannot be slave-like.

7
adaa¹ yuN tere kooche² meN namaaz³-e be-Khudi⁴ hogi
ke ek duniya ki duniya tujh ko sijde⁵ kar rahi hogi1.performed, offered, paid 2.street 3.prayer, tribute, homage 4.trance, self-forgetfulness 5.prostration, bowing down in homage
This can be applied to god as well as to the beloved. All lovers will be in a trance, forgetting themselves. Homage of total submission will be offered in your street where the whole world will prostrate before you.

8
na marta zindagi par maiN agar pahle samajh leta
ke subah hashr¹ ka unvaan shaam-e-zindagi² hogi1.doomsday, day of judgement 2.evening of life, used here to mean accounting of the deeds of life
There is a very interesting word play in this she’r. “not have died for” is an expression used to mean “yearn for” … thus, I would not have yearned for life, if I had understood ahead of time that on the day of judgement I would have to give a reckoning of my deeds.

9
kuchh aise dard se furqat¹ meN maiN ne haath uThaaye haiN
dua bhi kaamiyaabi² ki duaa’eN maaNgti hogi1.separation (from the beloved) 2.sucess
The poet/lover/sufi is separated from the beloved/god. He raises his hands in prayer with such intensity/pain/sincerity that Prayer itself is praying for his success.

10
chale jaa’eNge pii kar maikade¹ se sub Khirad² vaale
hamaari raat to saaqi ke qadmauN³ meN basar⁴ hogi1.tavern 2.(implied worldly/material) knowledge, wisdom, reason 3.feet 4.spend
In the sufi tradition god cannot be understood through material knowledge and reason. He has to be felt through divine love. Thus, those who partake of ‘worldly wine’ will depart from the tavern but the poet/sufi will spend all night at the feet of the saaqi.

11

sar-e-mahshar¹ hijaab² o shauq³ ka ek maareka⁴ hoga
unheN apni paRi hog, mujhe apni paRi hogi1.beginning of the day of judgement 2.veil, used here for the beloved because she is veiled 3.desire, used here for the poet/lover 4.conflict
All life long the beloved has stayed away and thus tortured the poet/lover. They are now face to face in the presence of god on the day of judgement and each will have to give an account of their actions. This will lead to a conflict, because each will have to be truthful.

12
maza aa jaayega kuchh hashr¹ meN sun-ne sunaane kaa
zabaaN hogi hamaari aur kahaani aap ki hogi1.day of judgement
Popular Islamic belief is that on the day of judgement everyone will have to speak out publicly and give an account of their actions. The poet/lover has suffered grievously at the hands of the beloved and kept quiet all his life. But then he will have to speak out on the day of judgement and it will make for a very interesting story.

13
sharaab-e-aarzu¹ pii kar na uTTheNge qayaamat² tak
hameN jab be-Khudi³ hogi, to aisi be-Khudi hogi1.wine of desire/love (of god) 2.doomsday 3.trance, intoxication, forgetting oneself
In the sufi tradition the poet/sufi drinks the wine of love and gets intoxicated (with love of god). They will get so ‘drunk’ that they will wake up from their trance only judgement day.

14
na karte hashr¹ ko rusva² kabhi din ke ujaale³ meN
Khabar⁴ kya thi teri furqat⁵ ki raat itni badi hogi1.day of judgement 2.embarrass 3.light, brightness 4.knowledge, awareness 5.separation (from the beloved)
We would never have embarrassed you in broad daylight, on the day of judgement, but we did not know that the night of separation would be so long and painful that it would force us to speak out.

15
ta’ajjub¹ kyaa lagi jo aag aye simaab siine meN
hazaaroN dil meN aNgaare bhare the lag gaii hogi1.surprise
The poet/lover nurses many grievances/insults in his heart. These are like (thousands of) glowing embers. Why should we be surprised then, if his bosom/heart catches fire.