For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
خدا کی طرح ۔ احمد فرازؔ
۱
چلے تھے یار بڑے زعم میں ہوا کی طرح
پلٹ کے دیکھا تو بیٹھے ہیں نقش پا کی طرح
۲
مجھے وفا کی طلب ہے مگر ہر اک سے نہیں
کوئی ملے مگر اس یارِ بے وفا کی طرح
۳
مرے وجود کا صحرا ہے منتظر کب سے
کبھی تو آ جرسِ غنچہ کی صدا کی طرح
۴
وہ اجنبی تھا تو کیوں مجھ سے پھیر کر آنکھیں
گزر گیا کسی دیرینہ آشنا کی طرح
۵
کشاں کشاں لیے جاتی ہے جانب منزل
نفس کی ڈور بھی زنجیرِ بے صدا کی طرح
۶
فرازؔ کس کے ستم کا گلِا کریں کس سے
کہ بے نیاز ہوئی خلق بھی خدا کی طرح
ख़ुदा की तरह – अहमद फ़राज़
१
चले थे यार बड़े ज़ो’म में हवा की तरह
पलट के देखा तो बैठे हैं नक़्श-ए पा की तरह
२
मुझे वफ़ा की तलब है मगर हर एक से नहीं
कोई मिले मगर उस यार-ए बेवफ़ा की तरह
३
मेरे वजूद का सहरा है मुंतज़िर कब से
कभी तो आ जरस-ए ग़ुंचा की सदा की तरह
४
वो अज्नबी था तो क्यूँ मुझ से फेर कर आँखें
गुज़र गया किसी देरीना आश्ना की तरह
५
कशाँ कशाँ लिए जाती है जानिब-ए मंज़िल
नफ़स की डोर भी ज़ंजीर-ए बे-सदा की तरह
६
फ़राज़ किस के सितम का गिला करें किस से
के बे-नियाज़ हुई ख़ल्क़ भी ख़ुदा की तरह
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ahmad faraz (1931-2008) popular love and romance poet as well as a substantial contributor to progressive themes. This Ghazal is linked to a series of Ghazal with the radeef ‘ki tarah’ and named ‘dulhan ki tarah’ after parveen shakir’s poignant Ghazal/nazm of the same title. The icon can be accessed on the page ‘radeef-refrain’.
1
chale the yaar baRe zo’m1 meN havaa ki tarah
palaT ke dekhaa to baiThe haiN naqsh-e-paa3 ki tarah 1.assertion, arrogance, swagger 2.footprints
Friends started out (on this journey) with an arrogant swagger. When I turned around to look they were sitting on the ground like footprints. Of course, footprints don’t have a swagger, they don’t make any progress. His friends have given up. What journey did they start on? I could be a journey of love, social justice, life itself.
2
mujhe vafaa1 ki talab2 hai magar har ek se nahiN
koi mile magar us yaar3-e bevafaa4 ki tarah 1.fidelity, faith 2.demand, desire 3.friend, beloved 4.fickle, undependable, promise breaking
The beloved is never true to her word. She keeps many admirers dangling. The poet/lover says he asks for fidelity, but not from anyone. He wants fidelity from that special someone – his beloved, who is faithless. Thus, he is caught in a Catch-22 loop.
3
mere vajood1 ka sahraa2 hai muntazir3 kab se
kabhi to aa jaras4-e Ghuncha5 ki sadaa6 ki tarah 1.existence, life 2.barren desert 3.waiting, anticipation 4.bell 5.flower bud 6.sound
The poet/lover’s life is like a barren desert (because the beloved is not with him). He appeals, come sometime like the sound of the bell like a bud. There are two possibilites of similarity between a bud and a bell. A young bud, about to blossom may be shaped like a bell. The unfurling of petals is supposed to make a gentle clicking sound which is likened to the gentle music of a bell.
4
vo ajnabi1 tha to kyuN mujh se pher2 kar aaNkheN
guzar3 gayaa kisi deriina4 aashnaa5 ki tarah 1.stranger 2.turning away 3.passed by 4.long-standing 5.familiar, friend
The ‘vo’ is probably the beloved. She has passed by him looking the other way like an old friend would do, who wants to avoid meeting him. If she had been a stranger, then why would she have taken the trouble to look away? This implies that she still has some lingering feelings for him.
5
kashaaN-kashaaN1 liye jaati hai jaanib2-e manzil3
nafas4 ki Dor5 bhi zanjiir6-e be-sadaa7 ki tarah 1.attracting, pulling 2.towards 3.destination 4.breath 5.thread 6.chain 7.soundless
Breath, one after another, is like a chain, except it does not make a clanging sound like a metal chain. It never-the-less is a soundless chain that binds. Bit by bit it keeps pulling you towards the destination. It is not clear if by ‘destination’, he means the conventional thought of death as destination or a more dynamic view.
6
faraaz1 kis ke sitam2 ka gilaa3 kareN kis se
keh be-niyaaz4 hui Khalq5 bhi Khuda ki tarah 1.pen-name of the poet 2.cruelty 3.complaint 4.unmindful, uncaring 5.creation, humanity
O faraaz, who do we complain to about whose cruelty i.e., everyone is guilty of the same thing. All humanity has become just as uncaring as god himself.
ahmad faraz (1931-2008) popular love and romance poet as well as a substantial contributor to progressive themes. This Ghazal is linked to a series of Ghazal with the radeef ‘ki tarah’ and named ‘dulhan ki tarah’ after parveen shakir’s poignant Ghazal/nazm of the same title. The icon can be accessed on the page ‘radeef-refrain’.
1
chale the yaar baRe zo’m1 meN havaa ki tarah
palaT ke dekhaa to baiThe haiN naqsh-e-paa3 ki tarah
1.assertion, arrogance, swagger 2.footprints
Friends started out (on this journey) with an arrogant swagger. When I turned around to look they were sitting on the ground like footprints. Of course, footprints don’t have a swagger, they don’t make any progress. His friends have given up. What journey did they start on? I could be a journey of love, social justice, life itself.
2
mujhe vafaa1 ki talab2 hai magar har ek se nahiN
koi mile magar us yaar3-e bevafaa4 ki tarah
1.fidelity, faith 2.demand, desire 3.friend, beloved 4.fickle, undependable, promise breaking
The beloved is never true to her word. She keeps many admirers dangling. The poet/lover says he asks for fidelity, but not from anyone. He wants fidelity from that special someone – his beloved, who is faithless. Thus, he is caught in a Catch-22 loop.
3
mere vajood1 ka sahraa2 hai muntazir3 kab se
kabhi to aa jaras4-e Ghuncha5 ki sadaa6 ki tarah
1.existence, life 2.barren desert 3.waiting, anticipation 4.bell 5.flower bud 6.sound
The poet/lover’s life is like a barren desert (because the beloved is not with him). He appeals, come sometime like the sound of the bell like a bud. There are two possibilites of similarity between a bud and a bell. A young bud, about to blossom may be shaped like a bell. The unfurling of petals is supposed to make a gentle clicking sound which is likened to the gentle music of a bell.
4
vo ajnabi1 tha to kyuN mujh se pher2 kar aaNkheN
guzar3 gayaa kisi deriina4 aashnaa5 ki tarah
1.stranger 2.turning away 3.passed by 4.long-standing 5.familiar, friend
The ‘vo’ is probably the beloved. She has passed by him looking the other way like an old friend would do, who wants to avoid meeting him. If she had been a stranger, then why would she have taken the trouble to look away? This implies that she still has some lingering feelings for him.
5
kashaaN-kashaaN1 liye jaati hai jaanib2-e manzil3
nafas4 ki Dor5 bhi zanjiir6-e be-sadaa7 ki tarah
1.attracting, pulling 2.towards 3.destination 4.breath 5.thread 6.chain 7.soundless
Breath, one after another, is like a chain, except it does not make a clanging sound like a metal chain. It never-the-less is a soundless chain that binds. Bit by bit it keeps pulling you towards the destination. It is not clear if by ‘destination’, he means the conventional thought of death as destination or a more dynamic view.
6
faraaz1 kis ke sitam2 ka gilaa3 kareN kis se
keh be-niyaaz4 hui Khalq5 bhi Khuda ki tarah
1.pen-name of the poet 2.cruelty 3.complaint 4.unmindful, uncaring 5.creation, humanity
O faraaz, who do we complain to about whose cruelty i.e., everyone is guilty of the same thing. All humanity has become just as uncaring as god himself.
