For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the “Roman” or “Notes” tab.
Recitation
کیا گزری ۔ ساحرؔ لدھیانوی
۱
طرب زاروں پہ کیا بیتی صنم خانوں پہ کیا گزری
دلِ زندہ مرے مرحوم ارمانوں پہ کیا گزری
۲
زمیں نے خون اُگلا آسماں نے آگ برسائی
جب اِنسانوں کے دن بدلے تو انسانوں پہ کیا گزری
۳
ہمیں یہ فکر اُن کی انجمن کس حال میں ہوگی
اُنہیں یہ غم کہ اُن سے چھوٹ کے دیوانوں پہ کیا گزری
۴
مرا اِلحاد تو خیر ایک لعنت تھا سو ہے اب تک
مگر اس عالمِ وحشت میں ایمانوں پہ کیا گزری
۵
یہ منظر کون سا منظر ہے پہچانا نہیں جاتا
سیہ خانوں سے کچھ پوچھو شبستانوں پہ کیا گزری
۶
چلو وہ کفر کے گھر سے سلامت آ گئے لیکن
خدا کی مملکت میں سوختہ جانوں پہ کیا گزری
क्या गुज़री – साहर लुध्यानवी
१
तरब-ज़ारों पे क्या बीती सनम-ख़ानों पे क्या गुज़री
दिल-ए-ज़िंदा मिरे मरहूम अरमानों पे क्या गुज़री
२
ज़मीं ने ख़ून उगला आसमाँ ने आग बरसाई
जब इंसानों के दिन बदले तो इंसानों पे क्या गुज़री
३
हमें ये फ़िक्र उन की अंजुमन किस हाल में होगी
उन्हें ये ग़म कि उन से छुट के दीवानों पे क्या गुज़री
४
मिरा इल्हाद तो ख़ैर एक ला’नत था सो है अब तक
मगर इस आलम-ए-वहशत में ईमानों पे क्या गुज़री
५
ये मंज़र कौन सा मंज़र है पहचाना नहीं जाता
सियह-ख़ानों से कुछ पूछो शबिस्तानों पे क्या गुज़री
६
चलो वो कुफ़्र के घर से सलामत आ गए लैकिन
ख़ुदा की मुम्लिकत में सोख़्ता-जानों पे क्या गुज़री
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. sahir ludhianavi (1921-1980) progressive poet writing in chaste yet relatively easily understood urdu. He brought the quality of urdu nazm to movie songs and raised the standards to a high level. Supported labour movements. Strong participant in the Progressive Writers’ Association. Winner of Lenin Peace Prize and padma shri, and several movie industry awards. He has written quite openly about his atheism, see ‘tarah-e nau’ and ‘Khayaal-e Khaam hai saaqi’. This is one of series of Ghazal with the same radeef/qaafiya “kya guzri”. Also see qamar jalalavi (two Ghazal), seemab akbarabadi, shakeel badayuni, sikandar ali vajd, saeed shahiidi with more to come. They are all composed in the spirit of, “if this is what happened to me, what must have happened to the other party”.
1
tarab-zaarauN1 pe kya beeti sanam-KhaanauN2 pe kya guzri
dil-e-zinda3 mere marhoom4 armaanauN5 pe kya guzri 1.house of music 2.house of idols 3.living heart 4.dead, killed 5.desires
The poet/lover’s heart still beats but all his desires have been killed by the calamities that have befallen him. He can no longer go to places of music, houses of idols (does not have the means or desire to indulge in pleasures). He wonders whatever happened to these places. Do they miss their erstwhile visitor? Are they similarly forlorn?
2
zamiN ne Khoon ugla1 aasmaaN ne aag barsaaii
jab insanauN ke din badle2 to insanauN pe kya guzri 1.regurgitated 2.days/times/conditions changed
There has been such calamity that it seems like the earth is bleeding and the sky is raining fire. din badalna – changing times – usually implies changing for the worse. I am not sure when this Ghazal was composed or what the background is, but it is easy to imagine that this could be about the ravages of partition.
3
hameN ye fikr1 un ki anjuman2 kis haal3 meN hogi
unheN ye Gham ke un se chhuT ke diwanauN pe kya guzri 1.worry, concern 2.gathering 3.condition 4.mad lovers
The poet/lover (and perhaps other lovers too) have stopped going to the gatherings at the beloved’s house/street. They wonder what has become of her gatherings and she wonders what might happen to her mad lovers after they are separated from her.
4
mera ilhaad1 to Khair2 ek laa’nat3 tha so hai ab tak
magar is aalam-e-wahshat4 meN eemaanauN5 pe kya guzri 1.atheism 2.well, whatever 3.curse 4.fearsome world 5.faiths
The poet has been condemned for his open atheism. He responds sarcastically … my atheism is whatever it is, cursed/condemned but in this fearful world look at what has happened to all faiths – look at what the people of faith have done? Is this a sarcastic comment on the misery that communal/religious conflicts have brought about. Again, I am not sure of the context, but a different observation by Richard Dawkins comes to mind – 85% of Nobel Laureates in the sciences are atheists and 99% of convicted murderers claim to subscribe to belief/faith. Thus, theism/atheism is not corrleated with ethical behaviour.
5
ye manzar1 kaun-sa2 manzar hai pahchana nahiN jata
siyah-KhaanauN3 se kuchh poochho shabistaanauN4 pe kya guzri
1.scene 2.used here in the sense of ‘what kind of’ 3.house of darkness, dark chambers 4.house of evening/nightly celebrations
There is something bad going on. The poet looking out cannot recognize the scene. It is abnormal. Even the evening celebrations (in the shabistaan) of the well off have been affected. They are now like darkened chambers (siyah-Khaana). Go ask those dark chambers whatever happened to the halls of celebration. Once again, this could be an observation about the calamities of partition, which have changed the whole ‘scene’.
6
chalo1 wo kufr-ke-ghar2 se salaamat3 aa gae laikin
Khuda ki mumlekat4 meN soKhta-jaanauN5 pe kya guzri 1.used in the sense of ‘I agree’, ‘alright’ 2.house of sin/non-belief, other faith 3.well, safe 4.reign, kingdom 5.burnt heart, love sick, grieved
I am not sure of the timing and background of this Ghazal but it is easy to imagine this she’r too applying to the horrors of partition. I agree that they have come away safe from the horrors of the ‘other faith’. But look at what happened to the aggrieved ones in the kingdom of god/land of faith.
sahir ludhianavi (1921-1980) progressive poet writing in chaste yet relatively easily understood urdu. He brought the quality of urdu nazm to movie songs and raised the standards to a high level. Supported labour movements. Strong participant in the Progressive Writers’ Association. Winner of Lenin Peace Prize and padma shri, and several movie industry awards. He has written quite openly about his atheism, see ‘tarah-e nau’ and ‘Khayaal-e Khaam hai saaqi’. This is one of series of Ghazal with the same radeef/qaafiya “kya guzri”. Also see qamar jalalavi (two Ghazal), seemab akbarabadi, shakeel badayuni, sikandar ali vajd, saeed shahiidi with more to come. They are all composed in the spirit of, “if this is what happened to me, what must have happened to the other party”.
1
tarab-zaarauN1 pe kya beeti sanam-KhaanauN2 pe kya guzri
dil-e-zinda3 mere marhoom4 armaanauN5 pe kya guzri
1.house of music 2.house of idols 3.living heart 4.dead, killed 5.desires
The poet/lover’s heart still beats but all his desires have been killed by the calamities that have befallen him. He can no longer go to places of music, houses of idols (does not have the means or desire to indulge in pleasures). He wonders whatever happened to these places. Do they miss their erstwhile visitor? Are they similarly forlorn?
2
zamiN ne Khoon ugla1 aasmaaN ne aag barsaaii
jab insanauN ke din badle2 to insanauN pe kya guzri
1.regurgitated 2.days/times/conditions changed
There has been such calamity that it seems like the earth is bleeding and the sky is raining fire. din badalna – changing times – usually implies changing for the worse. I am not sure when this Ghazal was composed or what the background is, but it is easy to imagine that this could be about the ravages of partition.
3
hameN ye fikr1 un ki anjuman2 kis haal3 meN hogi
unheN ye Gham ke un se chhuT ke diwanauN4 pe kya guzri
1.worry, concern 2.gathering 3.condition 4.mad lovers
The poet/lover (and perhaps other lovers too) have stopped going to the gatherings at the beloved’s house/street. They wonder what has become of her gatherings and she wonders what might happen to her mad lovers after they are separated from her.
4
mera ilhaad1 to Khair2 ek laa’nat3 tha so hai ab tak
magar is aalam-e-wahshat4 meN eemaanauN5 pe kya guzri
1.atheism 2.well, whatever 3.curse 4.fearsome world 5.faiths
The poet has been condemned for his open atheism. He responds sarcastically … my atheism is whatever it is, cursed/condemned but in this fearful world look at what has happened to all faiths – look at what the people of faith have done? Is this a sarcastic comment on the misery that communal/religious conflicts have brought about. Again, I am not sure of the context, but a different observation by Richard Dawkins comes to mind – 85% of Nobel Laureates in the sciences are atheists and 99% of convicted murderers claim to subscribe to belief/faith. Thus, theism/atheism is not corrleated with ethical behaviour.
5
ye manzar1 kaun-sa2 manzar hai pahchana nahiN jata
siyah-KhaanauN3 se kuchh poochho shabistaanauN4 pe kya guzri
1.scene 2.used here in the sense of ‘what kind of’ 3.house of darkness, dark chambers 4.house of evening/nightly celebrations
There is something bad going on. The poet looking out cannot recognize the scene. It is abnormal. Even the evening celebrations (in the shabistaan) of the well off have been affected. They are now like darkened chambers (siyah-Khaana). Go ask those dark chambers whatever happened to the halls of celebration. Once again, this could be an observation about the calamities of partition, which have changed the whole ‘scene’.
6
chalo1 wo kufr-ke-ghar2 se salaamat3 aa gae laikin
Khuda ki mumlekat4 meN soKhta-jaanauN5 pe kya guzri
1.used in the sense of ‘I agree’, ‘alright’ 2.house of sin/non-belief, other faith 3.well, safe 4.reign, kingdom 5.burnt heart, love sick, grieved
I am not sure of the timing and background of this Ghazal but it is easy to imagine this she’r too applying to the horrors of partition. I agree that they have come away safe from the horrors of the ‘other faith’. But look at what happened to the aggrieved ones in the kingdom of god/land of faith.
Key Search Words: sarcasm, communal harmony,
