kya guzri-sikandar ali vajd

For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the “Roman” or “Notes” tab.

کیا  گذری  ۔  سکندر  علی  وجدؔ

۱

بیابانوں  پہ  زندانوں  پہ  ویرانوں  پہ  کیا  گزری

جہاں  ہوش  میں  آئے  تو  دیوانوں  پہ  کیا  گزری

۲

دکھاؤں  تجھ  کو  منظر  کیا  گُلوں  کی  پائمالی  کا

چمن  سے  پوچھ  لے  نوخیز  ارمانوں  پہ  کیا  گزری

۳

بہار  آئے  تو  خود  ہی  لالہ  و  نرگس  بتا  دیں  گے

خزاں  کے  دور  میں  دل  کش  گلستانوں  پہ  کیا  گزری

۴

نشانِ  شمع  محفل  ہے  نہ  خاکِ  اہل  محفل  ہے

سحر  اب  پوچھتی  ہے  رات  پروانوں  پہ  کیا  گزری

۵

ہمارا  ہی  سفینہ  تیرے  طوفانوں  کا  باعث  تھا

ہمارے  ڈوبنے  کے  بعد  طوفانوں  پہ  کیا  گزری

۶

میں  اکثر  سوچتا  ہوں  وجدؔ  ان  کی  مہربانی  سے

یہ  کچھ  گزری  ہے  اپنوں  پر  تو  بیگانوں  پہ  کیا  گزری

क्या गुज़री – सिकन्दर अली वज्द

बयाबानों पे ज़िंदानों पे वीरानों पे क्या गुज़री
जहान-ए-होश में आए तो दीवानों पे क्या गुज़री

दिखाऊँ तुझ को मंज़र क्या गुलों की पाएमाली का
चमन से पूछ ले नौ-ख़ेज़ अरमानों पे क्या गुज़री

बहार आए तो ख़ुद ही लाला ओ नर्गिस बता देंगे
ख़िज़ाँ के दौर में दिलकश गुलिस्तानों पे क्या गुज़री

निशान-ए-शम-ए-महफ़िल है न ख़ाक-ए-अहल-ए-महफ़िल है
सहर अब पूछती है रात परवानों पे क्या गुज़री

हमारा ही सफ़ीना तेरे तूफ़ानों का बाइस था
हमारे डूबने के बाद तूफ़ानों पे क्या गुज़री

मैं अक्सर सोचता हूँ वज्द उन की मेहरबानी से
ये कुछ गुज़री है अपनों पर तो बेगानों पे क्या गुज़री

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. sikandar ali vajd (1914-1983) auraNgabad/hyderabad. Judge/munsif, progressive, member of the rajya sabha, padma shri awardee. He composed a moving tribute to the artisans and labourers who built the main buildings of the Osmania University while he was a student. This is one of series of Ghazal with the same radeef/qaafiya “kya guzri”. Also see qamar jalalavi (two Ghazal), seemab akbarabadi, shakeel badayuni, sahir ludhianavi, saeed shahidi 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
biyabaanauN1 pe zindaanauN2 pe viraanauN3 pe kya guzri
jahaan-e-hosh4 meN aaye to divaanauN5 pe kya guzri  
1.wilderness 2.prison 3.desolate/deserted places 4.world of awareness/sobriety 5.mad/passionate/lovers
Mad passionate lovers are usually outside the mainstream of society. When they are forced to come into the world of awareness/sobriety, what becomes of these misfits. Everyone thinks of what happened to the garden … but whatever happened to the wilderness/prison/desolations that the mad men left behind? A well-wisher and supporter of urdushahkar remembered another beautiful she’r of the same theme by ram narain mauzuN
Ghazaalo tum to vaaqif ho, kaho majnuN ke marne ki
divaana mar gaya aaKhir to veeraane pe kya guzri

2
dikhaauN tujh ko manzar1 kya gulauN2 ki paa’emali3 ka
chaman se poochh le nau-Khez4 armaanauN5 pe kya guzri
1.scene 2.flowers, roses 3.trampling 4.newly formed 5.desires
Something dreadful has happened in the garden. All flowers are strewn and trampled. How can I describe this scene. Ask the garden itself what happened to newly awakened desires. Depending on the background in which this was written this could be about a suppressed labour movement or a communal riot or about partition.

3
bahaar1 aaye to Khud hi laala2 o nargis3 bata deNge
KhizaaN4 ke daur5 meN dilkash6 gulistanauN7 pe kya guzri
1.spring 2.tulip 3.narcissus 4.fall/autumn 5.duration, times 6.heart pleasing, beautiful 7.gardens
Implied here is that the poet is unable to relate the story either because he does not know or because it is too painful. At the moment, the garden is desolate. It is autumn. But when the spring arrives and early spring flowers bloom, you can ask them yourselves what the garden went through during autumn. While this is a literal reading of the she’r, it is possible that depending on the context in which it was written this could be about the independence movement which is characterized as “KhizaaN ka daur”. Some knowledge of the context is needed to interpret this, which I don’t have.

4
nishaan1-e shama-e mahfil2 hai na Khaak3-e ahl4-e mahfil hai
sahar5 ab poochhti hai raat parvaanauN6 pe kya guzri
1.mark, trace 2.gathering, party 3.ashes 4.people of, guests at the gathering 5.dawn 6.moths
There was a gathering, possibly at the beloved’s house. Now it is dawn and there is no trace of the candle/lamp of the party, nor any ashes of the guests (moths that got burnt by the candle). Now Dawn is asking whatever happened to the moths. “Moth” could well be a metaphor for lovers and “candle” for the beloved.

5
hamaara hi safina1 tere tufaanauN2 ka baa’as3 tha
hamaare Doobne ke baad tufaanauN pe kya guzri 
1.boat 2.storms 3.basis, reason
urdu poetic convention is that storms rise specifically for boats – justy like Destiny/Fortune sends calamities specifically for the poet/lover. Thus, the poet/lover’s boat was the only reason why storms existed. Now that his boat is sunk, whatever became of the storms.

6
maiN aksar1 sochta huN vajd un ki mehrbaani2 se
ye kuchh guzri hai apnauN par to begaanauN3 pe kya guzri 
1.often 2.kindness 3.others
I often think O vajd that if her kindness has done this to her friends/well-wishers/lovers then what would it have done to ‘others’.

sikandar ali vajd (1914-1983) auraNgabad/hyderabad.  Judge/munsif, progressive, member of the rajya sabha, padma shri awardee.  He composed a moving tribute to the artisans and labourers who built the main buildings of the Osmania University while he was a student.  This is one of series of Ghazal with the same radeef/qaafiya “kya guzri”.  Also see qamar jalalavi (two Ghazal), seemab akbarabadi, shakeel badayuni, sahir ludhianavi, saeed shahidi 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
biyabaanauN1 pe zindaanauN2 pe viraanauN3 pe kya guzri
jahaan-e-hosh4 meN aaye to divaanauN5 pe kya guzri

1.wilderness 2.prison 3.desolate/deserted places 4.world of awareness/sobriety 5.mad/passionate/lovers

Mad passionate lovers are usually outside the mainstream of society.  When they are forced to come into the world of awareness/sobriety, what becomes of these misfits.  Everyone thinks of what happened to the garden … but whatever happened to the wilderness/prison/desolations that the mad men left behind?  A well-wisher and supporter of urdushahkar remembered another beautiful she’r of the same theme by ram narain mauzuN

Ghazaalo tum to vaaqif ho, kaho majnuN ke marne ki

divaana mar gaya aaKhir to veeraane pe kya guzri
2
dikhaauN tujh ko manzar1 kya gulauN2 ki paa’emali3 ka
chaman se poochh le nau-Khez4 armaanauN5 pe kya guzri

1.scene 2.flowers, roses 3.trampling 4.newly formed 5.desires

Something dreadful has happened in the garden.  All flowers are strewn and trampled.  How can I describe this scene.  Ask the garden itself what happened to newly awakened desires.  Depending on the background in which this was written this could be about a suppressed labour movement or a communal riot or about partition.

3
bahaar1 aaye to Khud hi laala2 o nargis3 bata deNge
KhizaaN4 ke daur5 meN dilkash6 gulistanauN7 pe kya guzri

1.spring 2.tulip 3.narcissus 4.fall/autumn 5.duration, times 6.heart pleasing, beautiful 7.gardens

Implied here is that the poet is unable to relate the story either because he does not know or because it is too painful.  At the moment, the garden is desolate.  It is autumn.  But when the spring arrives and early spring flowers bloom, you can ask them yourselves what the garden went through during autumn.  While this is a literal reading of the she’r, it is possible that depending on the context in which it was written this could be about the independence movement which is characterized as “KhizaaN ka daur”.  Some knowledge of the context is needed to interpret this, which I don’t have.
4
nishaan1-e shama-e mahfil2 hai na Khaak3-e ahl4-e mahfil hai
sahar5 ab poochhti hai raat parvaanauN6 pe kya guzri

1.mark, trace 2.gathering, party 3.ashes 4.people of, guests at the gathering 5.dawn 6.moths

There was a gathering, possibly at the beloved’s house.  Now it is dawn and there is no trace of the candle/lamp of the party, nor any ashes of the guests (moths that got burnt by the candle).  Now Dawn is asking whatever happened to the moths.  “Moth” could well be a metaphor for lovers and “candle” for the beloved.
5
hamaara hi safina1 tere tufaanauN2 ka baa’as3 tha
hamaare Doobne ke baad tufaanauN pe kya guzri

1.boat 2.storms 3.basis, reason

urdu poetic convention is that storms rise specifically for boats – justy like Destiny/Fortune sends calamities specifically for the poet/lover.  Thus, the poet/lover’s boat was the only reason why storms existed.  Now that his boat is sunk, whatever became of the storms.
6
maiN aksar1 sochta huN vajd un ki mehrbaani2 se
ye kuchh guzri hai apnauN par to begaanauN3 pe kya guzri

1.often 2.kindness 3.others

I often think O vajd that if her kindness has done this to her friends/well-wishers/lovers then what would it have done to ‘others’.

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