Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is known as – shaa’er-e inqelaab – poet of revolution. His nazm are fiery, passionate, and full of energy. His Ghazal and rubaaii are equally good. He was a secular humanist writing sharply and irreverently against colonialism, abuse of power, injustice and orthodoxy. This long nazm, in praise of the fingers of the poet, their pen and their words, is posted in 5 parts for easy reading/listening. All the 5 parts are linked to ‘suKhanvar o suKhavari’ in the Theme Index page.
34
un ko maanDa¹ jaaega taaj-o-kamar² ki dhuup³ meN
un ko phaTkeNge⁴ mubaaliGh⁵ daaRhiyoN⁶ ke suup⁷ meN 1.kneed 2.crown and sword (sword is carried on a belt around the kamar-waist) 3.intense heat 4.separate rice from husk (normally separating rice from husk is considered a “value added” activity. But the sense in which “phaTakna” is used here is different. It is best translated as nitpicking) 5.those who exaggerate 6.beards 7.sifter normally made out of woven dry palm fronds
They (words) will be squeezed (kneaded) by powerful kings and armies. Old bearded preachers will sift them to subject them to nitpicking.
35
unko masleNgi⁸ bhayaanak⁹ aeRiyaaN¹⁰ kohsaar¹¹ ki
barchhiyaaN jhapTeNgi un par saabit-o-sayyar¹² ki 8.rub, crumple 9.fearsome 10 heels 11.mountains 12.fixed and moving, stars and planets
Fearsome forces will trample them underfoot. Everything moving or otherwise will come at them daggers drawn.
36
un ko laakhoN Khiira-sar¹³ toofan Dhaane¹⁴ aaeNge
un se lata’daad¹⁵ andhe¹⁶ zalzale Takraaenge 13.conceited 14.destroy 15.innumerable 16.blind, unpredictable
Thousands of indiscrimate storms will bear down to destroy them. Numerous earthquakes will hit them.
37
un ko raundeNgi¹⁷ hazaaroN palTaneN aafaat¹⁸ ki
un ko khurcheNgi¹⁹ karoRoN chheniaaN²⁰ lamhaat²¹ ki 17.trample 18.calamities 19.scratch, carve 20.chisels 21.moments, time
Thousands of calamities will descend on them. The chisel of time will keep scratching away at their body.
38
un pe barsegi damaadam¹ aag, bhobal², dhool, barf
phir bhi lau³ deta rahega taa-abad⁴ ek ek harf⁵    1.time and again 2.ash 3.flame, light 4.until the end of the world 5.word
Time and again fire, ash, dust and snow will rain down on them. Even then every word will keep giving light/knowledge to the end of time.
39
uNgliauN ki rau⁶ meN tarshe⁷ haiN jo asnaam-e jamaal⁸
daae’man⁹ taabaaN¹⁰ raheNge misl¹¹-e vajr¹²-e zuljalaal¹³    6.flow 7.carved 8.idols of beauty 9.forever 10.shining 11.like, similar to 12.brilliance 13.another name of god
The beautiful idols that have been carved by the flow of fingers will shine forever like the brilliance of gods.
40
vaaresaan¹⁴-e dahr¹⁵ se aaNkheN mila sakta hai kaun
ka’aba e fan-kaar¹⁶ ko duniya meN Dhaa¹⁷ sakta hai kaun 14.those who take care of 15.world 16.artist, poet 17.destroy
Who can dare face off with the protectors of the world. Who can destroy that which the writer/poet has created.
41
kaaNpta hai inkesaar¹⁸ e taba’-e shaa’er¹⁹ ke huzoor²⁰
taaj-daaroN²¹ ka takabbur²², devtaaoN ka Ghuroor²³    18.humility 19.nature of the poet 20.in front of 21.kings, those who wear crown 22.pride 23.pride
Before the humble nature of the poet trembles the conceit of kings and pride of gods.
42
daavaraan¹-e Khilvat² o paiGhambaraan³-e anjuman⁴
allah allah azmat⁵-e paainda⁶-e arbaab-e fun⁷ 1.lords 2.privacy, their own domain 3.messengers, teachers 4.assembly, populace 5.greatness 6.permanent 7.lords of talent (poetry)
They (writers/poets) are the lords of their domain, teachers of populace. Oh how lasting is the greatness of words.
43
maaNgne aati hai in se daulat-e hashm⁸ o zabaaN⁹
nutq¹⁰ se a’ari¹¹ zamiN, aaNkhoN se andha aasmaaN 8.respectability 9.language, expression 10.voice 11.devoid of
They come to beg for grants of status and of sound, the earth devoid of speech and the sky that is blind i.e., it is the poet who can describe the beauty of nature.
44
roz jhukti hai pa’e¹² daryooza¹³-e ilm¹⁴ o yaqeeN¹⁵
in ke baab-e kufr¹⁶ par adyaan¹⁷-e a’alam¹⁸ ki jabeeN¹⁹ 12.for the sake of 13.begging 14.knowledge 15.certainty, clarity 16.door of non-belief, resistance 17.plural of “deen”, faiths 18.world 19.forehead, head
Every day they come to bow and beg for knowledge and faith. All faiths of the world come begging to their door of inquiry/questioning.