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Recitation
vatsala mehra
لگتا ہے کہ تم ہو ۔ احمد فراز
۱
جس سمت بھی دیکھوں نظر آتا ہے کہ تم ہو
اے جانِ جہاں یہ کوئی تم سا ہے کہ تم ہو
۲
یہ خواب ہے خوشبو ہے کہ جھونکا ہے کہ پل ہے
یہ دھند ہے بادل ہے کہ سایا ہے کہ تم ہو
۳
اس دید کی ساعت میں کئی رنگ ہیں لرزاں
میں ہوں کہ کوئی اور ہے دنیا ہے کہ تم ہو
۴
دیکھو یہ کسی اور کی آنکھیں ہیں کہ میری
دیکھوں یہ کسی اور کا چہرہ ہے کہ تم ہو
۵
یہ عمر گریزاں کہیں ٹھہرے تو یہ جانوں
ہر سانس میں مجھ کو یہی لگتا ہے کہ تم ہو
۶
ہر بزم میں موضوع سخن دل زدگاں کا
اب کون ہے شیریں ہے کہ لیلیٰ ہے کہ تم ہو
۷
اک درد کا پھیلا ہوا صحرا ہے کہ میں ہوں
اک موج میں آیا ہوا دریا ہے کہ تم ہو
۸
وہ وقت نہ آئے کہ دل زار بھی سوچے
اس شہر میں تنہا کوئی ہم سا ہے کہ تم ہو
۹
آباد ہم آشفتہ سروں سے نہیں مقتل
یہ رسم ابھی شہر میں زندہ ہے کہ تم ہو
۱۰
اے جانِ فرازؔ اتنی بھی توفیق کسے تھی
ہم کو غم ہستی بھی گوارا ہے کہ تم ہو
लगता है कि तुम हो – अहमद फ़राज़
१
जिस सम्त भी देखूँ नज़र आता है के तुम हो
अए जान-ए-जहाँ ये कोई तुम सा है के तुम हो
२
ये ख़्वाब है ख़ुशबू है के झोंका है के पल है
ये धुँद है बादल है के साया है के तुम हो
३
इस दीद की सा’अत में कई रंग हैं लर्ज़ां
मैं हूँ के कोई और है दुनिया है के तुम हो
४
देखो ये किसी और की आँखें हैं के मेरी
देखूँ ये किसी और का चेहरा है के तुम हो
५
ये उम्र-ए-गुरेज़ाँ कहीं ठहरे तो ये जानूँ
हर साँस में मुझ को यही लगता है के तुम हो
६
हर बज़्म में मौज़ू-ए-सुख़न दिल-ज़दगाँ का
अब कौन है शीरीं है के लैला है के तुम हो
७
एक दर्द का फैला हुआ सहरा है के मैं हूँ
एक मौज में आया हुआ दरिया है के तुम हो
८
वो वक़्त न आए के दिल-ए-ज़ार भी सोचे
इस शहर में तन्हा कोई हम सा है के तुम हो
९
आबाद हम आशुफ़्ता-सरौं से नहीं मक़्तल
ये रस्म अभी शहर में ज़िंदा है के तुम हो
१०
अए जान-ए-फ़राज़ इतनी भी तौफ़ीक़ किसे थी
हम को ग़म-ए-हस्ती भी गवारा है के तुम हो
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 particular one is popular song-like, but several bits are rather prosaic, they just sound good. This Ghazal is a part of a collection of five with the refrain ‘lagta hai ke tum ho’. Enter this in the search box to see all five – jaaN nisaar aKhtar, ahmad faraz, sarfaraz Khalid, ahmad salman and masooda hayaat.
1
jis samt1 bhi dekhuN nazar aata hai ki tum ho
aye jaan-e-jahaaN2 ye koi tum sa hai ki tum ho 1.direction 2.beloved of the world
Whichever way I turn to look, I see your image. O, beloved of the world, is it someone like you, or is it you.
2
ye Khwaab hai Khushbu hai ke jhoNka hai ke pal hai
ye dhund hai baadal hai ke saaya hai ke tum ho Is this a dream, a fragrance, a gust or a fleeting moment. Is this fog, a cloud, a shadow or is it you.
3
is diid1 ki saa’at2 meN kaii raNg haiN larzaaN3
maiN huN ke koi aur hai duniya hai ke tum ho 1.sighting 2.moment 3.shimmering
In the (fleeting) moment of your sighting there are many colours that shimmer. Is it just me (that is imagining), is it someone else, is it the world or is it you.
4
dekho ye kisi aur ki aaNkheN haiN ke meri
dekhuN ye kisi aur ka chehra hai ke tum ho It appears like the poet/lover is using a trick to get the beloved to look at him and for him to get a chance to look closely at her. Look, are these someone else’s eyes or mine. Let me see if this is someone else’s face or yours.
5
ye umr-e-gurezaaN1 kahiN Thahre to ye jaanuN
har saaNs meN mujh ko yahi lagta hai ke tum ho 1.fast moving life
If this fast moving life were to stop sometime, may be I will know for sure. But now, with every breath, it seems to me that it is you.
6
har bazm1 meN mauzu-e-suKhan2 dil-zadagaaN3 ka
ab kaun hai shiriN4 hai ke laila5 hai ke tum ho 1.gathering 2.subject/topic of conversation 3.wounded/stricken hearts, lovers 4.of shiriN-farhaad legend 5.of laila-majnuN legend
In every gathering of heart-stricken lovers the topic of conversation is not shiriN or laila but you.
7
ek dard ka phaila hua sahra1 hai ke maiN huN
ek mauj2 meN aaya hua dariya3 hai ke tum ho 1.desert 2.wave, high tide 3.sea, ocean
I am but a vast desert of pain, spread out. You are like the sea in full tide.
8
vo vaqt na aaye ke dil-e-zaar1 bhi soche
is shahr meN tanha2 koi hum sa hai ke tum ho 1.sorrowful heart 2.only one, unique
The beloved is known to be ‘one of kind’, unsurpassable in her beauty. But the poet/lover is acquiring a reputation as a mad passionate lover. He might soon become ‘one of a kind’. He hopes that day will not come, perhaps because he hopes that he will get ‘vasl/union’ with the beloved before then.
9
aabaad1 hum aashufta-saroN2 se nahiN maqtal3
ye rasm4 abhi shahr meN zinda hai ke tum ho 1.prosperous, inhabited, filled with 2.mad/passionate lovers 3.slaughter field 4.tradition
The tradition is that the beloved heheads her lovers. This tradition is alive and well in the ‘city’ (where the lovers throng). Because they are being slaughtered in the city/beloved’s lane, they are not in the slaughter house.
10
aye jaan-e-faraaz1 itni bhi taufiq2 kise thi
hum ko Gham-e-hasti3 bhi gavaara4 hai ke tum ho 1.life/soul of faraaz i.e. the beloved 2.ability, resources 3.pain of living 4.bearable
The pain of living (without the beloved) is great that the poet/lover would not have been able to do so. But the pain of living is bearable because the beloved is around i.e. there is still hope. Compare with Ghalib …
tere vaa’de be jiye hum, tu ye jaan jhooT jaana
ke Khushi se mar na jaate agar e’tebaar hota
ahmad faraz (1931-2008) popular love and romance poet as well as a substantial contributor to progressive themes. This particular one is popular song-like, but several bits are rather prosaic, they just sound good. This Ghazal is a part of a collection of five with the refrain ‘lagta hai ke tum ho’. Enter this in the search box to see all five – jaaN nisaar aKhtar, ahmad faraz, sarfaraz Khalid, ahmad salman and masooda hayaat.
1
jis samt1 bhi dekhuN nazar aata hai ki tum ho
aye jaan-e-jahaaN2 ye koi tum sa hai ki tum ho
1.direction 2.beloved of the world
Whichever way I turn to look, I see your image. O, beloved of the world, is it someone like you, or is it you.
2
ye Khwaab hai Khushbu hai ke jhoNka hai ke pal hai
ye dhund hai baadal hai ke saaya hai ke tum ho
Is this a dream, a fragrance, a gust or a fleeting moment. Is this fog, a cloud, a shadow or is it you.
3
is diid1 ki saa’at2 meN kaii raNg haiN larzaaN3
maiN huN ke koi aur hai duniya hai ke tum ho
1.sighting 2.moment 3.shimmering
In the (fleeting) moment of your sighting there are many colours that shimmer. Is it just me (that is imagining), is it someone else, is it the world or is it you.
4
dekho ye kisi aur ki aaNkheN haiN ke meri
dekhuN ye kisi aur ka chehra hai ke tum ho
It appears like the poet/lover is using a trick to get the beloved to look at him and for him to get a chance to look closely at her. Look, are these someone else’s eyes or mine. Let me see if this is someone else’s face or yours.
5
ye umr-e-gurezaaN1 kahiN Thahre to ye jaanuN
har saaNs meN mujh ko yahi lagta hai ke tum ho
1.fast moving life
If this fast moving life were to stop sometime, may be I will know for sure. But now, with every breath, it seems to me that it is you.
6
har bazm1 meN mauzu-e-suKhan2 dil-zadagaaN3 ka
ab kaun hai shiriN4 hai ke laila5 hai ke tum ho
1.gathering 2.subject/topic of conversation 3.wounded/stricken hearts, lovers 4.of shiriN-farhaad legend 5.of laila-majnuN legend
In every gathering of heart-stricken lovers the topic of conversation is not shiriN or laila but you.
7
ek dard ka phaila hua sahra1 hai ke maiN huN
ek mauj2 meN aaya hua dariya3 hai ke tum ho
1.desert 2.wave, high tide 3.sea, ocean
I am but a vast desert of pain, spread out. You are like the sea in full tide.
8
vo vaqt na aaye ke dil-e-zaar1 bhi soche
is shahr meN tanha2 koi hum sa hai ke tum ho
1.sorrowful heart 2.only one, unique
The beloved is known to be ‘one of kind’, unsurpassable in her beauty. But the poet/lover is acquiring a reputation as a mad passionate lover. He might soon become ‘one of a kind’. He hopes that day will not come, perhaps because he hopes that he will get ‘vasl/union’ with the beloved before then.
9
aabaad1 ham aashufta-saroN2 se nahiN maqtal3
ye rasm4 abhi shahr meN zinda hai ke tum ho
1.prosperous, inhabited, filled with 2.mad/passionate lovers 3.slaughter field 4.tradition
The tradition is that the beloved heheads her lovers. This tradition is alive and well in the ‘city’ (where the lovers throng). Because they are being slaughtered in the city/beloved’s lane, they are not in the slaughter house.
10
aye jaan-e-faraaz1 itni bhi taufiq2 kise thi
hum ko Gham-e-hasti3 bhi gavaara4 hai ke tum ho
1.life/soul of faraaz i.e. the beloved 2.ability, resources 3.pain of living 4.bearable
The pain of living (without the beloved) is great that the poet/lover would not have been able to do so. But the pain of living is bearable because the beloved is around i.e. there is still hope. Compare with Ghalib …
tere vaa’de be jiye hum, tu ye jaan jhooT jaana
ke Khushi se mar na jaate agar e’tebaar hota
Key Search Words:
Mashallh! Excellent singer.
Mashallah! Excellent singer.