lutf uTha nahiN sakte-saeed shahidi

viTThal rao singing

لطف اُٹھا نہیں سکتے ۔ سعید شہیدی

 

زندگی کا وہ کچھ بھی لطف اُٹھا نہیں سکتے

اِنتہائے غم میں جو مسکرا نہیں سکتے

 

ساتھ کس جگہ چھوڑا تو نے طاقتِ پرواز

سامنے نشیمن ہے اُڑ کے جا نہیں سکتے

 

ہر مقام دیتا ہے یوں تو دعوتِ سجدہ

ہر مقام پر لیکن سر جھکا نہیں سکتے

 

آپ کا مریضِ غم ایسی نیند سوتا ہے

آپ بھی اگر چاہیں، اب جگا نہیں سکتے

 

اپنے کارنامے پر برق یوں اکڑتی ہے

جیسے آشیانہ پھر ہم بنا نہیں سکتے

 

یہ بتا تو سکتے ہیں کس نے غم دیا ہم کو

غم میں کتنی لذّت ہے، یہ بتا نہیں سکتے

 

پاس میکدہ ہے یاں اہلِ ہوش آتے ہیں

آپ پی تو سکتے ہیں لڑکھڑا نہیں سکتے

 

ہاں اِسی کو کہتے ہیں ائے سعید مجبوری

بھولنے پہ بھی اُس کو ہم بھلا نہیں سکتے

लुत्फ़ उठा नहीं सकते-सईद शहीदी

 

ज़िन्दगी का वो कुछ भी लुत्फ़ उठा नहीं सकते

इंतेहा-ए ग़म में जो मुस्कुरा नहीं सकते

 

साथ किस जगह छोड़ा तू ने ताक़त-ए परवाज़

सामने नशेमन है, उड़ के जा नहीं सकते

 

हर मक़ाम देता है युं तो दावत-ए सिजदा

हर मक़ाम पर लैकिन, सर झुका नहीं सकते

 

आप का मरीज़-ए ग़म, ऐसी नींद सोता है

आप भी अगर चाहें अब जगा नहीं सकते

 

अपने कारनामे पर बर्क़ यूं अकड़ती है

जैसे आशियाना हम फिर बना नहीं सकते

 

ये बता तो सकते हैं किस ने ग़म दिया हम को

ग़म में कितनी लज़्ज़त है ये बता नहीं सकते

 

पास मैकदा है यां, अहल-ए होश आते हैं

आप पी तो सकते हैं, लड़खड़ा नहीं सकते

 

हाँ इसी को कहते हैं अए सईद मजबूरी

भूलने पे भी उस को हम भुला नहीं सकते

lutf uTha nahiN sakte – saeed shahidi

Click on any she’r for word meanings and discussion.

zindagi ka vo kuchh bhi lutf1 uTha nahiN sakte
intehaa2-e Gham meN jo muskura nahiN sakte
1.pleasure 2.excess
Those who cannot smile even under excess of sorrow, cannot enjoy life to the fullest.

saath kis jagah chhoRa tu ne taaqat-e-parvaaz1
saamne nasheman2 hai, uR ke jaa nahiN sakte
1.strength/ability to fly 2.nest/home
The poet/lover is a like a bird (perhaps old and weak). It has flown a long distance and is within sight of the nest when it loses all strength and cannot reach it. What a place you have brought me to and abandoned me, O Power of Flight. I can see my nest, but cannot fly to it.

har maqaam1 deta hai yuN to daavat-e-sajda2
har maqaam par laikin sar jhuka nahiN sakte
1.place 2.invitation to bow/prostrate/pay homage
Everywhere you turn, something or the other demands that you pay homage (or recognize its ‘divinity’). But my self-respect demands that I not bow down here and there. The implication is that such homage is reserved for god or the beloved.

aapka mariz-e-Gham1 aisi neend sota hai
aap bhi agar chaaheN ab jaga nahiN sakte
1.stricken/sick with sorrow/love
The poet/lover is stricken with love so much so that he is in deep sleep (death). Even if you (beloved) try to, you cannot wake him up.

apne kaarnaame1 par, barq2 yuN akaRti3 hai
jaise aashiyaana4 hum phir bana nahiN sakte
1.accomplishment 2.lightning 3.stiff, stand-offish, boastful 4.nest
In urdu poetic tradition lightning strikes the nest of the poet/lover. It is a frequent calamity/bad luck/intentional ill will. In most cases the poet/lover accepts his fate. Here the poet is defiant. Lightinging is boastful of its accomplishment as if I cannot build another nest.

ye bata to sakte haiN kis ne Gham diya hum ko
Gham meN kitni lazzat1 hai ye bata nahiN sakte
1.pleasure
I am not sure how meaningful this is. It just sounds musical and creates aahs and oohs in a mushaira or Ghazal singing. The beloved is the one who has given the poet pain. But how can I describe how much pleasure there is in this pain.

paas maikada1 hai yaaN, ahl-e-hosh2 aate haiN
aap pii to sakte haiN, laRkhaRa3 nahiN sakte
1.tavern 2.people of awareness/wisdom 3.stumble
The tavern is nearby and only wise/aware people come here. You are allowed to drink, but you may not stumble. Beyond this superficial reading there may be a hidden meaning. The tavern is a place of free thought and only liberal/free thinking people come here. You can listen but you may not try to make a scene by criticizing people.

haaN isi ko kahte haiN aye saeed majboori1
bhoolne pe bhi usko hum bhula nahiN sakte
1.helplessness This is what is called helplessnes, O Saeed. She may forget/ignore me, but I cannot.

lutf uTha nahiN sakte – saeed shahidi

zindagi ka vo kuchh bhi lutf1 uTha nahiN sakte
intehaa2-e Gham meN jo muskura nahiN sakte

1.pleasure 2.excess

Those who cannot smile even under excess of sorrow, cannot enjoy life to the fullest.

saath kis jagah chhoRa tu ne taaqat-e-parvaaz1
saamne nasheman2 hai, uR ke jaa nahiN sakte

1.strength/ability to fly 2.nest/home

The poet/lover is a like a bird (perhaps old and weak).  It has flown a long distance and is within sight of the nest when it loses all strength and cannot reach it.  What a place you have brought me to and abandoned me, O Power of Flight.  I can see my nest, but cannot fly to it.

har maqaam1 deta hai yuN to daavat-e-sajda2
har maqaam par laikin sar jhuka nahiN sakte

1.place 2.invitation to bow/prostrate/pay homage

Everywhere you turn, something or the other demands that you pay homage (or recognize its ‘divinity’).  But my self-respect demands that I not bow down here and there.  The implication is that such homage is reserved for god or the beloved.

aapka mariz-e-Gham1 aisi neend sota hai
aap bhi agar chaaheN ab jaga nahiN sakte

1.stricken/sick with sorrow/love

The poet/lover is stricken with love so much so that he is in deep sleep (death).  Even if you (beloved) try to, you cannot wake him up.

apne kaarnaame1 par, barq2 yuN akaRti3 hai
jaise aashiyaana4 hum phir bana nahiN sakte

1.accomplishment 2.lightning 3.stiff, stand-offish, boastful 4.nest

In urdu poetic tradition lightning strikes the nest of the poet/lover.  It is a frequent calamity/bad luck/intentional ill will.  In most cases the poet/lover accepts his fate.  Here the poet is defiant.  Lightinging is boastful of its accomplishment as if I cannot build another nest.

ye bata to sakte haiN kis ne Gham diya hum ko
Gham meN kitni lazzat1 hai ye bata nahiN sakte

1.pleasure

I am not sure how meaningful this is.  It just sounds musical and creates aahs and oohs in a mushaira or Ghazal singing.  The beloved is the one who has given the poet pain.  But how can I describe how much pleasure there is in this pain.

paas maikada1 hai yaaN, ahl-e-hosh2 aate haiN
aap pii to sakte haiN, laRkhaRa3 nahiN sakte

1.tavern 2.people of awareness/wisdom 3.stumble

The tavern is nearby and only wise/aware people come here.  You are allowed to drink, but you may not stumble.  Beyond this superficial reading there may be a hidden meaning.  The tavern is a place of free thought and only liberal/free thinking people come here.  You can listen but you may not try to make a scene by criticizing people.

haaN isi ko kahte haiN aye saeed majboori1
bhoolne pe bhi usko hum bhula nahiN sakte

1.helplessness

This is what is called helplessnes, O Saeed.  She may forget/ignore me, but I cannot.