For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
معرکہ سر ہونے تک ۔ میلا رام وفاؔ
۱
صبر مشکل تھا محبت کا اثر ہونے تک
جان ٹھہری نہ دلِ دوست میں گھر ہونے تک
۲
شبِ فرقت کی بھی ہونے کو سحر تو ہوگی
ہاں مگر ہم نہیں ہونے کے سحر ہونے تک
۳
سہنے ہیں جور و ستم جھیلنے ہیں رنج و الم
یعنی کرنی ہے بسر عمر بسر ہونے تک
۴
تیرا پردہ بھی اٹھا دے گی مری رسوائی
تیرا پردہ ہے مرے خاک بہ سر ہونے تک
۵
متزلزل تو ہے مُدّت سے نظامِ عالم
نوبت آ پہنچی ہے اب زیر و زبر ہونے تک
۶
فرصتِ ماتمِ پروانہ کہاں سے آئے
شمع کو موت سے لڑنا ہے سحر ہونے تک
۷
اے وفاؔ معرکۂ عشق تو سر کیا ہوگا
ہو چکیں گے ہمیں یہ معرکہ سر ہونے تک
मा’रका सर होने तक – मेला राम वफ़ा
१
सब्र मुश्किल था मोहब्बत का असर होने तक
जान ठहरी न दिल-ए दोस्त में घर होने तक
२
शब-ए फ़ुर्क़त की भी होने को सहर तो होगी
हाँ मगर हम नहीं होने के सहर होने तक
३
सहने हैं जौर-ओ-सितम झेलने हैं रंज-ओ-अलम
या’नी करनी है बसर उम्र बसर होने तक
४
तेरा पर्दा भी उठा देगी मेरी रुस्वाई
तेरा पर्दा है मेरे ख़ाक-ब-सर होने तक
५
मुतज़लज़ल तो है मुद्दत से निज़ाम-ए आलम
नौबत आ पहुँची है अब ज़ेर-ओ-ज़बर होने तक
६
फ़ुर्सत-ए मातम-ए परवाना कहाँ से आए
शम’अ को मौत से लड़ना है सहर होने तक
७
अए वफ़ा मा’रका-ए इश्क़ तो सर क्या होगा
हो चुकेंगे हमीं ये मा’रका सर होने तक
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit mela ram vafa (1895-1980), siaalkoT district. Editor, novelist, journalist, song writer and poet. Taught urdu and farsi at the National College, lahore. Sentenced to two years imprisonment for writing resistance poetry against British Rule. This Ghazal composed in the style of Ghalib is linked to the appropriate Ghazal under ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
sabr1 mushkil2 tha mohabbat ka asar3 hone tak
jaan Thahri na dil-e dost4 meN ghar hone tak 1.patience 2.difficult 3.effect 4.friend, beloved
It was difficult to be patient until love had its effect (in winning the heart of the beloved). Life could not wait until after I could make a home in the heart of the beloved i.e., the poet/lover died waiting for the beloved to reciprocate his love. Reminds me of Ghalib’s …
kaun jiita hai teri zulf ke sar hone tak
2
shab1-e furqat2 ki bhi hone ko sahar3 to hogi
haaN magar ham nahiN hone ke sahar3 hone tak 1.night of 2.separation 3.dawn
The night of separation too will pass. The dawn of the night of separation has to arrive and it will. But I will not be around until after that dawn.
3
sahne1 haiN jaur-o-sitam2 jhelne3 haiN raNj-o-alam4
y’aani karni hai basar5 umr6 basar hone tak 1.bear, accept 2.cruelty and injustice 3.suffer 4.sorrow and sadness 5.pass 6.life
We have to bear cruelty and injustice, suffer sorrow and sadness. That means we have to go through life until our lifetime is all spent. The implication is that suffering is a part of life. Reminds me of Ghalib’s …
qaid-e hayaat o band-e Gham asl meN donoN ek haiN
maut se pahle aadmi Gham se najaat paaye kyuN
4
tera parda bhi uTha degi meri rusvaii1
tera parda hai mere Khaak-ba-sar2 hone tak 1.shaming, disrepute 2.throwing dust on one head
The poet/lover is madly in love with the beloved. As long as he is in his senses he will hide his love and suffer in silence so as not to malign the beloved’s reputation. But if he were to go stark raving mad like majnuN and go about with dust in his hair, being shamed by everyone, then the secret will be out. The veil will be lifted and everyone will know the reason why he has gone mad.
5
mutazalzal1 to hai muddat2 se nizaam3-e aalam4
naubat5 aa pahuNchi hai ab zer-o-zabar6 hone tak 1.shaky, unstable (as in a zalzala-earthquake) 2.long time 3.administration, affairs 4.world 5.come to a stage 6.topsy turvy, confused, chaotic
For long now the affairs of the world have been shaky. They have now come to stage of utter chaos.
6
fursat1-e maatam2-e parvaana3 kahaaN se aaye
sham’a4 ko maut se laRna hai sahar5 hone tak 1.leisure, time 2.mourning 3.moth 4.candle 5.dawn
The candle is lit at night and moths circle around it and get burnt to death. The candle does not have time to mourn the death of the moth. It is fighting its own battle against death (getting extinguised) in a struggle to stay lit until dawn.
7
aye vafa1 m’aareka2-e ishq3 to sar4 kya hoga
ho chukeNge5 hamiiN ye m’aareka2 sar4 hone tak 1.pen-name of the poet 2.struggle, war 3.love 4.victorious, overcome 5.spent, finished
O vafa, how can I come out victorious in this struggle of love. I myself will be spent/dead long before this struggle is over. Said Ghalib …
Khaak ho jaayeNge hum tujh ko Khabar hone tak
panDit mela ram vafa (1895-1980), siaalkoT district. Editor, novelist, journalist, song writer and poet. Taught urdu and farsi at the National College, lahore. Sentenced to two years imprisonment for writing resistance poetry against British Rule. This Ghazal composed in the style of Ghalib is linked to the appropriate Ghazal under ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
sabr1 mushkil2 tha mohabbat ka asar3 hone tak
jaan Thahri na dil-e dost4 meN ghar hone tak
1.patience 2.difficult 3.effect 4.friend, beloved
It was difficult to be patient until love had its effect (in winning the heart of the beloved). Life could not wait until after I could make a home in the heart of the beloved i.e., the poet/lover died waiting for the beloved to reciprocate his love. Reminds me of Ghalib’s …
kaun jiita hai teri zulf ke sar hone tak
2
shab1-e furqat2 ki bhi hone ko sahar3 to hogi
haaN magar ham nahiN hone ke sahar3 hone tak
1.night of 2.separation 3.dawn
The night of separation too will pass. The dawn of the night of separation has to arrive and it will. But I will not be around until after that dawn.
3
sahne1 haiN jaur-o-sitam2 jhelne3 haiN raNj-o-alam4
y’aani karni hai basar5 umr6 basar hone tak
1.bear, accept 2.cruelty and injustice 3.suffer 4.sorrow and sadness 5.pass 6.life
We have to bear cruelty and injustice, suffer sorrow and sadness. That means we have to go through life until our lifetime is all spent. The implication is that suffering is a part of life. Reminds me of Ghalib’s …
qaid-e hayaat o band-e Gham asl meN donoN ek haiN
maut se pahle aadmi Gham se najaat paaye kyuN
4
tera parda bhi uTha degi meri rusvaii1
tera parda hai mere Khaak-ba-sar2 hone tak
1.shaming, disrepute 2.throwing dust on one head
The poet/lover is madly in love with the beloved. As long as he is in his senses he will hide his love and suffer in silence so as not to malign the beloved’s reputation. But if he were to go stark raving mad like majnuN and go about with dust in his hair, being shamed by everyone, then the secret will be out. The veil will be lifted and everyone will know the reason why he has gone mad.
5
mutazalzal1 to hai muddat2 se nizaam3-e aalam4
naubat5 aa pahuNchi hai ab zer-o-zabar6 hone tak
1.shaky, unstable (as in a zalzala-earthquake) 2.long time 3.administration, affairs 4.world 5.come to a stage 6.topsy turvy, confused, chaotic
For long now the affairs of the world have been shaky. They have now come to stage of utter chaos.
6
fursat1-e maatam2-e parvaana3 kahaaN se aaye
sham’a4 ko maut se laRna hai sahar5 hone tak
1.leisure, time 2.mourning 3.moth 4.candle 5.dawn
The candle is lit at night and moths circle around it and get burnt to death. The candle does not have time to mourn the death of the moth. It is fighting its own battle against death (getting extinguised) in a struggle to stay lit until dawn.
7
aye vafa1 m’aareka2-e ishq3 to sar4 kya hoga
ho chukeNge5 hamiiN ye m’aareka2 sar4 hone tak
1.pen-name of the poet 2.struggle, war 3.love 4.victorious, overcome 5.spent, finished
O vafa, how can I come out victorious in this struggle of love. I myself will be spent/dead long before this struggle is over. Said Ghalib …
Khaak ho jaayeNge hum tujh ko Khabar hone tak
What a fantastic find. So much in-tune with Ghalib’s own ghazals with multiple additions that Ghalib himself would have been proud of, no doubt.