Recitation
مارٹن لوتھر کنگ – مخدوم محی الدین
یہ قتل، قتل کسی ایک آدمی کا نہیں
یہ قتل حق کا مساوات کا شرافت کا
یہ قتل علم کا، حِکمت کا، آدمیت کا
یہ قتل حِلم و مروت کا، خاکساری کا
یہ قتل ظلم رسیدوں کی غم گُساری کا
یہ قتل ایک کا دو کا نہیں ہزار کا ہے
خدا کا قتل ہے قدرت کے شاہکار کا قتل
ہے شام ، شام غریباں، ہے صبح، صبح حنین
یہ قتل، قتلِ مسیحا، یہ قتل قتلِ حسین
وہ ہاتھ آج بھی موجود و کار فرما ہیں
وہ ہاتھ جس نے پلایا کسی کو زہر کا جام
وہ ہاتھ جس نے چڑھایا کسی کو سولی پر
وہ ہاتھ وادئی سینہ میں ویت نام میں ہے
ہر ایک گردن مینا، ہرایک جام میں ہے
“کمینہ شرطِ وفا ترکِ سر بود حافظ
برو گزار تو ایں کار برنمی آید “
मारटिन लूथर किंग – मख़्दूम मोहिउद्दीन
ये क़त्ल, क़त्ल किसी एक आदमी का नहीं
ये क़त्ल, हक़ का, मसावात का, शराफ़त का
ये क़त्ल, इल्म का, हिकमत का आदमीयत का
ये क़त्ल, हिल्म् ओ मुरव्वत का ख़ाक्सारी का
ये क़त्ल, ज़ुल्म रसीदों की ग़मगुसारी का
ये क़त्ल, एक का दो का नहीं, हज़ार का है
ख़ुदा का क़त्ल है, क़ुद्रत के शाहकार का क़त्ल
है शाम, शाम-ए ग़रीबां, है सुबह, सुबह हुनैन
ये क़त्ल, क़त्ल-ए मसीहा, ये क़त्ल, क़त्ल-ए हुसैन
वो हाथ आज भी मौजूद-ओ कार फ़र्मा हैं
वो हाथ जिस ने पिलाया किसी को ज़हर का जाम
वो हाथ जिस ने चढ़ाया किसी को सूली पर
वो हाथ वादी-ए सीना में विएतनाम में है
हर एक गर्दन-ए मीना हर एक जाम में है
“कमीना शर्त-ए वफ़ा तर्क-ए सर बुवद हाफ़िज़
बरदगुज़ार तू ईं कार बरनमी आयद”
martin luther king – maKhdoom mohiuddin
Click on any passage for meanings and discussion.
ye qatl, qatl kisi ek aadmi ka nahiN
ye qatl, haq1 ka, masaavaat2 ka, sharaafat3 ka
ye qatl, ilm ka, hikmat4 ka aadmiyat5 ka
ye qatl, hilm6 o muravvat7 ka Khaaksaari8 ka
ye qatl, zulm raseedauN9 ki Ghamgusaari10 ka
ye qatl, ek ka do ka nahiN, hazaar ka hai
Khuda ka qatl hai, qudrat11 ke shahkar12 ka qatl1. Truth, rights 2. equality 3. nobility 4. wisdom 5. human-ness 6. serenity, tolerance 7. kindness, chivalry 8. humility 9. bearers of oppression 10. mourners, sad 11. nature, creation 12. masterpiece
This is not the murder of one man but of all the oppressed people of this world. maKhdoom beautifully and powerfully expresses solidarity not only with the black people of the United States but also with the colonized and wronged people all over. This is not the murder of one, but of thousands. Martin Luther King is characterized as the “masterpiece of nature”. This is the murder of the masterpiece of nature is the murder of god him/herself.
hai shaam, shaam-e GhareebaaN1, hai subah, subah hunain2
ye qatl, qatl-e maseeha3, ye qatl, qatl-e husain1. the evening after the battle of Karbala 2. the battle of Hunain 3. messiah, Jesus
“shaam-e GharibaaN”, evening of mourning, after the battle of karbala in which husain and his followers were killed. The family was left to mourn. maKhdoom is using husain as symbol of resistance to oppression against all odds. Also see josh malihabadi’s marsia posted on this website. In hunain, on the morning of the battle, mohammed and his followers faced an enemy that hugely outnumbered them. They were eventually victorious, in spite of intial losses. maKhdoom is expressing hope that the followers of Martin Luther King will be similarly victorious. Martin Luther King is likened to Jesus also … suffered at the cross for the redemption of his people.
vo haath aaj bhi maujood1-o kaar-farmaa2 haiN
vo haath jis ne pilaaya kisi ko zahr ka jaam3
vo haath jis ne chaRhaaya kisi ko sooli4 par
vo haath vaadi-e seena5 meN vietnam meN hai
har ek gardan-e meena6, har ek jaam3 meN hai1. present 2. working 3. cup, goblet 4. cross, gallows 5. Sinai Valley, Palestine 6. neck of the flask
That hand (which committed this murder) is still doing its dirty work. The hand which served up the poisoned chalice (to Socrates), the hand which nailed Jesus to the cross is still around. It is busy in Palestine and Vietnam. It appropriates everything to itself (holding the flask and the goblet).
“kameena1 shart-e vafa2 tark-e sar3 buvad4 haafiz
baroguzaar5 tu in kaar bar nami aayed6”1. minimum (in Farsi) 2. condition of keeping faith 3. giving up your head/life 4. is 5. begone
maKhdoom borrows this Farsi she’r from hafiz. The minimum requirement to keep faith (keep your promise) is to (be prepared to) give up your head. Begone, O Hafiz, you are not capable to doing this. Perhaps this is also a parallelism with Karbala where Husain refused to accept that the suzerainty of Yazid was legitimate and literally gave up his head.
martin luther king – maKhdoom mohiuddin
ye qatl, qatl kisi ek aadmi ka nahiN
ye qatl, haq1 ka, masaavaat2 ka, sharaafat3 ka
ye qatl, ilm ka, hikmat4 ka aadmiyat5 ka
ye qatl, hilm6 o muravvat7 ka Khaaksaari8 ka
ye qatl, zulm raseedauN9 ki Ghamgusaari10 ka
ye qatl, ek ka do ka nahiN, hazaar ka hai
Khuda ka qatl hai, qudrat11 ke shahkar12 ka qatl
1. Truth, rights 2. equality 3. nobility 4. wisdom 5. human-ness 6. serenity, tolerance 7. kindness, chivalry 8. humility 9. bearers of oppression 10. mourners, sad 11. nature, creation 12. masterpiece
This is not the murder of one man but of all the oppressed people of this world. maKhdoom beautifully and powerfully expresses solidarity not only with the black people of the United States but also with the colonized and wronged people all over. This is not the murder of one, but of thousands. Martin Luther King is characterized as the “masterpiece of nature”. This is the murder of the masterpiece of nature is the murder of god him/herself.
hai shaam, shaam-e GhareebaaN1, hai subah, subah hunain2
ye qatl, qatl-e maseeha3, ye qatl, qatl-e husain
1. the evening after the battle of Karbala 2. the battle of Hunain 3. messiah, Jesus
“shaam-e GharibaaN”, evening of mourning, after the battle of karbala in which husain and his followers were killed. The family was left to mourn. maKhdoom is using husain as symbol of resistance to oppression against all odds. Also see josh malihabadi’s marsia posted on this website. In hunain, on the morning of the battle, mohammed and his followers faced an enemy that hugely outnumbered them. They were eventually victorious, in spite of intial losses. maKhdoom is expressing hope that the followers of Martin Luther King will be similarly victorious. Martin Luther King is likened to Jesus also … suffered at the cross for the redemption of his people.
vo haath aaj bhi maujood1-o kaar-farmaa2 haiN
vo haath jis ne pilaaya kisi ko zahr ka jaam3
vo haath jis ne chaRhaaya kisi ko sooli4 par
vo haath vaadi-e seena5 meN vietnam meN hai
har ek gardan-e meena6, har ek jaam3 meN hai
1. present 2. working 3. cup, goblet 4. cross, gallows 5. Sinai Valley, Palestine 6. neck of the flask
That hand (which committed this murder) is still doing its dirty work. The hand which served up the poisoned chalice (to Socrates), the hand which nailed Jesus to the cross is still around. It is busy in Palestine and Vietnam. It appropriates everything to itself (holding the flask and the goblet).
“kameena1 shart-e vafa2 tark-e sar3 buvad4 haafiz
baroguzaar5 tu in kaar bar nami aayed6”
1. minimum (in Farsi) 2. condition of keeping faith 3. giving up your head/life 4. is 5. begone
maKhdoom borrows this Farsi she’r from hafiz. The minimum requirement to keep faith (keep your promise) is to (be prepared to) give up your head. Begone, O Hafiz, you are not capable to doing this. Perhaps this is also a parallelism with Karbala where Husain refused to accept that the suzerainty of Yazid was legitimate and literally gave up his head.
