Recitation
بنگال – ساحر لدھیانوی
جہانِ کہنہ کے مفلوج فلسفہ دانو
نظامِ نو کے تقاضے سوال کرتے ہیں
یہ شاہراہیں اِسی واسطے بنی تھیں کیا
کہ اِن پہ دیس کی جنتا سسک سسک کے مرے
زمیں نے کیااِسی کارن اناج اُگلا تھا
کہ نسلِ آدم و حوّا بلک بلک کے مرے
ملیں اِسی لےٰ ریشم کے ڈھیر بنتیُ ہیں
کہ دخترانِ وطن تار تار کو ترسیں
چمن کو اِس لئے مالی نے خوں سے سینچا تھا
کہ اِسکی اپنی نگاہیں بہار کو ترسیں
زمیں کی قوتِ تخلیق کے خداوندو
ملوں کے منتظمو سلطنت کے فرزندو
پچاس لاکھ فسردہ گلے سڑے ڈھانچے
نظامِ زر کے خلاف احتجاج کرتے ہیں
خموش ہونٹوں سے دم توڑتی نگاہوں سے
بشر بشر کے خلاف احتجاج کرتے ہیں
बंगाल – साहिर लुधियानवी
जहान ए कुहना के मफ़लूज फ़लसफ़ा दानो
निज़ाम ए नौ के तक़ाज़े सवाल करते हैं
ये शाहराहें इसी वास्ते बनी थीं क्या
के इन पे देस की जनता सिसक सिसक के मरे
ज़मीं ने क्या इसी कारण अनाज उगला था
के नस्ल ए आदम ओ हव्वा बिलक बिलक के मरे
मिलें इसी लिए रेशम के ढेर बुनती हैं
के दुख़्तरान ए वतन तार तार को तरसें
चमन को इस लिए माली ने खूं से सींचा था
के इसकी अपनी निगाहें बहार को तरसें
ज़मीं की क़ुव्वत ए तख़लीक़ के ख़ुदा वंदो
मिलौं के मुन्तज़िमो सल्तनत के फ़रज़न्दो
पचास लाख फ़सुर्दा गले सड़े ढांचे
निज़ाम ए ज़र के ख़िलाफ़ एहतेजाज करते हैं
ख़मोश होंटों से दम तोडती निगाहों से
बशर बशर के ख़िलाफ़ एहतेजाज करते हैं
bengal – sahir ludhianavi
Click here for overall comments and on any passage for word meanings and discussion. sahir wrote this in support of a millworkers’ strike in Bengal and recited it at a workers’ rally.
jahaan1-e kuhna2 ke maflooj3 falsafa daano4
nizam-e nau5 ke taqaaze6 savaal karte haiN1.world 2.old, past 3.impoverished 4.philosophers 5.new order 6.demands
The poet/revolutionary begins by questioning the received wisdom of the capitalist order – O, impoverished philosophers of the old order, the demands of the new world order ask of you … and proceeds to frame his questions in powerful and poignant language.
ye shahraaheN7 isi vaaste bani theeN kya
ke in pe des ki janta sisak8 sisak ke marey
zamiN ne kya isi kaaran anaaj ugla tha
ke nasl9-e adam o havva10 bilak11 bilak ke marey7.highways 8.whimper/cry 9.progeny 10.Adam and Eve 11.sob/cry
sahir’s questions of extreme inequality and their echoes resound in the present too. Were these grand highways built just for the purpose that the people of this country whimper and die by the roadside. Did the earth give of its plenty that the children of Adam and Eve die sobbing of hunger.
mileN12 isi liye resham13 ke dher bunti14 haiN
ke duKhtaraan15-e vatan taar taar16 ko tarseN17
chaman ko is liye maali ne khuN se seeNcha18 tha
ke iski apni nigaaheN bahaar19 ko tarseN 12.mills (cloth) 13.silk 14.weave 15.daughters 16.thread bare 17.long for 18.irrigated 19.spring – used as a metaphor for harvest
Do mills turn out bundles of silk so that the daughters of my nation want for bare threads. Did the farmer irrigate the fields with his own blood so that he himself would thirst for the sight of harvest.
zamiN ki quvvat-e taKhleeq20 ke Khuda vando21
miloN ke muntazimo22 saltanat ke farzando23 20.power of creation 21.usurpers of god 22.managers 23.sons (used as a sarcastic metaphor – lapdogs) of the powerful
sahir turns now to question the millowners directly – O you lords of the productive power of the land, supervisors of mills and lapdogs of the powerful.
pachaas laakh fasurda24 gale saRe DhaaNche
nizam-e zar25 ke Khilaaf26 ehtejaaj27 karte haiN
Khamosh hoNtoN se dam toRti nigaahoN se
bashar28 bashar ke Khilaf ehtejaj karte haiN24.extinguished 25.order of wealth/capitalist system 26.against 27.protest 28.human
Fifty lakh frail, rotting bodies, mere skeletons are out protesting against the system of exploitation. In silence and with dying looks human being protests against human being.
bengal – sahir ludhianavi
sahir wrote this in support of a millworkers’ strike in Bengal and recited it at a workers’ rally.
jahaan1-e kuhna2 ke maflooj3 falsafa daano4
nizam-e nau5 ke taqaaze6 savaal karte haiN
1.world 2.old, past 3.impoverished 4.philosophers 5.new order 6.demands
The poet/revolutionary begins by questioning the received wisdom of the capitalist order – O, impoverished philosophers of the old order, the demands of the new world order ask of you … and proceeds to frame his questions in powerful and poignant language.
ye shahraaheN7 isi vaaste bani theeN kya
ke in pe des ki janta sisak8 sisak ke marey
zamiN ne kya isi kaaran anaaj ugla tha
ke nasl9-e adam o havva10 bilak11 bilak ke marey
7.highways 8.whimper/cry 9.progeny 10.Adam and Eve 11.sob/cry
sahir’s questions of extreme inequality and their echoes resound in the present too. Were these grand highways built just for the purpose that the people of this country whimper and die by the roadside. Did the earth give of its plenty that the children of Adam and Eve die sobbing of hunger.
mileN12 isi liye resham13 ke dher bunti14 haiN
ke duKhtaraan15-e vatan taar taar16 ko tarseN17
chaman ko is liye maali ne khuN se seeNcha18 tha
ke iski apni nigaaheN bahaar19 ko tarseN
12.mills (cloth) 13.silk 14.weave 15.daughters 16.thread bare 17.long for 18.irrigated 19.spring – used as a metaphor for harvest
Do mills turn out bundles of silk so that the daughters of my nation want for bare threads. Did the farmer irrigate the fields with his own blood so that he himself would thirst for the sight of harvest.
zamiN ki quvvat-e taKhleeq20 ke Khuda vando21
miloN ke muntazimo22 saltanat ke farzando23
20.power of creation 21.usurpers of god 22.managers 23.sons (used as a sarcastic metaphor – lapdogs) of the powerful
sahir turns now to question the millowners directly – O you lords of the productive power of the land, supervisors of mills and lapdogs of the powerful.
pachaas laakh fasurda24 gale saRe DhaaNche
nizam-e zar25 ke Khilaaf26 ehtejaaj27 karte haiN
Khamosh hoNtoN se dam toRti nigaahoN se
bashar28 bashar ke Khilaf ehtejaj karte haiN
24.extinguished 25.order of wealth/capitalist system 26.against 27.protest 28.human
Fifty lakh frail, rotting bodies, mere skeletons are out protesting against the system of exploitation. In silence and with dying looks human being protests against human being.
