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Recitation
مِٹا کے رہیں ۔ شاہد
۱
نثار میں تیری گلیوں کے اے وطن کہ جہاں
چلی ہے رسم کہ تاریخ بھی بھُلا کے رہیں
۲
جو کوئی شہر یا کوچہ کبھی شہادت دے
تو اُس کا نام بھی اوراق سے مِٹا کے رہیں
۳
تاریخ کے ورق کا بدلنا تو اب نہیں کافی
کھنڈر قدیم سہی، پھر بھی اُس کو ڈھا کے رہیں
۴
شہر یا کوچہ و در پر ہی کیا منحصر ہے
کہتے ہیں کہ تُربت بھی شق کرا کے رہیں
۵
جو کوئی گائے کو ہانکے تو پھر سنبھل جائے
اِسی بہانے اب اُس کا لہو بہا کے رہیں
۶
وہاں کی خاک میں جو دفن میرے آبا ہیں
اگر وہاں کے نہیں ہوں، تو ہم کہاں کے رہیں
۷
مِٹّی کا جِس کی تو ہے بنا، میں اُسی مِٹُی کا ہوں
اللہ آباد رکھے، امن ستھان ہی بنا کے رہیں
۸
تہمتِ ترکِ وطن یوں تو بجا تھی شاہد
ننگ و مردودِ وطن کی بھی اب لگا کے رہیں
मिटा के रहें – शाहेद
१
निसार मैं तेरी गलियों के अए वतन के जहां
चली है रस्म के तारीख़ भी भुला के रहें
२
जो कोई शहर या कूचा कभी शहादत दे
तो उस का नाम भी औराक़ से मिटा के रहें
३
तारीख़ के वरक़ का बदलना तो अब नहीं काफ़ी
खंडर क़दीम सही, फिर भी उस को ढा के रहें
४
शहर या कूचा ओ दर पर ही क्या मुनहसिर है
कहते हैं के तुर्बत भी शक़ करा के रहें
५
जो कोई गाए को हांके तो फिर संभल जाए
इसी बहाने अब उस का लहू बहा के रहें
६
वहां कि ख़ाक में जो दफ़्न मेरे आबा हैं
अगर वहां के नहीं हों, तो हम कहां के रहें
७
मिट्टी का जिस कि तू है बना, मैं उसी मिट्टी का हूं
अल्लाह आबाद रखे, अमनस्थान ही बना के रहें
८
तोहमत-ए तर्क-ए वतन यूँ तो बजा थी शाहेद
नंग ओ मरदूद-ए वतन की भी अब लगा के रहें
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. This is the result of a combination of events – wrecking of the babri masjid, paving over the tomb of vali dakkani, changing names of cities and streets, denying history, killing in the name cow protection and labeling muslims and Christians as foreign. I begin with a misra borrowed from faiz. I also borrowed the same misra and wrote ‘vatan ki galiyaaN’ which is a very different theme of nostalgia and missing home.
1
nisaar1 maiN teri galiyauN ke aye vatan2 ke jahaaN
chali hai rasm3 ke tareeKh4 bhi bhulaa ke raheN 1.pay homage to, lay down life for 2.homeland 3.tradition 4.history
I die for your streets, O, homeland where a new tradition has started, that we forget/deny history.
2
jo koii shahr1 ya koocha2 kabhi shahaadat3 de
to us ka naam bhi auraaq4 se miTa5 ke raheN 1.city, town 2.street 3.bear witness (to history) 4.pages (of history) 5.erase
If ever any town or street bear witness to history, then its name be erased from the pages of history.
3
tareeKh1 ke varaq2 ka badalna to ab nahiN kaafi3
khanDar4 qadeem5 sahi6, phir bhi us ko Dhaa7 ke raheN 1.history 2.page 3.enough 4.ruins 5.ancient 6.may be so 7.destroy
It is not enough that pages of history be re-written. Even if ancient monuments are in ruins, they should still be destroyed.
4
shahr1 ya koocha2 o dar3 par hi kya munhasir4 hai
kahte haiN ke turbat5 bhi shaq6 karaa ke raheN 1.town 2.street 3.door/home 4.dependent on, limited to 5.memorial 6.tear open, dig
It is not limited to cities, streets and homes, (they declare that) even memorials and graves should be rent assunder.
5
jo koii gaaye1 ko haaNke2 to phir sambhal3 jaaye
isi bahaane4 ab us ka lahu5 bahaa ke raheN 1.cow 2.shoo away 3.careful, steady 4.excuse 5.blood
If ever anyone were to shoo away a cow, he better be careful. This is excuse enough for them to spill his blood.
6
vahaaN ki Khaak1 meN jo dafn2 mere aaba3 haiN
agar vahaaN ke nahiN hoN, to hum kahaaN ke raheN 1.dust, soil 2.buried 3.forebears, ancestors
Our ancestors are buried in that soil. If we are not from there, then where should we be from.
7
miTTi ka jis ki tu hai bana, maiN usi miTTi ka huN
allah aabad1 rakhe, amanasthaan2 hi bana ke raheN 1.prosper 2.abode of peace
‘allah aabad’ – may god make prosperous has a double meaning with reference to ‘allahabad’ whose name was changed. ‘amanasthaan’ also has reference to ‘thirth sthaan’. The religious right, claiming that Christian and Muslim places of pilgrimage are outside India, declare them to be “others”. I am also of the same clay as the clay of which you are made. May god keep us prosperous, why not make an abode of peace to live.
8
tohmat1-e tark2-e vatan3 yuN to baja4 thi shahed
naNg5 o mardood6-e vatan ki bhi ab laga ke raheN 1.accusation 2.leaving, quitting 3.homeland 4.appropriate 5.bringing shame 6.banished, discarded
The accusation of leaving the homeland may have been deserved for shahed. Now let us also accuse him of bringing shame to the homeland and banish him.
This is the result of a combination of events – wrecking of the babri masjid, paving over the tomb of vali dakkani, changing names of cities and streets, denying history, killing in the name cow protection and labeling muslims and Christians as foreign. I begin with a misra borrowed from faiz. I also borrowed the same misra and wrote ‘vatan ki galiyaaN’ which is a very different theme of nostalgia and missing home.
1
nisaar1 maiN teri galiyauN ke aye vatan2 ke jahaaN
chali hai rasm3 ke tareeKh4 bhi bhulaa ke raheN
1.pay homage to, lay down life for 2.homeland 3.tradition 4.history
I die for your streets, O, homeland where a new tradition has started, that we forget/deny history.
2
jo koii shahr1 ya koocha2 kabhi shahaadat3 de
to us ka naam bhi auraaq4 se miTa5 ke raheN
1.city, town 2.street 3.bear witness (to history) 4.pages (of history) 5.erase
If ever any town or street bear witness to history, then its name be erased from the pages of history.
3
tareeKh1 ke varaq2 ka badalna to ab nahiN kaafi3
khanDar4 qadeem5 sahi6, phir bhi us ko Dhaa7 ke raheN
1.history 2.page 3.enough 4.ruins 5.ancient 6.may be so 7.destroy
It is not enough that pages of history be re-written. Even if ancient monuments are in ruins, they should still be destroyed.
4
shahr1 ya koocha2 o dar3 par hi kya munhasir4 hai
kahte haiN ke turbat5 bhi shaq6 karaa ke raheN
1.town 2.street 3.door/home 4.dependent on, limited to 5.memorial 6.tear open, dig
It is not limited to cities, streets and homes, (they declare that) even memorials and graves should be rent assunder.
5
jo koii gaaye1 ko haaNke2 to phir sambhal3 jaaye
isi bahaane4 ab us ka lahu5 bahaa ke raheN
1.cow 2.shoo away 3.careful, steady 4.excuse 5.blood
If ever anyone were to shoo away a cow, he better be careful. This is excuse enough for them to spill his blood.
6
vahaaN ki Khaak1 meN jo dafn2 mere aaba3 haiN
agar vahaaN ke nahiN hoN, to hum kahaaN ke raheN
1.dust, soil 2.buried 3.forebears, ancestors
Our ancestors are buried in that soil. If we are not from there, then where should we be from.
7
miTTi ka jis ki tu hai bana, maiN usi miTTi ka huN
allah aabad1 rakhe, amanasthaan2 hi bana ke raheN
1.prosper 2.abode of peace
‘allah aabad’ – may god make prosperous has a double meaning with reference to ‘allahabad’ whose name was changed. ‘amanasthaan’ also has reference to ‘thirth sthaan’. The religious right, claiming that Christian and Muslim places of pilgrimage are outside India, declare them to be “others”. I am also of the same clay as the clay of which you are made. May god keep us prosperous, why not make an abode of peace to live.
8
tohmat1-e tark2-e vatan3 yuN to baja4 thi shahed
naNg5 o mardood6-e vatan ki bhi ab laga ke raheN
1.accusation 2.leaving, quitting 3.homeland 4.appropriate 5.bringing shame 6.banished, discarded
The accusation of leaving the homeland was well deserved for shahed. Now let us also accuse him of bringing shame to the homeland and banish him.
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