For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
مجھے نشاں اپنا ۔ رتنؔ پنڈوروی
۱
ملے گا دشت کے ہر ذرّے میں نشاں اپنا
بکھر کے لاکھ جگہ بن گیا مکاں اپنا
۲
کِھلائے کون سا گُل دیکھئے نشاں اپنا
چمن میں ڈھونڈتی ہے برق آشیاں اپنا
۳
کرشمہ سازیِ ذوقِ نظر کو کیا کہئے
قفس میں بھی نظر آتا ہے آشیاں اپنا
۴
کسی طرح بھی رسائی نظر نہیں آتی
حدِ نِگاہ سے آگے ہے آشیاں اپنا
۵
ہماری خاک کے ہر ذرّے پر ہے دل کا گماں
یہی ہے مرحلۂ عشق میں نشاں اپنا
۶
وہ میری آہ و فغاں پر بھی مسکراتے ہیں
ابھی کچھ اور ہے منظور اِمتحاں اپنا
۷
نہ باغباں سے گلہ ہے نہ برق سے ہم کو
جلایا آتشِ گُل ہی نے آشیاں اپنا
۸
تلاشِ یار میں کچھ ایسا کھو گیا ہوں رتنؔ
کہ مل سکا نہ کہیں بھی مجھے نشاں اپنا
मुझे निशां अपना – रतन पंडोरवी
१
मिलेगा दश्त के हर ज़र्रे में निशां अपना
बिखर के लाख जगह बन गया मकां अपना
२
खिलाए कौन सा गुल देखिये निशां अपना
चमन में ढूंडती है बर्क़ आशियां अपना
३
करिश्मा-साज़ी-ए ज़ौक़-ए नज़र को क्या कहिये
क़फ़स में भी नज़र आता है आशियां अपना
४
किसी तरह भी रसाई नज़र नहीं आती
हद-ए निगाह से अगे है आशियां अपना
५
हमारी ख़ाक के हर ज़र्रे पर है दिल का गुमां
यही है मरहला-ए इश्क़ में निशां अपना
६
वो मेरी आह ओ फ़ोग़ां पर भी मुस्कुराते हैं
अभी कुछ और है मंज़ूर इम्तहां अपना
७
न बाग़्बां से गिला है न बर्क़ से हम को
जलाया आतिश-ए गुल ही ने आशियां अपना
८
तलाश-ए यार में कुछ ऐसा खो गया हुं रतन
के मिल सका न कहीं भी मुझे निशां अपना
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit ralaa raam ratan panDorvi (1909-1990), paThaankoT. There are many books to his credit including urdu instructional texts for school children, an explanatory, interpretive book of Ghalib’s Ghazal, literary history and criticism, rules of versification and representative compositions of muslim poets of hindi. This is one of many Ghazal by different poets linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam – zikr us parivash ka aur phir bayaaN apna.
1
milega dasht1 ke har zarre2 meN nishaaN3 apna
bikhar4 ke laakh jagah ban gaya makaaN5 apna 1.wilderness, desert 2.grain (of sand) 3.marker, clue 4.scattered 5.place, home
The poet/lover, like the legendary majnuN has wandered all over the wilderness/desert looking for his laila. His heart is broken into pieces and has left a mark on every grain of sand of the desert. Thus, scattered all over, his heart has found a home in a million places.
2
khilaaye1 kaun sa gul dekhiye nishaaN2 apna
chaman meN DhoonDti hai barq3 aashiyaaN4 apna 1.to cause to bloom, but ‘gul khilaana’ is an expression meaning causing mischief 2.clue 3.lightning 4.nest
In urdu poetic tradition the poet is portrayed as a bird. He is often caged and at other times his nest is struck by lightning. Thus, he observes that lightning is out especially looking for his nest in the garden. Let us see what mischief my clue plays i.e., any markers of where he has built his nest will give the secret away and help the lightning bolt find his nest. “gul khilaana” literally meaning cause a rose to bloom in the ‘chaman’ is neatly juxtaposed with “causing mischief”.
3
karishma-saazi1-e zauq2-e nazar3 ko kya kahiye
qafas4 meN bhi nazar5 aata hai aashiyaaN6 apna 1.performing miracles/tricks, tricking 2.desire 3.sight, eyes 4.cage 5.see 6.nest
Following urdu poetic tradition the poet is a caged bird with an intense desire to be in his nest/home. Look at the trickery of my desire, I see my nest even in (or from) the cage.
4
kisi tarah1 bhi rasaaii2 nazar3 nahiN aati
had4-e nigaah5 se aage hai aashiyaaN6 apna 1.way, means, method 2.abiity to reach 3.see 4.limits 5.eyes, sight 6.nest
The poet is like a caged bird trying to get to his nest. There is no way in which he can see the possibility to reach it. His nest is beyond the limits of his sight.
5
hamaari Khaak1 ke har zarre2 par hai dil ka gumaaN3
yahi hai marhala4-e ishq meN nishaaN5 apna 1.dust 2.grain (of dust) 3.suspicion 4.enterprise 5.clue, marker
The poet/lover is dead and buried or burnt. His dust or ash is scattered all over. But the intensity of his love was such that every grain of dust looks like a heart. This is my mark/stamp on the enterprise of love, he claims.
6
vo meri aah1 o fuGhaaN2 par bhi muskuraate3 haiN
abhi kuchh aur hai manzoor4 imtehaaN5 apna 1.sigh 2.wailing 3.smiles 4.intented, planned 5.test
The poet/lover sighs and wails in the pain of love. The beloved smiling at this implies that this has been her plan all along and the fact that she is not consoling him indicates that she has plans for even more ‘testing by torture’ of the unfortunate lover.
7
na baaGhbaaN1 se gila2 hai na barq3 se hum ko
jalaaya aatish4-e gul5 hi ne aashiyaaN6 apna 1.gardener 2.complaint 3.lightning 4.fire, flame 5.rose 6.nest
In normal poetic tradition it is a lightning strike that burns the poet’s nest. Another possibility is the gardener cleaning out the garden. But he has no complaints against the gardener or lightning. It was not they that burnt the garden but the “flames of the rose” … there is a very nice play of words here. In poetic tradition the ‘bulbul’ is in love with the ‘gul’. The red colour and the shape of petals are often described as flames. Also, the intensity of love/passion can set fires. Thus, why talk of enemies, my own beloved has destroyed me!
8
talaash1-e yaar2 meN kuchh aisa kho gaya huN ratan3
keh mil sakaa na kahiN bhi mujhe nishaaN4 apna 1.search, seeking 2.beloved, god 3.pen-name of the poet 4.clue
This she’r has sufiyaana implications. ‘yaar’ can be the haqiiqi or majaazi beloved – of the spiritual or material world. Such is the intensity of his search/passion that he has lost himself, he is in a trance of non-awareness and cannot find any clue of his own identity.
panDit ralaa raam ratan panDorvi (1909-1990), paThaankoT. There are many books to his credit including urdu instructional texts for school children, an explanatory, interpretive book of Ghalib’s Ghazal, literary history and criticism, rules of versification and representative compositions of muslim poets of hindi. This is one of many Ghazal by different poets linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam – zikr us parivash ka aur phir bayaaN apna.
1
milega dasht1 ke har zarre2 meN nishaaN3 apna
bikhar4 ke laakh jagah ban gaya makaaN5 apna
1.wilderness, desert 2.grain (of sand) 3.marker, clue 4.scattered 5.place, home
The poet/lover, like the legendary majnuN has wandered all over the wilderness/desert looking for his laila. His heart is broken into pieces and has left a mark on every grain of sand of the desert. Thus, scattered all over, his heart has found a home in a million places.
2
khilaaye1 kaun sa gul dekhiye nishaaN2 apna
chaman meN DhoonDti hai barq3 aashiyaaN4 apna
1.to cause to bloom, but ‘gul khilaana’ is an expression meaning causing mischief 2.clue 3.lightning 4.nest
In urdu poetic tradition the poet is portrayed as a bird. He is often caged and at other times his nest is struck by lightning. Thus, he observes that lightning is out especially looking for his nest in the garden. Let us see what mischief my clue plays i.e., any markers of where he has built his nest will give the secret away and help the lightning bolt find his nest. “gul khilaana” literally meaning cause a rose to bloom in the ‘chaman’ is neatly juxtaposed with “causing mischief”.
3
karishma-saazi1-e zauq2-e nazar3 ko kya kahiye
qafas4 meN bhi nazar5 aata hai aashiyaaN6 apna
1.performing miracles/tricks, tricking 2.desire 3.sight, eyes 4.cage 5.see 6.nest
Following urdu poetic tradition the poet is a caged bird with an intense desire to be in his nest/home. Look at the trickery of my desire, I see my nest even in (or from) the cage.
4
kisi tarah1 bhi rasaaii2 nazar3 nahiN aati
had4-e nigaah5 se aage hai aashiyaaN6 apna
1.way, means, method 2.abiity to reach 3.see 4.limits 5.eyes, sight 6.nest
The poet is like a caged bird trying to get to his nest. There is no way in which he can see the possibility to reach it. His nest is beyond the limits of his sight.
5
hamaari Khaak1 ke har zarre2 par hai dil ka gumaaN3
yahi hai marhala4-e ishq meN nishaaN5 apna
1.dust 2.grain (of dust) 3.suspicion 4.enterprise 5.clue, marker
The poet/lover is dead and buried or burnt. His dust or ash is scattered all over. But the intensity of his love was such that every grain of dust looks like a heart. This is my mark/stamp on the enterprise of love, he claims.
6
vo meri aah1 o fuGhaaN2 par bhi muskuraate3 haiN
abhi kuchh aur hai manzoor4 imtehaaN5 apna
1.sigh 2.wailing 3.smiles 4.intented, planned 5.test
The poet/lover sighs and wails in the pain of love. The beloved smiling at this implies that this has been her plan all along and the fact that she is not consoling him indicates that she has plans for even more ‘testing by torture’ of the unfortunate lover.
7
na baaGhbaaN1 se gila2 hai na barq3 se hum ko
jalaaya aatish4-e gul5 hi ne aashiyaaN6 apna
1.gardener 2.complaint 3.lightning 4.fire, flame 5.rose 6.nest
In normal poetic tradition it is a lightning strike that burns the poet’s nest. Another possibility is the gardener cleaning out the garden. But he has no complaints against the gardener or lightning. It was not they that burnt the garden but the “flames of the rose” … there is a very nice play of words here. In poetic tradition the ‘bulbul’ is in love with the ‘gul’. The red colour and the shape of petals are often described as flames. Also, the intensity of love/passion can set fires. Thus, why talk of enemies, my own beloved has destroyed me!
8
talaash1-e yaar2 meN kuchh aisa kho gaya huN ratan3
keh mil sakaa na kahiN bhi mujhe nishaaN4 apna
1.search, seeking 2.beloved, god 3.pen-name of the poet 4.clue
This she’r has sufiyaana implications. ‘yaar’ can be the haqiiqi or majaazi beloved – of the spiritual or material world. Such is the intensity of his search/passion that he has lost himself, he is in a trance of non-awareness and cannot find any clue of his own identity.
