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Recitation
ali akbar naatiq
نام و نسب ۔ علی اکبر ناطق
اے مرا نام و نسب پوچھنے والے سن لے
میرے اجداد کی قبروں کے پرانے کتبے
جن کی تحریر مہ و سال کے فتنوں کی نقیب
جن کی بوسیدہ سلیں سیم زدہ شور زدہ
اور آسیب زمانے کہ رہے جن کا نصیب
پشت در پشت بلا فصل وہ اجداد مرے
اپنے آقاؤں کی منشا تھی مشیت ان کی
گر وہ زندہ تھے تو زندوں میں وہ شامل کب تھے
اور مرنے پہ فقط بوجھ تھی میت ان کی
جن کو مکتب سے لگاؤ تھا نہ مقتل کی خبر
جو نہ ظالم تھے نہ ظالم کے مقابل آئے
جن کی مسند پہ نظر تھی نہ ہی زنداں کا سفر
اے مرا نام و نسب پوچھنے والے سن لے
ایسے بے دام غلاموں کی نشانی میں ہوں
नाम ओ नसब – अली अक्बर नातिक़
अऐ मेरा नाम ओ नसब पूछने वाले सुन ले
मेरे अज्दाद की क़ब्रों के पुराने कत्बे
जिन की तहरीर मह ओ साल के फ़ित्नों की नक़ीब
जिन की बोसीदा सिलें सीम-ज़दा शोर-ज़दा
और आसेब ज़माने के रहे जिन का नसीब
पुश्त-दर-पुश्त बिला फ़स्ल वो अज्दाद मेरे
अपने आक़ाओं की मंशा थी मशिय्यत उन की
गर वो ज़िंदा थे तो ज़िंदों में वो शामिल कब थे
और मरने पे फ़क़त बोझ थी मय्यत उन की
जिन को मकतब से लगाओ था न मक़्तल की ख़बर
जो न ज़ालिम थे न ज़ालिम के मुक़ाबिल आए
जिन की मसनद पे नज़र थी न ही ज़िंदाँ का सफ़र
अऐ मेरा नाम ओ नसब पूछने वाले सुन ले
ऐसे बे-दाम ग़ुलामों की निशानी मैं हूँ
naam o nazab – ali akbar naatiq
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ali akbar naatiq belongs to the modern generation of poets. This poignant nazm has echoes of faiz ahmad faiz’s – lahu ka suraaGh and tabatabaaii’s gor-e GharibaaN, which is a translation of Grey’s Elegy and surpasses the original in its beauty and power. All of these are posted on this site.
aye mera naam o nasab1 poochhne vaale sun le 1.pedigree, lineage
O you who ask about my lineage, listen …
mere ajdaad1 ki qabroN ke puraane katbe2
jin ki tahrir3 mah4 o saal ke fitnoN5 ki naqib6
jin ki bosida7 sileN8 sim-zada9 shor-zada10
aur aaseb11 zamaane ke rahe jin ka nasib12 1.ancesgtors 2.tombstone, epitaph 3.writing 4.months 5.mischief 6.herald, announcer 7.decaying, crumbling 8.slabs 9.stitched/repaired 10.ill fated as in shor-baKht 11.demonic evil 12.fate, luck
My ancestors, the epitaph on whose tombstones, declares the mischief of time. The slabs of whose graves crumbling and patched together. Whose fate was to suffer the curse of their time.
pusht-dar-pusht1 bila-fasl2 vo ajdaad3 mere
apne aaqaoN4 ki mansha5 thi mashiyyat6 un ki
gar vo zinda the to zindoN meN vo shaamil7 kab the
aur marne pe faqat8 bojh thi mayyat9 un ki 1.generation after generation 2.without discriminating/choosing, unhesitatingly 3.ancestors 4.masters 5.wish 6.will, desire 7.included 8.only 9.corpse
My ancestors, whose desire, generation after generation, was the will of their masters. If they were alive, they were not counted among the living. Their life/wishes did not matter. And when they died, their corpse was just a burden, trash to be disposed.
jin ko maktab1 se lagaao2 tha na maqtal3 ki Khabar4
jo na zaalim5 the na zaalim ke muqaabil6 aaye
jin ki masnad7 pe nazar thi na hi zindaaN8 ka safar9 1.school, learning 2.inclination 3.slaughter house, field of war 4.knowledge 5.oppressor 6.face to face 7.throne 8.prison 9.sojourn
They did not have any schooling, nor were they war heroes. They did not oppress anyone nor did they fight an oppressor. They did not envy the throne nor did they get thrown into prison. (Also see faiz ahmed faiz – lahu ka suraaGh and taba-tabaaii gor-e GharibaaN – Grey’s Elegy in a Country Churchyard all posted on this site)
aye mera naam o nasab poochhne vaale sun le
aise be-daam1 GhulaamoN2 ki nishaani3 maiN huN 1.without value, free, priceless (alternate interpretation suggested by Mat Ansari) 2.slaves 3.emblem
O, you, who ask about my lineage, listen, I am the emblem/progeny of such de-valued (alternatively, priceless) slaves.
naam o nasab – ali akbar naatiq
ali akbar naatiq belongs to the modern generation of poets. This poignant nazm has echoes of faiz ahmad faiz’s – lahu ka suraaGh and tabatabaaii’s gor-e GharibaaN, which is a translation of Grey’s Elegy and surpasses the original in its beauty and power. All of these are posted on this site.
aye mera naam o nasab1 poochhne vaale sun le
1.pedigree, lineage
O you who ask about my lineage, listen …
mere ajdaad1 ki qabroN ke puraane katbe2
jin ki tahrir3 mah4 o saal ke fitnoN5 ki naqib6
jin ki bosida7 sileN8 sim-zada9 shor-zada10
aur aaseb11 zamaane ke rahe jin ka nasib12
1.ancesgtors 2.tombstone, epitaph 3.writing 4.months 5.mischief 6.herald, announcer 7.decaying, crumbling 8.slabs 9.stitched/repaired 10.ill fated as in shor-baKht 11.demonic evil 12.fate, luck
My ancestors, the epitaph on whose tombstones, declares the mischief of time. The slabs of whose graves crumbling and patched together. Whose fate was to suffer the curse of their time.
pusht-dar-pusht1 bila-fasl2 vo ajdaad3 mere
apne aaqaoN4 ki mansha5 thi mashiyyat6 un ki
gar vo zinda the to zindoN meN vo shaamil7 kab the
aur marne pe faqat8 bojh thi mayyat9 un ki
1.generation after generation 2.without discriminating/choosing, unhesitatingly 3.ancestors 4.masters 5.wish 6.will, desire 7.included 8.only 9.corpse
My ancestors, whose desire, generation after generation, was the will of their masters. If they were alive, they were not counted among the living. Their life/wishes did not matter. And when they died, their corpse was just a burden, trash to be disposed.
jin ko maktab1 se lagaao2 tha na maqtal3 ki Khabar4
jo na zaalim5 the na zaalim ke muqaabil6 aaye
jin ki masnad7 pe nazar thi na hi zindaaN8 ka safar9
1.school, learning 2.inclination 3.slaughter house, field of war 4.knowledge 5.oppressor 6.face to face 7.throne 8.prison 9.sojourn
They did not have any schooling, nor were they war heroes. They did not oppress anyone nor did they fight an oppressor. They did not envy the throne nor did they get thrown into prison. (Also see faiz ahmed faiz – lahu ka suraaGh and taba-tabaaii gor-e GharibaaN – Grey’s Elegy in a Country Churchyard all posted on this site)
aye mera naam o nasab poochhne vaale sun le
aise be-daam1 GhulaamoN2 ki nishaani3 maiN huN
1.without value, free, priceless (alternate interpretation suggested by Mat Ansari) 2.slaves 3.emblem
O, you, who ask about my lineage, listen, I am the emblem/progeny of such de-valued (alternatively, priceless) slaves.
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