pathharauN ka muGhanni – vaheed aKhtar

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mutrib¹-e Khush-navaa² zindagi ke hasiN³ geet gaata raha
uski aavaz par anjuman⁴ jhoom uThi
us ne jab zaKhm-e dil ko zabaaN baKhsh⁵ di
sun-ne vaalauN ne be-saaKhta⁶ aah ki1. songster, singer, but used here to mean poet 2. sweet voiced 3. beautiful 4. gathering, assembly 5. granted 6. spontaneously
The sweet voiced poet sang/recited songs/poems of the beauty of life. The assembly swayed with joy at his song. And when he granted a tongue/voice to the aches of the heart, the audience spontaneously uttered a sigh.

ishq¹ ke saaz² par jab hua zaKhma-zan³
shor-e tahsiin⁴ meN Khud uski aavaz dab si gaii
mutrib-e Khush-nava phir bhi tanha⁵ raha
tishnagi-e mashaam⁶ us ko baad-e sabaa⁷ ki tarah gul ba gul le gaii
kaasa-e chashm⁸ ne partav⁹-e gul bhi paaya nahiN1. love 2. lute, musical instrument 3. plucking strings with the plectrum 4. loud noise/sound of appreciation/praise 5. alone 6. thirst for fragrance 7. morning breeze 8. begging bowl of the eye, the eye that is like a begging bowl 9. reflection, image
And when he plucked the strings of love with his plectrum, the sound of praise was so loud that it almost drowned his own voice. But the poet was still all alone (he did not get what he was looking for). The thirst for fragrance, like the morning breeze, took him from flower to flower. But he did not see any reflection/image of the rose (his eye was/is the begging bowl that was begging for this sight).

dard us ka kisi mahram¹-e dard ke vaaste
dar ba dar², shahr dar shahr³ phirta raha
daad o tahsiin⁴ ke haNgaama⁵-e zauq-kush⁶ meN usay
har taraf se malaamat⁷ ke patthar mile1. one who is familiar with 2. door to door 3. city to city 4. praise and appreciation 5. tumult, noise 6. taste/pleasure killing 7. reproach
His pain kept looking for someone who would understand/feel the pain he was feeling. In that search he went door to door, city to city (but could not find one who understood pain). There was a lot of noise of praise and appreciation which (felt so superficial that it) killed all pleasure (because he was looking for something else – he was looking to see if people understood the pain he was singing/writing about). He received reproach from all directions, rocks of reproach thrown at him. There is a juxtaposition of opposites here – the tumult of praise and appreciation which feels like rocks of blame and reproach to the poet, because appreciation is of superficiality but not of the essence (human pain and suffering) that he wants the audience to feel.

mutrib-e Khush nava pattharauN se paTakta raha apna sar
pattharauN ko zabaaN to mili par takallum¹ nahiN
pattharauN ko Khad o Khaal²-e insaaN mile daulat³-e dard o Gham kab mili
pattharauN ko hasiiN suurateN to miliiN dil nahiN mil sakaa
pattharauN ko mile paauN, par e’temaad⁴-e safar⁵ kaun de
pattharauN ko mile haath par azm⁶-e teesha-zani⁷ kaun de1. conversation 2. face/cheek/chin and beauty spot 3. wealth (feelings) 4. confidence, ability 5. travel, walk 6. determination, courage 7. using/wielding a pick-axe
The picture emerges of the songster/poet taking these rocks and “beating his head against them” i.e. working hard to make them into something. He was able to give them a tongue, but they could not converse. He was able to give them a beautiful human face and a beauty spot but he could not give them wealth/feelings of pain and sorrow. He was able to give these rocks a beautiful face but but no heart. The rocks (now carved into idols) acquired feet but not the ability to walk. They got hands but not the determination of wield a pick-axe. Here the reference is to the fable of Shirin and Farhad where Farhad wielded a pick-axe to cut a channel through a mountain for a stream, in order to win the hand of Shirin.

saNg¹ sunte haiN laikin samajhte nahiN
dekhte haiN magar farq² karte nahiN
baat karte haiN mahsoos³ karte nahiN
Toot sakte haiN laikin pighalte nahiN
gard ban kar ye uR jaaeN saaNchauN⁴ meN Dhalte⁵ nahiN1. rocks, stone 2. differentiate, discern, choose (good from evil) 3. feel 4. mold 5. cast
The rocks are now the audience who can hear the poet but do not understand him. They can see but cannot differentiate (between good and evil, material and spiritual – the reader is free to interpret). They can talk, but cannot feel. They are brittle and can break but will not melt (like the heart melts with pity). They can become dust and blow away but cannot be cast into molds. This reminds me of a she’r of josh malihabadi andhauN se jab paRaa hai zamaane meN saabeqa ae josh aap yusuf-e kan’aaN hue to kya Joseph/yusuf of the tribe of Canaan is a legendary figure in Urdu poetry (as well in Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions). He is reputed to have been a very good looking man. Thus, says Josh, if you have to deal with blind (those who cannot appreciate beauty) people, what is the use of being beautiful like Joseph!

mutrib-e Khush navaa pattharauN se paTakta rahaa apna sar
mutrib-e Khush nava pattharauN ko sunaata raha dard-e dil
apna Gham, un ka Gham sab ka Gham
pattharauN ne suna aur chup chaap haNste raheThe sweet voiced poet/songster kept beating his head against the rocks. He kept singing songs of pain/sorrow-his sorrow, their sorrow, everyone’s sorrow. The rocks heard him and laughed silently.

pattharauN ki isi anjuman¹ ka muGhanni² huN maiN
aur bedard³ be-hiss⁴ sitamgaar⁵ patthar suneNge kabhi
un ka vo mutrib-e Khush nava shikva sanj⁶-e zamaaN⁷
apne naGhmaat⁸ ki aag meN jal gaya1. assembly, gathering 2. songster 3. without (the ability to feel) pain, unsympathetic 4. unfeeling 5. cruel 6. one who complains 7. times 8. songs I am the poet/songster of the assembly of these rocks. How can unsympathetic, unfeeling, cruel rocks ever listen. Their sweet-voiced songster who has been selected to bring to the the complaints of the times was burnt up in the flames of his own (painful) songs.

phir un hi ki maanind¹ patthar ka but² ban gaya1. like, similar to 2. idol
And then he too became an unfeeling stone idol, just like them.