This is a qaseeda – a panegyric verse in praise of something.  This is a praise of the pen, versification and of declaring independence from orthodoxy.  I could not find a print version anywhere in faraz’s books.  It is posted on youtube as a recitation by faraz at a private gathering.  I transcribed it painfully and cross-checked it to the best of my capability.  It is long.

In order to make it convenient to read, listen and ponder, I have divided it into 5 segments.

Khuda se Khitaab – ash’aar 01-12:  The poet addresses in terms of familiarity and equality, inviting him to come down to earth.  Implied in this a look at the variety, beauty, ugliness, injustice and oppression on earth and bland contentment in heaven.
aap apna hi hal – ash’aar 13-22:  The poet describes the human condition in which he/she has to struggle to make his/her own place on earth.  There is no room for prayer, there is a mixture of good and bad – take it as it comes.
mad’h-e qalam – ash’aar 23-31:  The poet praises the pen, and by implication poetic verse, in the most effusive terms.  The pen can see what angels cannot see.  The pen has granted the poet the ability to write.
dars-e qalam – ash’aar 32-40:  Lessons that the pen has taught the poet – lessons in humility, love, sense of justice and much more.  Very eloquent.
bai’at-e yaziid na kar – ash’aar 41-49:  The poet concludes with a high note – lessons learnt about taking a steadfast, principled stand.  He even declares a sort of equality of positions vis-à-vis god.

The audio, both ahmad faraz and my recitation is also posted in corresponding segments for easy listening.

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ahmad faraz (1931-2008) popular love and romance poet as well as a substantial contributor to progressive themes. This is a qaseeda, composed in Ghazal structure but not considered a Ghazal. It is a continuous theme in praise of something or someone. Please click on the Overview tab to see the full description.
13
maiN pii raha huN abhi tere inteqaam¹ ki aag
keh jis se dil mera aNgaar² tan³ mera manqal⁴     1.revenge, punishment 2.fire 3.body 4.stove, oven
I am still suffering from the fire of your punishment (of being kicked out of heaven) such that my heart is still burning and my body feels like it is in an oven.
14
meri jabiiN¹ pe nahiiN koii daaGh²-e mehraabi³
na maiN dua’oN ka qaa’el⁴ na maiN shikaar⁵-e kasal⁶    1.forehead 2.stain, mark 3.niche, alcove 4.convinced 5.prey, victim 6.laziness
People who are pious and observant and do sijda (ritual prostration touching the forehead to the ground) often, sometimes get a mark on their forehead due to repeated (though gentle) trauma. The poet refers to this mark as the ‘daaGh-e mehraabi’. ‘kasal’ which literally means lazines is probably used to sarcastically refer to the attitude of praying to god instead to doing something yourselves. Thus, I don’t have a prayer mark on my brow, I don’t believe in prayer and I don’t surrender my free will to your benevolence/answer to prayers.
15
gunaahgaar¹ to huN par na is qadar² keh mujhe
saleeb³ roz⁴-e makaafaat⁵ ki lage bojhal⁶     1.sinner 2.so much 3.cross 4.day of 5.retribution, judgement 6.heavy
I am a sinner but not so much that the cross of the day of judgement is heavy on me i.e., I am not really afraid of the day of judgement.
16
kahiiN kahiiN koii laala¹, kahiiN kahiiN koi daaGh²
meri bayaaz³ ki soorat⁴ hai meri fard⁵-e amal⁶     1.tulip 2.stain 3.book of verse 4.likeness 5.list, accounting 6.actions, deeds
Everyone is supposed to have a full accounting of their deeds, good and bad. Here ‘lala’-tulip is used as symbolic of beauty/virtue and ‘daaGh’-stain is used as symbolic of transgressions. Thus the poet’s ‘fard-e amal’ has some beautiful marks and some stains just like his bayaaz (book of verse) does.
17
vo tum keh uqda-kusha¹ o musabbeb-ul-asbaab²
ye maiN keh apna mu’amma³ huN aap apna hi hal⁴     1.knot unraveler, problem solver 2.enabler of means 3.puzzle, problem 4.solution, cure
You are a solver of problems. You enable us to get means/provisions of life. I am my own puzzle and my own solution. Yet another way in which the poet asserts his independence.
18
maiN aap apna hi habeel¹ apna hi qaabeel²
meri hi zaat³ hai maqtool⁴ o qaatil⁵ o maqtal⁶     1.Abel, the virtous son of Adam and Eve 2.Cain, another son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother Abel 3.person, being 4.killed 5.killer 6.slaughter house
In the story of the scriptures habeel/Abel is killed by qaabeel/Cain in a fit of jealousy. By saying the he is both the killer and the killed the poet means to say that I am capable of both good and bad and am responsible for creating my own killing field, once again declaring his independence from god.
19
baras¹ baras ki tarah² tha nafas³ nafas mera
sadi⁴ sadi ki tarah kaaTta raha pal⁵ pal     1.year 2.like, similar to 3.breath 4.century 5.moment
Every breath in the poet’s life felt like a long year and every moment like a hundred years i.e., he has gone through his own struggles, bearing them patiently.
20
tera vujood¹ hai laraib² ashraf³ o aala⁴
jo such kahuN to nahiN maiN bhi afzal⁵ o asfal⁶     1.existence, being 2.without a doubt 3.noble 4.exalted 5.superior 6.inferior
Your being, O god, is certainly noble and exalted, but in truth I am neither superior nor inferior i.e., I am what I make of myself.
21
ye vaaqe’aa¹ hai keh shaa’er vo dekh sakta hai
rahe jo tere farishtoN² ki aaNkh se aujhal³     1.truth 2.angels 3.hidden
It is true that the shaa’er can see even that which is hidden from the eyes of your angels i.e., I know what is going on, on earth, that even your angels cannot discern and report to you.
22
vo parfashaaN¹ hai magar Ghaul²-e shaparak³ ki tarah⁴
so raa’egaaN⁵ keh hai chashm⁶-e kor⁷ meN kaajal⁸     1.able to fly 2.flock 3.bats 4.likenss, similar 5.useless 6.eye 7.blind 8.collyrium
It is believed that applying collyrium to the eye improves sight. But if the eye is already blind then collyrium is not going to help it see. Thus, your angels might be able to fly, but they are like a flock of bats which are blind and no amount of collyrium can help them see. The collyrium here is human feelings and love that the poet has in plenty and is able to see which angels, devoid of emotions, cannot see.