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Recitation
رباعیات ۔ شیب ۔ جوش ملیح آبادی
ا
مرضی ہو تو سولی پہ چڑھانا یارب
سو بار جہنم میں جلانا یارب
معشوق کہیں، ‘آپ ہمارے ہیں بزرگ’
ناچیز کو وہ دِن نہ دِکھانا یارب
۲
جب شیب نے خال و خط کا گلشن لوٹا
مہکا چمنِ فکر کا بوٹا بوٹا
جس وقت بجھا دِل تو جلی شمع دماغ
جب بال گرے تو سر میں اکھوا پھوٹا
۳
ہم پر بھی حسیناؤں کا کرم تھا اک روز
اس قوم میں اپنا بھی بھرم تھا اک روز
بیزار نگاہؤں کی گذر گاہ ہے اب
یہ چہرہ جو نظروں کا حرم تھا اک روز
۴
فرہنگ پہ یہ قہر، ادب پر یہ عذاب
اپنے شاگرد پر، الہیٰ یہ عتاب
شاعر کے حبیب کو ڈسے وقت کا ناگ
یوسف کے لئے آئے زلیخا پہ شباب
۵
وہ سِن ہے نہ وہ دِن ہیں نہ وہ راتیں ہیں
وہ حرفِ دعا ہے نہ مُناجاتیں ہیں
کل تک جو تھیں اے جوش، اُپی تلواریں
اُلٹی ہوئی دھار اب وہ ملاقاتیں ہیں
۶
بے مائیگیِ نیاز و افلاسِ گداز
ناداریٔ عشوہ و تہی دستیٔ ناز
کوتاہ نگاہوں کو بتاؤں کیونکر
کیا حادثۂ عظیم ہے عمرِ دراز
۷
پانی کی جھڑی ملہار گاتی تھی کبھی
بدلی ہر آن گھڑگھڑاتی تھی کبھی
میری نگری سے اے گذرنے والے
برکھا اِس دیس میں آتی تھی کبھی
۸
تا سنگِ در اب تک یہ جبیں جاتی ہے
دِل کی جو کسک ہے وہ کہیں جاتی ہے
ہرچند، برس کے کھل چکے ہیں بادل
بجلی کی تڑپ ہے کہ نہیں جاتی ہے
۹
یادو، صفِ ترکاں میں نہ لے جاؤ مجھے
صحنِ دِلِ ویراں میں نہ لے جاؤ مجھے
قبریں ہیں جہاں دورِ طرب کی تا دور
اُس گورِ غریباں میں نہ لے جاؤ مجھے
रुबाईयात – शेब – जोश मलीहाबादी
१
मर्ज़ी हो तो सूली पे चढ़ाना यारब
सौ बार जहन्नुम में जलाना यारब
मा’शूक़ कहें, ‘आप हमारे हैं बुज़ुर्ग’
नाचीज़ को ये दिन न दिखाना यारब
२
जब शीब ने ख़ाल ओ ख़त का गुलशन लूटा
महका चमन-ए फ़िक्र का बूटा,बूटा
जिस वक़्त बुझा दिल तो जली शमा’-ए दिमाग़
जब बाल गिरे तो सर में अखवा फूटा
३
हम पर भी हसीनौं का करम था एक रोज़
इस क़ौम में अपना भी भरम ठाट एक रोज़
बेज़ार निगाहौं कि गुज़रगाह है अब
ये चेहरा जो नज़रौं का हरम था एक रोज़
४
फ़रहंग पे ये क़हर, अदब पर ये अज़ाब
अपने शागिर्द पर इलाही ये इताब
शा’एर के हबीब को डसे वक़्त का नाग
यूसुफ़ के लिए आए ज़ुलैख़ा पे शबाब
५
वो सिन है न नो दिन हैं न व ओ रातें हैं
वो हर्फ़-ए दुआ है न मुनाजातें हैं
कल तक जो थीं अए जोश उपी तल्वारें
उलटी हुई धार अब वो मुलाक़ातें हैं
६
बे-माएगी-ए नियाज़ ओ इफ़्लास-ए गुदाज़
नादारी-ए इश्वा ओ तेही-दस्ती-ए नाज़
कोताह निगाहौं को बताऊं क्यूंकर
क्या हादेसा-ए अज़ीम है उम्र-ए दराज़
७
पानी कि झड़ी मल्हार गाती थी कभी
बदली हर आन घढ़घढ़ाती थी कभी
मेरी नगरी से अए गुज़रने वाले
बरखा इस देस में आती थी कभी
८
ता संग-ए दर अब तक ये जबीं जाती है
दिल के जो कसक है वो कहीं जाती है
हरचन्द बरस के खुल चुके हैं बादल
बिजली के तड़प है के नहीं जाती है
९
यादो, सफ़-ए तुर्कां में न ले जाओ मुझे
सहन-ए दिल-ए वीरां में न ले जाओ मुझे
क़ब्रें हैं जहां दौर-ए तरब कि ता-दूर
उस गोर-ए ग़रीबां में न ले जाओ मुझे
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi is well known for his fiery nazm. He also wrote many romantic as well as cerebral nazm and Ghazal. His marsia are a celebration of dignified death rather than bowing to injustice even at the cost of life. He also wrote numerous rubaaii. This series is a collection of nearly 300 rubaaiyaat from various books organized by subject. This selection is about the cruelties (and some benefits) of old age.
1
marzi1 ho to sooli2 pe chaRhaana yaarab3
sau baar jahannum meN jalaana yaarab
ma’ashooq4 kaheN, ‘aap hamaare haiN buzurg5’
nacheez6 ko ye din na dikhaana yaarab 1.want, desire 2.hanging platform 3.god 4.beloved, used here more as ‘young damsels’ 5.elder 6.a polite way of referring to oneself – nothing/lowly/not valuable
josh apparently did not like being called ‘elderly’. There is an unverified street story that he was introduced at a women’s college as “our respected elder” upon which he recited this rubaaii. If you please, o god, hang me by the noose or burn me in hell a hundred times. But young damsels call me a ‘respected elder’, do not let this lowly man see that day.
2
jab sheeb1 ne Khaal-o-Khat2 ka gulshan3 looTa
mahka4 chaman-e-fikr5 ka booTa booTa
jis vaqt bujha dil6 to jali shama’-e-dimaaGh7
jab baal gire to sar meN akhva8 phooTa 1.age, infirmity 2.literally beauty spot and lines (of the face), beauty 3.garden 4.fragrant 5.garden of reason/wisdom 6.heart, used here to mean youthful emotions 7.lamp of the mind/intelligence 8.first shoots, sapling
When age robbed the garden of beauty, only then did every plant in the garden of reason become fragrant. When youthful emotions settled down, only then did the light of reason lit up. When I lost all my hair, only then the first shoots (of reason) came up.
3
hum par bhi haseenauN ka karam1 tha ek roz
is qaum2 meN apna bhi bharam3 tha ek roz
bezaar4 nigaahauN ki guzar-gaah5 hai ab
ye chehra jo nazrauN ka haram6 tha ek roz 1.kindness 2.community 3.status, position 4.disinterested, bored 5.passage, pass through 6.place of worship
The poet is now old and decrepit, otherwise, once upon a time beautiful damsels looked at him with kindness. He had a position (recognition) in society. Now disinterested glances pass over it, but once upon a time, this face was an object of worship.
4
farhaNg1 pe ye qahar2, adab3 par ye azaab4
apne shaagird5 par ilaahi6 ye itaab7
shaa’er ke habeeb8 ko Dasay vaqt ka naag
yusuf9 ke liye aaye zulaiKha10 pe shabaab11 1.encyclopedia, dictionary 2.curse, calamity 3.literature 4.torture 5.student 6.my god 7.anger, displeasure 8.beloved 9.Joseph 10.the wife of Joseph’s master/owner 11.youth
Biblical/quraanic stories say that yusuf was a handsome youth and his owner’s beautiful wife zulaiKha tried unsuccessfully to seduce him. She prayed to god asking for and was granted her youth back. josh seems to complain that god is treating him unfairly compared to yusuf. god has been kind to yusuf by granting youth/beauty to zulaiKha. josh characterizing himself as ‘farhaNg, adab, shaagird and shaa’er’, says that god has visited a curse, torture and displeasure upon him because his beloved has been stung by the ‘cobra of time’ i.e. old age.
5
vo sin1 hai na vo din haiN na vo raateN haiN
vo harf-e-dua2 hai na munaajaateN3 haiN
kal tak jo thiiN aye josh upi-talvaareN4
ulTi-hui-dhaar5 ab vo mulaqaateN6 haiN 1.age 2.words of prayer 3.hymn, prayer in verse 4.drawn swords 5.turned backwards i.e. dull edge 6.meetings
There was a time when the poet/lover met the beloved it was like the sharp edge of a drawn sword (it meant business). But now those meetings are like the edge of the sword turned backwards i.e. dull edge, meaning nothing interesting happens. Because this is not ‘that’ age, days or night (of youth). No more praying and supplication for favours from the beloved.
6
be-maa’egi1-e niyaaz2 o iflaas-e-gudaaz3
nadaari-e-ishwa4 o tehi-dasti-e-naaz5
kotaah-nigaahauN6 ko bataauN kyuNkar7
kya haadesa-e-azeem8 hai umr-e-daraaz9 1.no value, ineffectiveness 2.supplication 3.poverty of comfort 4.paucity of playfulness 5.tight-fistedness of favours 6.short-sighted 7.how 8.big event/calamity 9.long life
Those who are short-sighted pray for a long life. The poet having experienced it, characterizes it as a huge calamity because he encounters a paucity of (answers to) supplications, a poverty of comfort, ineffectiveness of playfulness and tight-fistedness of favours.
7
paani ki jhaRi malhaar1 gaati thi kabhi
badli2 har aan3 ghaRghaRaati thi kabhi
meri nagri se aye guzarne vaale
barkha is des meN aati thi kabhi 1.raag malhaar 2.clouds 3.instant, moment
In urdu poetic tradition clouds and rains are a blessing (a good harvest) as well as a period of romance (spring time). At one time showers sang malhaar, clouds rumbled (indicating rain) all the time. O you, who pass through my domain, at one time blessed rain used to visit here too.
8
taa1 saNg-e-dar2 ab tak ye jabiN3 jaati hai
dil ki jo kasak4 hai vo kahiN jaati hai
harchand5 baras ke khul chuke haiN baadal
bijli ki taRap hai ke nahiN jaati hai 1.up to 2.stone slab threshold 3.forehead 4.pain, longing 5.even though
I still bow at (bring my forehead to) her threshold. How can the longing of the heart go away. Even though clouds gathered, showered and cleared away, how can the restlessness of lightning go away. Of course, the shower and the clearing away of clouds is the coming and passing of youth.
9
yaado1, saf-e-turkaaN2 meN na le jaao mujhe
sahn3-e dil-e veeraaN4 meN na le jaao mujhe
qabreN5 haiN jahaaN daur6-e tarab7 ki ta-duur8
us gor-e-GharibaaN9 meN na le jaao mujhe 1.memories 2.line of beauties 3.yard of 4.desolate 5.graves 6.times, period 7.pleasure 8.till far 9.graveyard of the poor/homeless
‘turkaaN’=turks is a word used for Mongolian features with slanted eyes. These are considered very beautiful. Memories, do not take me to the lines of beauties (of my youth). Do not take me into the desolate yard in my heart where there are graves of the times of pleasure as far as the eye can see. Do not take me into this sorrowful graveyard.
josh malihabadi is well known for his fiery nazm. He also wrote many romantic as well as cerebral nazm and Ghazal. His marsia are a celebration of dignified death rather than bowing to injustice even at the cost of life. He also wrote numerous rubaaii. This series is a collection of nearly 300 rubaaiyaat from various books organized by subject. This selection is about the cruelties (and some benefits) of old age.
1
marzi1 ho to sooli2 pe chaRhaana yaarab3
sau baar jahannum meN jalaana yaarab
ma’ashooq4 kaheN, ‘aap hamaare haiN buzurg5’
nacheez6 ko ye din na dikhaana yaarab
1.want, desire 2.hanging platform 3.god 4.beloved, used here more as ‘young damsels’ 5.elder 6.a polite way of referring to oneself – nothing/lowly/not valuable
josh apparently did not like being called ‘elderly’. There is an unverified street story that he was introduced at a women’s college as “our respected elder” upon which he recited this rubaaii. If you please, o god, hang me by the noose or burn me in hell a hundred times. But young damsels call me a ‘respected elder’, do not let this lowly man see that day.
2
jab sheeb1 ne Khaal-o-Khat2 ka gulshan3 looTa
mahka4 chaman-e-fikr5 ka booTa booTa
jis vaqt bujha dil6 to jali shama’-e-dimaaGh7
jab baal gire to sar meN akhva8 phooTa
1.age, infirmity 2.literally beauty spot and lines (of the face), beauty 3.garden 4.fragrant 5.garden of reason/wisdom 6.heart, used here to mean youthful emotions 7.lamp of the mind/intelligence 8.first shoots, sapling
When age robbed the garden of beauty, only then did every plant in the garden of reason become fragrant. When youthful emotions settled down, only then did the light of reason lit up. When I lost all my hair, only then the first shoots (of reason) came up.
3
hum par bhi haseenauN ka karam1 tha ek roz
is qaum2 meN apna bhi bharam3 tha ek roz
bezaar4 nigaahauN ki guzar-gaah5 hai ab
ye chehra jo nazrauN ka haram6 tha ek roz
1.kindness 2.community 3.status, position 4.disinterested, bored 5.passage, pass through 6.place of worship
The poet is now old and decrepit, otherwise, once upon a time beautiful damsels looked at him with kindness. He had a position (recognition) in society. Now disinterested glances pass over it, but once upon a time, this face was an object of worship.
4
farhaNg1 pe ye qahar2, adab3 par ye azaab4
apne shaagird5 par ilaahi6 ye itaab7
shaa’er ke habeeb8 ko Dasay vaqt ka naag
yusuf9 ke liye aaye zulaiKha10 pe shabaab11
1.encyclopedia, dictionary 2.curse, calamity 3.literature 4.torture 5.student 6.my god 7.anger, displeasure 8.beloved 9.Joseph 10.the wife of Joseph’s master/owner 11.youth
Biblical/quraanic stories say that yusuf was a handsome youth and his owner’s beautiful wife zulaiKha tried unsuccessfully to seduce him. She prayed to god asking for and was granted her youth back. josh seems to complain that god is treating him unfairly compared to yusuf. god has been kind to yusuf by granting youth/beauty to zulaiKha. josh characterizing himself as ‘farhaNg, adab, shaagird and shaa’er’, says that god has visited a curse, torture and displeasure upon him because his beloved has been stung by the ‘cobra of time’ i.e. old age.
5
vo sin1 hai na vo din haiN na vo raateN haiN
vo harf-e-dua2 hai na munaajaateN3 haiN
kal tak jo thiiN aye josh upi-talvaareN4
ulTi-hui-dhaar5 ab vo mulaqaateN6 haiN
1.age 2.words of prayer 3.hymn, prayer in verse 4.drawn swords 5.turned backwards i.e. dull edge 6.meetings
There was a time when the poet/lover met the beloved it was like the sharp edge of a drawn sword (it meant business). But now those meetings are like the edge of the sword turned backwards i.e. dull edge, meaning nothing interesting happens. Because this is not ‘that’ age, days or night (of youth). No more praying and supplication for favours from the beloved.
6
be-maa’egi1-e niyaaz2 o iflaas-e-gudaaz3
nadaari-e-ishwa4 o tehi-dasti-e-naaz5
kotaah-nigaahauN6 ko bataauN kyuNkar7
kya haadesa-e-azeem8 hai umr-e-daraaz9
1.no value, ineffectiveness 2.supplication 3.poverty of comfort 4.paucity of playfulness 5.tight-fistedness of favours 6.short-sighted 7.how 8.big event/calamity 9.long life
Those who are short-sighted pray for a long life. The poet having experienced it, characterizes it as a huge calamity because he encounters a paucity of (answers to) supplications, a poverty of comfort, ineffectiveness of playfulness and tight-fistedness of favours.
7
paani ki jhaRi malhaar1 gaati thi kabhi
badli2 har aan3 ghaRghaRaati thi kabhi
meri nagri se aye guzarne vaale
barkha is des meN aati thi kabhi
1.raag malhaar 2.clouds 3.instant, moment
In urdu poetic tradition clouds and rains are a blessing (a good harvest) as well as a period of romance (spring time). At one time showers sang malhaar, clouds rumbled (indicating rain) all the time. O you, who pass through my domain, at one time blessed rain used to visit here too.
8
taa1 saNg-e-dar2 ab tak ye jabiN3 jaati hai
dil ki jo kasak4 hai vo kahiN jaati hai
harchand5 baras ke khul chuke haiN baadal
bijli ki taRap hai ke nahiN jaati hai
1.up to 2.stone slab threshold 3.forehead 4.pain, longing 5.even though
I still bow at (bring my forehead to) her threshold. How can the longing of the heart go away. Even though clouds gathered, showered and cleared away, how can the restlessness of lightning go away. Of course, the shower and the clearing away of clouds is the coming and passing of youth.
9
yaado1, saf-e-turkaaN2 meN na le jaao mujhe
sahn3-e dil-e veeraaN4 meN na le jaao mujhe
qabreN5 haiN jahaaN daur6-e tarab7 ki ta-duur8
us gor-e-GharibaaN9 meN na le jaao mujhe
1.memories 2.line of beauties 3.yard of 4.desolate 5.graves 6.times, period 7.pleasure 8.till far 9.graveyard of the poor/homeless
‘turkaaN’=turks is a word used for Mongolian features with slanted eyes. These are considered very beautiful. Memories, do not take me to the lines of beauties (of my youth). Do not take me into the desolate yard in my heart where there are graves of the times of pleasure as far as the eye can see. Do not take me into this sorrowful graveyard.
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