For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
شبیہِ دارا ۔ پنڈت آنند نرائن مُلّا
۱
کل مجھ سے یہ فرمانے لگے ایک منسٹر
طاقت ہے مری اور ہے قانون تمہارا
۲
لہجے میں رعونت کی کھنک سی دمِ گفتار
جس طرح کہ ذرّے سے مخاطب ہو ستارا
۳
پھر نرگسِ سرشار کو چمکا کے یہ بولے
قانون بھی میرے خمِ ابرو کا اِشارا
۴
یہ سن کے جو تھی قبلِ ملاقاتِ سکندر
نظروں میں میری پھر گئی وہ صورتِ دارا
शबीह-ए दारा – पंडित आनन्द नरायन मुल्ला
१
कल मुझ से ये फ़रमाने लगे एक मिनिस्टर
ताक़त है मेरी और है क़ानून तुम्हारा
२
लहजे में रआ़ुनत की खनक सी दम-ए गुफ़्तार
जिस तरह के ज़र्रे से मुख़ातिब हो सितारा
३
फिर नरगिस-ए सरशार को चमका के ये बोले
क़ानून भी मेरे ख़म-ए अब्रू का इशारा
४
ये सुन के जो थी क़ब्ल-ए मुलाक़ात-ए सिकन्दर
नज़रों में मेरी फिर गई वो सूरत-ए दारा
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit anand narain mulla (1901-1997), lukhnow, thoughtful and thoughtprovoking shaa’er. MA English Literature. Learnt urdu and faarsi at home. First venture into poetry translation of parts of iqbal’s ‘payaam-e mashriq’ into English. First urdu nazm published 1925. Ardent urdu lover as a language of the people. High court justice, parliamentarian and strong secularist and rationalist/atheist. He had made remarks highly critical of political and police practices. It is reported that he had an encounter with a minister who was abusive towards him. He composed this nazm in response. The nazm that he composed just as he took early retirement as Chief Judge of the High Court, UP, ‘aivaan-e adaalat se ruKhsat’, is also worth reading.
1
kal mujh se ye farmaane1 lage ek minister
taaqat2 hai meri aur hai qaanuun3 tumhaara 1.saying, lecturing 2.power 3.law
Yesterday, a minister lectured me sternly – you may have legal issues under your control but I have power in my possession.
2
lahje1 meN ra’uunat2 ki khanak3 si dam4-e guftaar5
jis tarah6 keh zarre7 se muKhaatib8 ho sitaara 1.accent, tone 2.hubris, pride 3.tinkle, used here to mean edge, sharpness 4.time 5.speaking 6.as if, like 7.grain of clay 8.addressing, talking to
A sharp edge of hubris in his tone at the time of speaking as if a lofty star is condescending to speak to lowly grain of dust.
3
phir nargis1-e sarshaar2 ko chamkaa ke ye bole
qaanuun3 bhi mayre Kham4-e abruu5 ka ishaara6 1.narcissus – used as a symbold of eye, eye 2.satiated, self-fulfilled 3.law 4.arch of the eyebrow 6.sign
And then with an angry glow in his self-fulfilled eye, even the law minds the signs of the arch of my eyebrow. The eyebrow gets arched when someone is annoyed or angry. Thus, even lawyers/judges should watch out if he shows anger.
4
ye sunn ke jo thi qabl1-e mulaaqaat2-e sikandar3
nazroN4 meN meri phir5 ga’ii vo suurat6-e daaraa7 1.before, earlier 2.meeting, encounter 3.Alexander 4.eyes 5.passed before, played out 6.face 7.Darius
Alexander soundly defeated Darius in two battles and forced him to surrender his kingdom. The poet envisions a scene before these battles and defeats. Darius’ proud face plays out before him. The implication is that after the battles, he must have looked crestfallen. Thus, when I heard this from the minister, the face of Darius before his encounter with Alexander played out before my eyes. The implication is that he (the poet/judge) was going to defeat/defy the minister in much the same way. Please see background notes above for context.
panDit anand narain mulla (1901-1997), lukhnow, thoughtful and thoughtprovoking shaa’er. MA English Literature. Learnt urdu and faarsi at home. First venture into poetry translation of parts of iqbal’s ‘payaam-e mashriq’ into English. First urdu nazm published 1925. Ardent urdu lover as a language of the people. High court justice, parliamentarian and strong secularist and rationalist/atheist. He had made remarks highly critical of political and police practices. It is reported that he had an encounter with a minister who was abusive towards him. He composed this nazm in response. The nazm that he composed just as he took early retirement as Chief Judge of the High Court, UP, ‘aivaan-e adaalat se ruKhsat’, is also worth reading.
1
kal mujh se ye farmaane1 lage ek minister
taaqat2 hai meri aur hai qaanuun3 tumhaara
1.saying, lecturing 2.power 3.law
Yesterday, a minister lectured me sternly – you may have legal issues under your control but I have power in my possession.
2
lahje1 meN ra’uunat2 ki khanak3 si dam4-e guftaar5
jis tarah6 keh zarre7 se muKhaatib8 ho sitaara
1.accent, tone 2.hubris, pride 3.tinkle, used here to mean edge, sharpness 4.time 5.speaking 6.as if, like 7.grain of clay 8.addressing, talking to
A sharp edge of hubris in his tone at the time of speaking as if a lofty star is condescending to speak to lowly grain of dust.
3
phir nargis1-e sarshaar2 ko chamkaa ke ye bole
qaanuun3 bhi mayre Kham4-e abruu5 ka ishaara6
1.narcissus – used as a symbold of eye, eye 2.satiated, self-fulfilled 3.law 4.arch of the eyebrow 6.sign
And then with an angry glow in his self-fulfilled eye, even the law minds the signs of the arch of my eyebrow. The eyebrow gets arched when someone is annoyed or angry. Thus, even lawyers/judges should watch out if he shows anger.
4
ye sunn ke jo thi qabl1-e mulaaqaat2-e sikandar3
nazroN4 meN meri phir5 ga’ii vo suurat6-e daaraa7
1.before, earlier 2.meeting, encounter 3.Alexander 4.eyes 5.passed before, played out 6.face 7.Darius
Alexander soundly defeated Darius in two battles and forced him to surrender his kingdom. The poet envisions a scene before these battles and defeats. Darius’ proud face plays out before him. The implication is that after the battles, he must have looked crestfallen. Thus, when I heard this from the minister, the face of Darius before his encounter with Alexander played out before my eyes. The implication is that he (the poet/judge) was going to defeat/defy the minister in much the same way. Please see background notes above for context.
