For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
شیخ و برہمن کے واسطے ۔ منوہر لال بہارؔ
۱
آ رہی ہے پھر بہارِؔ نو چمن کے واسطے
دھجیاں پھر جوڑتا ہوں پیرہن کے واسطے
۲
راز یہ سمجھیں گے کیا ہوش و خِرد کے مدّعی
جان دے دی ہم نے کیوں دیوانہ پن کے واسطے
۳
ڈر خزاں کا، خوف گلچیں کا، خطر صیاد کا
ہے سکوں حرفِ غلط اہلِ چمن کے واسطے
۴
پھونک ڈالا اُس نے آنکھوں کا اُجالا دل کا نور
شمع جو روشن ہوئی تھی انجمن کے واسطے
۵
حادثوں کی ہے نوازش، بادِ صرصر کا کرم
سب بلائیں وقف ہیں میرے چمن کے واسطے
۶
توڑ کر رکھ دیں نہ کیوں ظالم بہاروں کا غرور
جب چمن والے ہی خود ترسیں چمن کے واسطے
۷
سر جھکاتا ہوں جہاں میں وہ جگہ کچھ اور ہے
دیر و کعبہ تو ہیں شیخ و برہمن کے واسطے
۸
تیرگی مٹتی نہیں جب شمع کی لَو سے بہارؔ
دل جلانا ہی پڑے گا انجمن کے واسطے
शैख़ ओ बरहमन के वास्ते – मनोहर लाल बहार
१
आ रही है फिर बहार-ए नौ चमन के वास्ते
धज्जियां फिर जोढता हूं पैरहन के वास्ते
२
राज़ ये समझेंगे क्या होश ओ ख़िरद के मुद्द’ई
जान दे दी हमने क्यूं दीवाना-पन के वास्ते
३
डर ख़िज़ां का, ख़ौफ़ गुल्चीं का, ख़तर सय्याद का
है सुकूं हर्फ़-ए ग़लत अहल-ए चमन के वास्ते
४
फूंक डाला उस ने आंखौं का उजाला दिल का नूर
शम’अ जो रौशन हुई थी अंजुमन के वास्ते
५
हादसौं की है नवाज़िश, बाद-ए सरसर का करम
सब बलाएं वक़्फ़ हैं मेरे चमन के वास्ते
६
तोढ कर रख दें न क्यूं ज़ालिम बहारौं का ग़ुरूर
जब चमन वाले ही ख़ुद तरसें चमन के वास्ते
७
सर झुकाता हूं जहां मैं वो जगह कुछ और है
दैर ओ काबा तो हैं शैख़ ओ बरहमन के वास्ते
८
तिरगी मिटती नहीं जब शम’अ की लौ से बहार
दिल जलाना ही पढेगा अंजुमन के वास्ते
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. manohar lal bahaar (1912-????), whose father, rai shahed lal taught him urdu and farsi at home was invited to mushaa’era in hyderabad regularly. His collection ‘bahaaristan’ was published in 1977. There are at least 4 additional collections of his poetry. He retired as a high-level official in the Department of Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh.
1
aa rahi hai phir bahaar1-e nau2 chaman ke vaast’e3
dhajjiyaaN4 phir joRta5 huN pairahan6 ke vaast’e 1.spring 2.new 3.for the sake/use of of 4.tatters, rags 5.mend 7.clothes, garments
In poetic tradition, the mad passionate lover tears his collar down to the hem of his garments and goes about it tatters in a sign of his distress. Once again a new spring is arriving for the garden … the implication is that it is good for the garden and for everyone assocated with the garden, except the poet/lover. So he is mending his tattered clothes to start the process all over again for with the arrival of spring he will once again feel the absence of the favours of the beloved.
2
raaz1 ye samjheNge2 kya hosh3 o Khirad4 ke mudda’ii5
jaan de di hum ne kyuN diivaanapan ke vaast’e 1.secret 2.understand 3.awareness, knowledge 4.wisdom 5.desirous
People focused on material things are desirous of knowledge and wisdom of the world. How can these people ever understand the secret of why we gave up our life for the sake of madness i.e., the poet lover considers mad passion to be more desirable than knowledge, wisdom and even life.
3
Dar KhizaaN1 ka, Khauf2 gulchiiN3 ka, Khatar4 sayyaad5 ka
hai sukuuN6 harf7-e Ghalat8 ahl-e-chaman9 ke vaast’e 1.dry/barren times 2.fear 3.flower picker 4.danger 5.hunter, bird-catcher 6.peace and comfort 7.word 8.wrong, forbidden 9.people of the garden
The people of the garden are the flowers and the birds. In poetic tradition the poet is presented as a bird sometimes free in the garden singing songs to his beloved, the rose. Thus the poet/lover/bird is always apprehensive/fearful of the arrival of autumn and barren-ness, of the flower picker who will pick off and carry away the beloved and of the hunter birdcatcher will trap him and put him in a cage. With all this going on, peace and comfort are forbidden words for him and fellow residents of the garden.
4
phooNk-Daala1 us ne aaNkhoN ka ujaala2 dil ka noor3
sham’a4 jo raushan5 hui thi anjuman6 ke vaast’e 1.blow off, extinguish 2.brightness, sight 3.light, love, joy 4.candle 5.lit, lighted 6.society
Society was enveloped by darkness (injustice or ignorance). A lamp was lighted to show the path, dispet darkness. But leaders/powerful people used the same lamp to dazzle and make people blind and take away the joy of their hearts. This could well be a political statement about the misuse of that which was meant to benefit the general public.
5
haadasoN1 ki hai navaazish2, baad-e-sarsar3 ka karam4
sab balaa’eN5 vaqf6 haiN mere chaman ke vaast’e 1.misfortune 2.benevolence 3.stormy winds 4.kindness 5.calamities 6.reserved
The words navaazish and karam are used in sarcasm. Thus, it is the benevolence of misfortune and the kindness of storms that all calamities are reserved for my garden/homeland.
6
toR1 kar rakh deN na kyuN zaalim-bahaaroN2 ka Ghuroor3
jab chaman vaale hi Khud4 tarseN5 chaman ke vaast’e 1.break 2.oppressive spring 3.pride, arrogance 4.themselves 5.thirst
Spring is oppressive because the benefits of spring do not reach the deprived. The poet/revolutionary calls upon the oppressed to rise the break the arrogance of this oppressive spring, when people of the garden themselves thirst for the beauty/benefits of the garden.
7
sar jhukaata1 huN jahaaN2 maiN voh jagah3 kuchh aur hai
da’er4 o k’aaba to haiN shaiKh o barhaman ke vaast’e 1.bend, bow 2.where 3.place
The place where I bow my head is something else (other than temple and mosque). The temple and mosque are for the shaiKh and the brahman.
8
tiiragi1 miT’ti2 nahiiN jab sham’a3 ki lau4 se bahaar5
dil jalaana6 hi paRega anjuman7 ke vaast’e 1.darkness 2.erased, removed 3.candle, lamp 4.flame 5.pen-name of the poet 6.set on fire, light up 7.society
Here darkness symbolizes ignorance and injustice and the light of the candle symbolizes knowledge and justice. Thus, O bahaar, if darkness cannot be removed with the light of a candle, then we have to light up our hearts with fire for the sake of society. Lighting up the heart with fire is to stoke the passion of love and resistance.
manohar lal bahaar (1912-????), whose father, rai shahed lal taught him urdu and farsi at home was invited to mushaa’era in hyderabad regularly. His collection ‘bahaaristan’ was published in 1977. There are at least 4 additional collections of his poetry. He retired as a high-level official in the Department of Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh.
1
aa rahi hai phir bahaar1-e nau2 chaman ke vaast’e3
dhajjiyaaN4 phir joRta5 huN pairahan6 ke vaast’e
1.spring 2.new 3.for the sake/use of of 4.tatters, rags 5.mend 7.clothes, garments
In poetic tradition, the mad passionate lover tears his collar down to the hem of his garments and goes about it tatters in a sign of his distress. Once again a new spring is arriving for the garden … the implication is that it is good for the garden and for everyone assocated with the garden, except the poet/lover. So he is mending his tattered clothes to start the process all over again for with the arrival of spring he will once again feel the absence of the favours of the beloved.
2
raaz1 ye samjheNge2 kya hosh3 o Khirad4 ke mudda’ii5
jaan de di hum ne kyuN diivaanapan ke vaast’e
1.secret 2.understand 3.awareness, knowledge 4.wisdom 5.desirous
People focused on material things are desirous of knowledge and wisdom of the world. How can these people ever understand the secret of why we gave up our life for the sake of madness i.e., the poet lover considers mad passion to be more desirable than knowledge, wisdom and even life.
3
Dar KhizaaN1 ka, Khauf2 gulchiiN3 ka, Khatar4 sayyaad5 ka
hai sukuuN6 harf7-e Ghalat8 ahl-e-chaman9 ke vaast’e
1.dry/barren times 2.fear 3.flower picker 4.danger 5.hunter, bird-catcher 6.peace and comfort 7.word 8.wrong, forbidden 9.people of the garden
The people of the garden are the flowers and the birds. In poetic tradition the poet is presented as a bird sometimes free in the garden singing songs to his beloved, the rose. Thus the poet/lover/bird is always apprehensive/fearful of the arrival of autumn and barren-ness, of the flower picker who will pick off and carry away the beloved and of the hunter birdcatcher will trap him and put him in a cage. With all this going on, peace and comfort are forbidden words for him and fellow residents of the garden.
4
phooNk-Daala1 us ne aaNkhoN ka ujaala2 dil ka noor3
sham’a4 jo raushan5 hui thi anjuman6 ke vaast’e
1.blow off, extinguish 2.brightness, sight 3.light, love, joy 4.candle 5.lit, lighted 6.society
Society was enveloped by darkness (injustice or ignorance). A lamp was lighted to show the path, dispet darkness. But leaders/powerful people used the same lamp to dazzle and make people blind and take away the joy of their hearts. This could well be a political statement about the misuse of that which was meant to benefit the general public.
5
haadasoN1 ki hai navaazish2, baad-e-sarsar3 ka karam4
sab balaa’eN5 vaqf6 haiN mere chaman ke vaast’e
1.misfortune 2.benevolence 3.stormy winds 4.kindness 5.calamities 6.reserved
The words navaazish and karam are used in sarcasm. Thus, it is the benevolence of misfortune and the kindness of storms that all calamities are reserved for my garden/homeland.
6
toR1 kar rakh deN na kyuN zaalim-bahaaroN2 ka Ghuroor3
jab chaman vaale hi Khud4 tarseN5 chaman ke vaast’e
1.break 2.oppressive spring 3.pride, arrogance 4.themselves 5.thirst
Spring is oppressive because the benefits of spring do not reach the deprived. The poet/revolutionary calls upon the oppressed to rise the break the arrogance of this oppressive spring, when people of the garden themselves thirst for the beauty/benefits of the garden.
7
sar jhukaata1 huN jahaaN2 maiN voh jagah3 kuchh aur hai
da’er4 o k’aaba to haiN shaiKh o barhaman ke vaast’e
1.bend, bow 2.where 3.place
The place where I bow my head is something else (other than temple and mosque). The temple and mosque are for the shaiKh and the brahman.
8
tiiragi1 miT’ti2 nahiiN jab sham’a3 ki lau4 se bahaar5
dil jalaana6 hi paRega anjuman7 ke vaast’e
1.darkness 2.erased, removed 3.candle, lamp 4.flame 5.pen-name of the poet 6.set on fire, light up 7.society
Here darkness symbolizes ignorance and injustice and the light of the candle symbolizes knowledge and justice. Thus, O bahaar, if darkness cannot be removed with the light of a candle, then we have to light up our hearts with fire for the sake of society. Lighting up the heart with fire is to stoke the passion of love and resistance.
