For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
شکوۂ بیداد آیا ۔ بالمُکُند عرشؔ ملسیانی
۱
یاد جس وقت مجھے وہ ستم ایجاد آیا
لب پہ رہ رہ کے مرے شکوۂ بیداد آیا
۲
حضرتِ شیخ کے لب پر ہے وہی حور کی بات
یاد اُس کو نہ کبھی کوئی پری زاد آیا
۳
توبہ توبہ یہ بلا خیز جوانی توبہ
دیکھ کر اُس بتِ کافر کو خدا یاد آیا
۴
بستی جاتی ہے پھر اُمید کی دنیا دل میں
کوئی بھولا ہوا وعدہ اُنہیں پھر یاد آیا
۵
اِس قدر پاس رہا ضبطِ محبّت کا مجھے
اُن کا شکوہ نہ زباں پر دمِ فریاد آیا
۶
جس کی پُر درد نواؤں کی ملے عرشؔ سے داد
میرؔ کے بعد نہ ایسا کوئی اُستاد آیا
शिक्वा-ए बेदाद आया – बालमुकुंद अर्श मल्सियानी
१
याद जिस वक़्त मुझे वो सितम-ईजाद आया
लब पे रह रह के मेरे शिक्वा-ए बेदाद आया
२
हज़्रत-ए शैख़ के लब पर है वही हूर की बात
याद उस को ना कभी कोई परी-ज़ाद आया
३
तौबह तोबह ये बला-ख़ेज़ जवानी तौबह
देख कर उस बुत-ए काफ़र को ख़ुदा याद आया
४
बस्ती जाती है फिर उम्मीद कि दुनिया दिल में
कोई भूला हुआ वा’दा उन्हें फिर याद आया
५
इस क़दर पास रहा ज़ब्त-ए मोहब्बत का मुझे
उन का शिक्वा न ज़बां पर दम-ए फ़र्याद आया
६
जिस की पुर दर्द नवाऔं कि मिले अर्श से दाद
मीर के बा’द न ऐसा कोई उस्ताद आया
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. baalmukund arsh malsiyaani (1908-1979), son of josh malsiyaani, both renowned shu’ara of progresssive views, from malsiyaan, punjab. They moved to dehli in the 1930s. arsh malsiyaani was assistant editor of Govt of India urdu publication ‘aaj kal’ under josh malihabadi and took over as editor after josh left for pakistan. He wrote a book dedicated to Ghalib “faizaan-e Ghalib” about his influence on his many shaagird. This Ghazal is composed in the same zamin as Ghalib’s ‘saNg uThaaya that to sar yaad aaya’ with a slight variation in the ‘qaafiya’.
1
yaad jis vaqt mujhe vo sitam-eejaad1 aaya
lab2 pe rah-rah3 ke mere shikva4-e bedaad5 aaya 1.inventor of torture, beloved 2.lips 3.again and again 4.complaint 5.injustice
Whenever the poet/lover recalled the beloved and her ever new ways of torturing him, he cried out with complaints of injustice.
2
hazrat1-e shaiKh2 ke lab3 par hai vahi huur ki baat
yaad us ko na kabhi koii pari-zaad4 aaya 1.honorific such as ‘sir’ 2.preacher 3.lips 4.angel
The preacher always talks of hoor in heaven. He does not remember/talk about any other angels i.e. he is a lustful hypocrite.
3
taubah-taubah1 ye bala-Khez2 javaani tuabah
dekh kar us but3-e kaafir4 ko Khuda yaad aaya 1.used in the sense of ‘god help me’ 2.calamitous, spreading miscief 3.idol 4.used in the sense of ‘corrupting my virtue’
God help me, look at this mischief creating youth (beloved). Whenever I look at her I ‘remember god’. There is an interesting play here … “Khuda yaad aaya”, can mean “I got into so much trouble, became so helpless, that all I could do was pray to/remember god”. It can also mean, that the beloved was so tempting that the poet/lover had to remind himself of god/virtuous behaviour.
4
basti1 jaati hai phir ummeed2 ki duniya dil meN
koii bhoola hua v’aada3 unheN phir yaad aaya 1. inhabited, prosper, revived 2.hope 3.promise
In poetic tradition the beloved is famous for making promises and not keeping them. That leaves the poet/lover without any hope. But whenever she remembers a long forgotten promise, hope gets rekindled in his heart.
5
is qadar1 paas2 raha zabt3-e mohabbat ka mujhe
un ka shikva4 na zabaaN par dam5-e faryaad6 aaya 1.so much 2.consideration, regard 3.control, self-control 4.complaint 5.time of 6.appeal
This is probably about appealing to god, praying for justice/redress. But even when he is doing this, the poet/lover holds the concept of self-control, not maligning the reputation of the beloved, in such high regard that he cannot bring himself to complain about her.
6
jis ki pur-dard1 navaa’oN2 ki mile arsh3 se daad4
miir5 ke b’aad na aisa koii ustaad6 aaya 1.full of pain/pathos 2.sound, cry 3.sky, heavens also the pen-name of the poet 4.praise 5.mir taqi mir 6.expert
This has several interesting features – he is using the zamin of Ghalib to praise mir taqi mir. He is using his pen-name in two different senses, and presenting himself as an expert who can decide which shaa’er deserves heavenly praise. Heavens may be praising mir taqi mir, or the poet himself might be. Thus, after mir taqi mir, there has not been an expert shaa’er whose mournful/emotional voice received praise from “arsh” – heavens, or the poet.
baalmukund arsh malsiyaani (1908-1979), son of josh malsiyaani, both renowned shu’ara of progresssive views, from malsiyaan, punjab. They moved to dehli in the 1930s. arsh malsiyaani was assistant editor of Govt of India urdu publication ‘aaj kal’ under josh malihabadi and took over as editor after josh left for pakistan. He wrote a book dedicated to Ghalib “faizaan-e Ghalib” about his influence on his many shaagird. This Ghazal is composed in the same zamin as Ghalib’s ‘saNg uThaaya that to sar yaad aaya’ with a slight variation in the ‘qaafiya’.
1
yaad jis vaqt mujhe vo sitam-eejaad1 aaya
lab2 pe rah-rah3 ke mere shikva4-e bedaad5 aaya
1.inventor of torture, beloved 2.lips 3.again and again 4.complaint 5.injustice
Whenever the poet/lover recalled the beloved and her ever new ways of torturing him, he cried out with complaints of injustice.
2
hazrat1-e shaiKh2 ke lab3 par hai vahi huur ki baat
yaad us ko na kabhi koii pari-zaad4 aaya
1.honorific such as ‘sir’ 2.preacher 3.lips 4.angel
The preacher always talks of hoor in heaven. He does not remember/talk about any other angels i.e. he is a lustful hypocrite.
3
taubah-taubah1 ye bala-Khez2 javaani tuabah
dekh kar us but3-e kaafir4 ko Khuda yaad aaya
1.used in the sense of ‘god help me’ 2.calamitous, spreading miscief 3.idol 4.used in the sense of ‘corrupting my virtue’
God help me, look at this mischief creating youth (beloved). Whenever I look at her I ‘remember god’. There is an interesting play here … “Khuda yaad aaya”, can mean “I got into so much trouble, became so helpless, that all I could do was pray to/remember god”. It can also mean, that the beloved was so tempting that the poet/lover had to remind himself of god/virtuous behaviour.
4
basti1 jaati hai phir ummeed2 ki duniya dil meN
koii bhoola hua v’aada3 unheN phir yaad aaya
1. inhabited, prosper, revived 2.hope 3.promise
In poetic tradition the beloved is famous for making promises and not keeping them. That leaves the poet/lover without any hope. But whenever she remembers a long forgotten promise, hope gets rekindled in his heart.
5
is qadar1 paas2 raha zabt3-e mohabbat ka mujhe
un ka shikva4 na zabaaN par dam5-e faryaad6 aaya
1.so much 2.consideration, regard 3.control, self-control 4.complaint 5.time of 6.appeal
This is probably about appealing to god, praying for justice/redress. But even when he is doing this, the poet/lover holds the concept of self-control, not maligning the reputation of the beloved, in such high regard that he cannot bring himself to complain about her.
6
jis ki pur-dard1 navaa’oN2 ki mile arsh3 se daad4
miir5 ke b’aad na aisa koii ustaad6 aaya
1.full of pain/pathos 2.sound, cry 3.sky, heavens also the pen-name of the poet 4.praise 5.mir taqi mir 6.expert
This has several interesting features – he is using the zamin of Ghalib to praise mir taqi mir. He is using his pen-name in two different senses, and presenting himself as an expert who can decide which shaa’er deserves heavenly praise. Heavens may be praising mir taqi mir, or the poet himself might be. Thus, after mir taqi mir, there has not been an expert shaa’er whose mournful/emotional voice received praise from “arsh” – heavens, or the poet.
