soz-e jigar hone tak-heera lal falak dehlavi

For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.

سوزِ جگر ہونے تک ۔ ہیرا لال فلکؔ

۱

دردِ دل کم نہ ہوا سوزِ جگر ہونے تک

مر مِٹے ہم شبِ فرقت کی سحر ہونے تک

۲

اِرتقا جانے وہی قطرۂ ابرِ نیساں

بند رہتا ہے صدف میں جو گہر ہونے تک

۳

روشنی تیز کرو چاند ستارو اپنی

مجھ کو منزل پہ پہنچنا ہے سحر ہونے تک

۴

دل ہو بربادِ محبّت تو سمجھئے آباد

تخم پامال ہی رہتا ہے شجر ہونے تک

۵

لاکھ پروانے دکھائے گی جلا کر مجھ کو

شمع خاموش رہے گی نہ سحر ہونے تک

۶

ہستی کچھ اور ہے کچھ اور شعورِ ہستی

گزری اک عمر ہمیں اپنی خبر ہونے تک

۷

اُن پہ کچھ زور نہ تقدیر پہ قابو اے دل

صبر کر پیدا محبّت میں اثر ہونے تک

۸

کون جانے کہ اِسی خاک کے پتلے نے فلکؔ

کس قدر فتنے اُٹھائے ہیں بشر ہونے تک

सोज़-ए जिगर होने तक – हीरा लाल फ़लक देहलवी

दर्द-ए दिल कम न हुआ सोज़-ए जिगर होने तक

मर मिटे हम शब-ए फ़ुर्क़त कि सहर होने तक

इर्तक़ा जाने वही क़तरा-ए अब्र-ए नीसां

बंद रहता है सदफ़ में जो गोहर होने तक

रौशनी तेज़ करो चांद सितारो अपनी

मुझ को मंज़िल पे पहुंचना है सहर होने तक

दिल हो बरबाद-ए मोहब्बत तो समझिये आबाद

तुख़्म पामाल हि रहता है शजर होने तक

लाख पर्वाने दिखाएगी जला कर मुझ को

शम’अ ख़ामोश रहेगी न सहर होने तक

हस्ती कुछ और है कुछ और श’ऊर-ए हस्ती

गुज़्रि एक उम्र हमें अपनी ख़बर होने तक

उन पे कुछ ज़ोर न तक़्दीर पे क़ाबू अए दिल

सब्र कर पैदा मोहब्बत में असर होने तक

कौन जाने के इसी ख़ाक के पुतले ने फ़लक

किस क़दर फ़ितने उठाए हैं बशर होने तक

 

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. heera lal falak dehlavi (1920?-1982+?). I can only make an educated guess about his birth and death. A collection of his Ghazal was published posthumously in 1982 by his shaagird. The book mentions beKhud dehlavi (1863-1955) as his ‘inspirational ustaad’ and dedicates it to him. He was a minor official in the dehli court system. In the book he describes his encounter with beKhud dehlavi when he (falak) was still a young man. The book says that he started composing in 1940. He has several Ghazal composed in the zamin of Ghalib, this one of a series linked to the corresponding radeef in ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
dard-e dil kam na hua soz1-e jigar2 hone tak
mar miTe ham shab3-e furqat4 ki sahar5 hone tak  
1.fire, pain, passion 2.liver 3.night of 4.separation 5.dawn
In urdu poetic tradition the heart is the seat of emotions and jigar is seat of forbearance and strength of character. ‘soz-e jigar hona’ is the liver being set of fire. It is on fire/in great pain because it is bearing the pain of the heart – dard-e dil, the pain of love. Thus, the pain of love did not come under control until the liver stepped in with courage and forbearance. By the time the night of separation ended with dawn, the poet/lover writhed in pain. ‘mar miTe’ does not mean die. It is an expression to mean intense pain with a ‘near death’ experience with a willingness to sacrifice oneself at the altar of the beloved.

2
irteqa1 jaane vahi qatra2-e abr3-e niisaaN4
band rahta hai sadaf5 meN jo gohar6 hone tak   
1.progress 2.drop 3.cloud 4.early spring rain 5.shell 6.pearl
There is folklore that has become a part of the urdu poetic tradition that there are special rain drops in early spring that can survive many obstacles, retain their identity until they reach the right shell. The shell takes them in and closes and eventually the drop becomes a pearl. Thus, only that drop of rain of early spring clouds that reaches and remains shut in a shell until it is changed to a pearl knows/experiences progress. Said Ghalib ….
daam-e har mauj meN hai halqah-e sad kaam-e nihaNg
dekheN kyaa guzre hai qatre pe gohar hone tak

3
raushni1 tez2 karo chaand sitaaro apni
mujh ko manzil3 pe pahuNchna hai sahar4 hone tak   
1.brilliance, light 2.sharpen, increase 3.destination 4.dawn
The poet/seeker is on a journey through the dark night and has to reach his destination before dawn. He calls upon the moon and stars to sharpen their brilliance to help him along. I am not sure what this implies beyond this literal translation.

4
dil ho barbaad1-e mohabbat to samajhiya aabaad2
tuKhm3 paamaal4 hi rahta hai shajar5 hone tak   
1.destroyed, desolate, sorrowful 2.prosperous 3.seed 4.trampled underfoot 5.tree
If the heart is sorrowful in love, then consider it prosperous i.e., the pain of love is of great value. This is just like a seed which is trampled underfoot before germinating and growing into a tree.

5
laakh parvaane1 dikhaayegi jalaa kar mujh ko
sham’a2 Khaamosh3 rahegi na sahar4 hone tak   
1.moths 2.lamp 3.silent 4.dawn
In urdu poetic convention the lamp and the moth are lovers. The moth keeps circling the lamp in love of it and ultimately gets burnt to death. The melting wax of a candle is sometimes represented as tears of sorrow. But here the poet seems to be presenting the candle as a cruel beloved. It will show me how it can burn hundreds of thousands of moths, the lamp will not be ‘silent/inactive’ until dawn i.e., it will burn all night long and continue its act of cruelty. I am not really sure what the poet means beyond this literal translation. Perhaps simply presenting the beloved as cruel.

6
hasti1 kuchh aur hai, kuchh aur sha’oor2-e hasti
guzri3 ek umr4 hameN apni Khabar5 hone tak   
1.existence, living 2.wisdom 3.passed 4.lifetime 5.awareness, knowledge
Knowledge of self is considered a high value. A lifetime passes before we can understand ourselves. Mere existence is one thing, understanding the wisdom/purpose of life is another.

7
un pe kuchh zor1 na taqdiir2 pe qaabuu3 aye dil
sabr4 kar paida5 mohabbat meN asar6 hone tak  
1.power 2.fate 3.control 4.patience 5.create, develop 6.effect, impact
O heart, you have no power (of persuasion) over the beloved nor do you have any control of your destiny. Your only option is to develop patience until your love has an effect.

8
kaun jaane keh isi Khaak-ke-putle1 ne falak2
kis qadar3 fitne4 uThaaye haiN bashar5 hone tak   
1.idol of clay, human 2.pen-name of the poet, sky 3.so much 4.mischief 5.human
It is generally considered that humans were ‘created’ from clay. This is reflected in calling humans “Khaak ke putle”. Further, there is an implication that the first Khaak ka putla is less than human, does not quite have the spirit of ‘human-ness’. Who knows how much mischief he raised before becoming human. Said Ghalib …
baskih dushvaar hai har kaam kaa aasaaN honaa
aadmii ko bhii muyassar nahiiN insaaN honaa

heera lal falak dehlavi (1920?-1982+?).  I can only make an educated guess about his birth and death.  A collection of his Ghazal was published posthumously in 1982 by his shaagird.  The book mentions beKhud dehlavi (1863-1955) as his ‘inspirational ustaad’ and dedicates it to him.  He was a minor official in the dehli court system.  In the book he describes his encounter with beKhud dehlavi when he (falak) was still a young man.  The book says that he started composing in 1940.  He has several Ghazal composed in the zamin of Ghalib, this one of a series linked to the corresponding radeef in ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
dard-e dil kam na hua soz1-e jigar2 hone tak
mar miTe ham shab3-e furqat4 ki sahar5 hone tak

1.fire, pain, passion 2.liver 3.night of 4.separation 5.dawn

In urdu poetic tradition the heart is the seat of emotions and jigar is seat of forbearance and strength of character.  ‘soz-e jigar hona’ is the liver being set of fire.  It is on fire/in great pain because it is bearing the pain of the heart – dard-e dil, the pain of love.  Thus, the pain of love did not come under control until the liver stepped in with courage and forbearance.  By the time the night of separation ended with dawn, the poet/lover writhed in pain.  ‘mar miTe’ does not mean die.  It is an expression to mean intense pain with a ‘near death’ experience with a willingness to sacrifice oneself at the altar of the beloved.
2
irteqa1 jaane vahi qatra2-e abr3-e niisaaN4
band rahta hai sadaf5 meN jo gohar6 hone tak

1.progress 2.drop 3.cloud 4.early spring rain 5.shell 6.pearl

There is folklore that has become a part of the urdu poetic tradition that there are special rain drops in early spring that can survive many obstacles, retain their identity until they reach the right shell.  The shell takes them in and closes and eventually the drop becomes a pearl.  Thus, only that drop of rain of early spring clouds that reaches and remains shut in a shell until it is changed to a pearl knows/experiences progress.  Said Ghalib ….
daam-e har mauj meN hai halqah-e sad kaam-e nihaNg
dekheN kyaa guzre hai qatre pe gohar hone tak
3
raushni1 tez2 karo chaand sitaaro apni
mujh ko manzil3 pe pahuNchna hai sahar4 hone tak

1.brilliance, light 2.sharpen, increase 3.destination 4.dawn

The poet/seeker is on a journey through the dark night and has to reach his destination before dawn.  He calls upon the moon and stars to sharpen their brilliance to help him along.  I am not sure what this implies beyond this literal translation.
4
dil ho barbaad1-e mohabbat to samajhiya aabaad2
tuKhm3 paamaal4 hi rahta hai shajar5 hone tak

1.destroyed, desolate, sorrowful 2.prosperous 3.seed 4.trampled underfoot 5.tree

If the heart is sorrowful in love, then consider it prosperous i.e., the pain of love is of great value.  This is just like a seed which is trampled underfoot before germinating and growing into a tree.
5
laakh parvaane1 dikhaayegi jalaa kar mujh ko
sham’a2 Khaamosh3 rahegi na sahar4 hone tak

1.moths 2.lamp 3.silent 4.dawn

In urdu poetic convention the lamp and the moth are lovers.  The moth keeps circling the lamp in love of it and ultimately gets burnt to death.  The melting wax of a candle is sometimes represented as tears of sorrow.  But here the poet seems to be presenting the candle as a cruel beloved.  It will show me how it can burn hundreds of thousands of moths, the lamp will not be ‘silent/inactive’ until dawn i.e., it will burn all night long and continue its act of cruelty.  I am not really sure what the poet means beyond this literal translation.  Perhaps simply presenting the beloved as cruel.
6
hasti1 kuchh aur hai, kuchh aur sha’oor2-e hasti
guzri3 ek umr4 hameN apni Khabar5 hone tak

1.existence, living 2.wisdom 3.passed 4.lifetime 5.awareness, knowledge

Knowledge of self is considered a high value.  A lifetime passes before we can understand ourselves.  Mere existence is one thing, understanding the wisdom/purpose of life is another.
7
un pe kuchh zor1 na taqdiir2 pe qaabuu3 aye dil
sabr4 kar paida5 mohabbat meN asar6 hone tak

1.power 2.fate 3.control 4.patience 5.create, develop 6.effect, impact

O heart, you have no power (of persuasion) over the beloved nor do you have any control of your destiny.  Your only option is to develop patience until your love has an effect.
8
kaun jaane keh isi Khaak-ke-putle1 ne falak2
kis qadar3 fitne4 uThaaye haiN bashar5 hone tak

1.idol of clay, human 2.pen-name of the poet, sky 3.so much 4.mischief 5.human

It is generally considered that humans were ‘created’ from clay.  This is reflected in calling humans “Khaak ke putle”.  Further, there is an implication that the first Khaak ka putla is less than human, does not quite have the spirit of ‘human-ness’.  Who knows how much mischief he raised before becoming human.  Said Ghalib …
baskih dushvaar hai har kaam kaa aasaaN honaa
aadmii ko bhii muyassar nahiiN insaaN honaa