taj mahal – parveen shakir

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

تاج محل ۔ پروین شاکر

 

سںگِ مرمر کی خُنک باںہوں میں

حُسنِ خوابیدہ کے آگے میری آںکھیں شل ہیں

گںگ صدیوں کے تناظر میں کوئی بولتا ہے

وقت جذبے کے ترازو پہ زر و سیم و جواہر کی تڑپ تولتا ہے

 

ہر نئے چاند پہ پتھر وہی سچ کہتے ہیں

اسی لمحے سے دمک اُٹھتے ہیں اُن کے چہرے

جِس کی لو عمر گئے اک دِلِ شب زاد کو مہتاب بنا آئی تھی!

اُسی مہتاب کی اِک نرم کِرن

سانچہ سںگ میں ڈھل پائی تو

عشق رںگِ ابدیت سے سرافراز ہوا

 

کیا عجب نیند ہے

جِس کو چھو کر

جو بھی آتا ہے کھُلی آنکھ لئے آتا ہے

سو چکے خوابِ ابد دیکھنے والے کب کے

اور زمانہ ہے کہ اُس خواب کی تعبیر لیے جاگ رہا ہے اب تک!

ताज महल – परवीन शाकिर

 

संग-ए मरमर कि ख़ुनक बाहौं में

हुस्न-ए ख़्वाबीदा के आगे मेरी आंखें शल हैं

गुंग सदियों के तनाज़ुर में कोई बोलता है

वक़्त जज़्बे के तराज़ू पे ज़र ओ सीम ओ जवाहर की तड़प तोलता है

 

हर नए चांद पे पत्थर वही सच कहते हैं

उसी लम्हे से दमक उठते हैं उन के चेहरे

जिस की लौ उम्र गए एक दिल-ए शब ज़ाद को महताब बना आई थी!

उसी महताब की एक नरम किरन

सांचा-ए संग में ढल पाई तो

इश्क़ रंग-ए अबदिय्यत से सर अफ़राज़ हुआ

 

क्या अजब नींद है

जिस को छू कर

जो भी आता है खुली आँख लिए आता है

सो चुके ख़्वाब-ए अबद देखने वाले कब के

और ज़माना है के उस ख़्वाब की ताबीर लिए जाग रहा है अब तक

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. parveen shakir (1952-1994), English literature and linguistics, correspondent, educator, Pakistan Civil Service officer. Prolific writer bringing new thought and new forthright, feminist style to urdu shaa’eri. An explicit expression of love by women was taboo until courageous poets like parveen shakir pioneered it. This is a beautiful expression of the symbolism of love embodied in the taj mahal without indulging in admiration of royal pomp and display of ‘love’

saNg-e mar mar ki Khunak1 baahuaN2 meN
husn3-e Khwaabeeda4 ke aage meri aaNkheN shal5 haiN
guNg6 sadiyauN7 ke tanaazur8 meN koii bolta hai
vaqt jazbe9 ke taraazu pe zar10 o seem11 o javaahar ki taRap12 tolta hai
1.cool, icy 2.arms 3.beauty 4.dreamy 5.motionless, dazed 6.speechless, dumb 7.centuries 8.perspective, background 9.emotions 10.gold 11.sliver 12.writhing (in pain)
In the icy arms of marble, faced with this dreamy beauty, my eyes are in a daze. It is as if a voice from silent past, is speaking to me (note the contrast of silent/silenced centuries now speaking). Time (judgement of history) weighs the value of gold, silver and jewels in the balance of emotions (love). Jewels are writhing in pain because they know that they will come up short. For parveen shakir the emotion of love is supreme and overcomes any sensibilities of wealth/monarchy.

har naye chaaNd pe patthar vahi such kahte haiN
usi lamhe1 se damak2 uThte haiN un ke chehre
jis ki lau3 umr gaye4 ek dil-e shab-zaad5 ko mahtaab6 bana aaii thi!
usi mahtaab ki ek narm kiran
saaNcha7-e saNg8 meN Dhal9 paaii to
ishq10 raNg-e abadiyyat11 se sarafraaz12 hua
1.moment 2.glow 3.flame 4.lifetime ago 5.heart born of night/darkness, unfeeling 6.full moon 7.mould 8.stone 9.cast 10.love 11.colour of eternity, permanence 12.was honoured
Every time the moon shines on those stones, they tell this story. Their face (face of the stones) begins to glow from that very moment with the same light that ages ago gave the brilliance of the full moon to a dark heart (the heart of shah jahaaN struck with the moonlight of love). A gentle ray of the same moon was cast into the mold of stone (marble). Only then did Love get the honour of the colour of the Eternal.

kya ajab1 neend2 hai
jis ko chhoo kar
jo bhi aata hai khuli aaNkh liye aata hai
so chuke Khwaab-e abad3 dekhne vaale kab ke
aur zamana4 hai ke us Khwaab ki taabeer5 liye jaag raha hai ab tak
1.strange, enchanting 2.sleep – the sleep in death of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal 3.eternal dream/sleep 4.world 5.meaning, interpretation
What an enchanting sleep this is! Whoever touches it, comes away with eyes opened (to the passion of love). The dreamers of the eternal dream have been sleeping for a long time but the world still comes away with the interpretation of their dream.

 

parveen shakir (1952-1994), English literature and linguistics, correspondent, educator, Pakistan Civil Service officer.  Prolific writer bringing new thought and new forthright, feminist style to urdu shaa’eri.  An explicit expression of love by women was taboo until courageous poets like parveen shakir pioneered it.  This is a beautiful expression of the symbolism of love embodied in the taj mahal without indulging in admiration of royal pomp and display of ‘love’.

saNg-e mar mar ki Khunak1 baahuaN2 meN
husn3-e Khwaabeeda4 ke aage meri aaNkheN shal5 haiN
guNg6 sadiyauN7 ke tanaazur8 meN koii bolta hai
vaqt jazbe9 ke taraazu pe zar10 o seem11 o javaahar ki taRap12 tolta hai

1.cool, icy 2.arms 3.beauty 4.dreamy 5.motionless, dazed 6.speechless, dumb 7.centuries 8.perspective, background 9.emotions 10.gold 11.sliver 12.writhing (in pain)

In the icy arms of marble, faced with this dreamy beauty, my eyes are in a daze.  It is as if a voice from silent past, is speaking to me (note the contrast of silent/silenced centuries now speaking).  Time (judgement of history) weighs the value of gold, silver and jewels in the balance of emotions (love).  Jewels are writhing in pain because they know that they will come up short.  For parveen shakir the emotion of love is supreme and overcomes any sensibilities of wealth/monarchy.

har naye chaaNd pe patthar vahi such kahte haiN
usi lamhe1 se damak2 uThte haiN un ke chehre
jis ki lau3 umr gaye4 ek dil-e shab-zaad5 ko mahtaab6 bana aaii thi!
usi mahtaab ki ek narm kiran
saaNcha7-e saNg8 meN Dhal9 paaii to
ishq10 raNg-e abadiyyat11 se sarafraaz12 hua

1.moment 2.glow 3.flame 4.lifetime ago 5.heart born of night/darkness, unfeeling 6.full moon 7.mould 8.stone 9.cast 10.love 11.colour of eternity, permanence 12.was honoured

Every time the moon shines on those stones, they tell this story.  Their face (face of the stones) begins to glow from that very moment with the same light that ages ago gave the brilliance of the full moon to a dark heart (the heart of shah jahaaN struck with the moonlight of love).  A gentle ray of the same moon was cast into the mold of stone (marble).  Only then did Love get the honour of the colour of the Eternal.

kya ajab1 neend2 hai
jis ko chhoo kar
jo bhi aata hai khuli aaNkh liye aata hai
so chuke Khwaab-e abad3 dekhne vaale kab ke
aur zamana4 hai ke us Khwaab ki taabeer5 liye jaag raha hai ab tak

1.strange, enchanting 2.sleep – the sleep in death of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal 3.eternal dream/sleep 4.world 5.meaning, interpretation

What an enchanting sleep this is!  Whoever touches it, comes away with eyes opened (to the passion of love).  The dreamers of the eternal dream have been sleeping for a long time but the world still comes away with the interpretation of their dream.