For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
تمہارا یہ غزل خواں ہونا ۔ تلوک چند محرومؔ
۱
کچھ بُری بات نہیں صاحبِ ایماں ہونا
اگر ایمان سے مطلوب ہو انساں ہونا
۲
برگ ہائے گلِ تر کا یہ پریشاں ہونا
جرم ہے گل کدۂ دہر میں خنداں ہونا
۳
جب کسی غنچے کو کھلتے ہوئے دیکھا میں نے
آ گیا یاد وہیں دل کا پریشاں ہونا
۴
ہو گیا میری پریشاں نظری کا باعث
جلوۂ حسن کا ہر سمت فراواں ہونا
۵
اہلِ وحشت کا ٹھکانا بھی کہیں تو ہوتا
نہیں بے صرفہ بیاباں کا بیاباں ہونا
۶
دم غمِ عشق کا بھرتے ہوئے نالے کرنا
آرزو درد کی اور طالبِ درماں ہونا
۷
باعثِ حیرتِ اربابِ سخن ہے محرومؔ
عہدِ پیری میں تمہارا یہ غزل خواں ہونا
तुम्हारा ये ग़ज़ल-ख़्वाँ होना – तिलोक चंद महरूम
१
कुछ बुरी बात नहीं साहब-ए ईमाँ होना
अगर ईमान से मतलूब हो इंसाँ होना
२
बर्ग-हा-ए गुल-ए तर का ये परेशाँ होना
जुर्म है गुल-कदा-ए दहर में ख़ंदाँ होना
३
जब किसी ग़ुंचे को खिलते हुए देखा मैं ने
आ गया याद वहीं दिल का परेशाँ होना
४
हो गया मेरी परेशाँ-नज़री का बा’इस
जल्वा-ए हुस्न का हर सम्त फ़रावाँ होना
५
अहल-ए वहशत का ठिकाना भी कहीं तो होता
नहीं बे-सर्फ़ा बयाबाँ का बयाबाँ होना
६
दम ग़म-ए इश्क़ का भरते हुए नाले करना
आर्ज़ू दर्द की और तालब-ए दरमाँ होना
७
बाइ’स-ए हैरत-ए अर्बाब-ए सुख़न है महरूम
अहद-ए पीरी में तुम्हारा ये ग़ज़ल-ख़्वाँ होना
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. tilok chand mahroom (1887-1955) and his son jagan nath azad are an illustrious father-son team of urdu shu’ara. From miaNvaali (now in pakistan), they migrated to India in 1948, after unsuccessfully trying to remain in lahore. This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s “aadmi ko bhi mayassar nahiN insaaN hona” and is linked to it in the page ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
kuchh buri baat nahiN saahab1-e imaaN2 hona
agar3 imaan2 se matloob4 ho insaaN hona 1.master, possessor 2.faith 3.if 4.meaning, intent
This she’r has echoes of Ghalib’s ‘aadmi ko bhi mayassar nahiN insaaN hona’. It is not bad to have faith (believe in religion) if the purpose of the belief is to become human. Thus, human-ness that unites is valued above conventional faith that divides.
2
barg-haa1-e gul2-e tar3 ka ye pareshaaN4 hona
jurm5 hai gul-kada6-e dahr7 meN KhandaaN8 hona 1.petals 2.rose 3.wet, fresh 4.scattered, spread 5.crime 6.house of roses, garden 8.smile
When a flower blooms, it is considered to have smiled. But also, soon after it blooms, it wilts, sheds its petals that are scattered all over. Thus, in the rose-garden that is this world, it is a crime to be happy (to smile). The punishment of this crime is that petals fall off and are scattered. This she’r has echoes of Ghalib’s, ‘maut se pahle aadmi, Gham se najaat paaye kyuN’.
3
jab kisi Ghunche1 ko khilte2 hue dekha maiN ne
aa gaya yaad vahiN dil ka pareshaaN3 hona 1.bud 2.blossoming 3.worried
Whenever I saw a bud blossoming, right there I recalled my heart getting worried. This could be because he foresaw what is going to happen to the blossoming bud.
4
ho gaya meri pareshaaN-nazari1 ka baa’is2
jalva3-e husn4 ka har samt5 faraavaaN6 hona 1.wandering/unfocussed glance 2.basis 3.manifestation 4.(divine) beauty 5.direction 6.plentiful
The manifestation of divine beauty is plentiful all around. The poet/devotee’s eyes wander from one scene to the next. Thus, this has become the basis of his wandering glance.
5
ahl1-e vahshat2 ka Thikaana3 bhi kahiN to hotaa
nahiN be-sarfa4 bayaabaaN5 ka bayaabaaN hona 1.people of 2.passion, madness 3.abode, place/refuge 4.useless 5.wilderness
The idea of this she’r is based on the legendary image of majnuN of laila-majnuN fame. He wandered the desert in search of laila. Thus, we have to have some place/refuge for mad/passionate lovers. That is what the wilderness is useful for. After all the wilderness as a wilderness is not useless.
6
dam1 Gham2-e ishq ka bharte hue naale3 karna
aarzu4 dard5 ki aur taalib6-e darmaaN7 hona 1.‘dam bharna’ is an expression meaning encourage, increase, fortify 2.sorrow 3.wailing 4.longing 5.pain 6.seek, demand 7.cure
On the one hand the lover constantly increases the intensity of the sorrow of love (sorrow because the beloved does not reciprocate). On the other hand he wails in pain. Wailing is considered to be relieving some of his tension. It is at least a partial cure. Thus, the lover is doing opposite things … increasing the intensity of his love on the one hand and seeking a cure through wailing, on the other.
7
baa’is1-e hairat2-e arbaab3-e suKhan4 hai mahroom5
ahd6-e piiri7 meN tumhaara ye Ghazal-KhwaaN8 hona 1.basis, reason 2.surprise, puzzle 3.owners, patrons, lords 4.versification, composing poetry 5.pen-name of the poet 6.age, period 7.old age 8.reciting Ghazal
O mahroom, you recitation of Ghazal at the time of your old age surprises/puzzles other poets. This could be a compliment to himself saying when most others in their advanced years stop composing, but this poet still goes on, much to the surprise of others.
tilok chand mahroom (1887-1955) and his son jagan nath azad are an illustrious father-son team of urdu shu’ara. From miaNvaali (now in pakistan), they migrated to India in 1948, after unsuccessfully trying to remain in lahore. This Ghazal is modeled after Ghalib’s “aadmi ko bhi mayassar nahiN insaaN hona” and is linked to it in the page ‘Ghalib naqsh-e qadam’.
1
kuchh buri baat nahiN saahab1-e imaaN2 hona
agar3 imaan2 se matloob4 ho insaaN hona
1.master, possessor 2.faith 3.if 4.meaning, intent
This she’r has echoes of Ghalib’s ‘aadmi ko bhi mayassar nahiN insaaN hona’. It is not bad to have faith (believe in religion) if the purpose of the belief is to become human. Thus, human-ness that unites is valued above conventional faith that divides.
2
barg-haa1-e gul2-e tar3 ka ye pareshaaN4 hona
jurm5 hai gul-kada6-e dahr7 meN KhandaaN8 hona
1.petals 2.rose 3.wet, fresh 4.scattered, spread 5.crime 6.house of roses, garden 8.smile
When a flower blooms, it is considered to have smiled. But also, soon after it blooms, it wilts, sheds its petals that are scattered all over. Thus, in the rose-garden that is this world, it is a crime to be happy (to smile). The punishment of this crime is that petals fall off and are scattered. This she’r has echoes of Ghalib’s, ‘maut se pahle aadmi, Gham se najaat paaye kyuN’.
3
jab kisi Ghunche1 ko khilte2 hue dekha maiN ne
aa gaya yaad vahiN dil ka pareshaaN3 hona
1.bud 2.blossoming 3.worried
Whenever I saw a bud blossoming, right there I recalled my heart getting worried. This could be because he foresaw what is going to happen to the blossoming bud.
4
ho gaya meri pareshaaN-nazari1 ka baa’is2
jalva3-e husn4 ka har samt5 faraavaaN6 hona
1.wandering/unfocussed glance 2.basis 3.manifestation 4.(divine) beauty 5.direction 6.plentiful
The manifestation of divine beauty is plentiful all around. The poet/devotee’s eyes wander from one scene to the next. Thus, this has become the basis of his wandering glance.
5
ahl1-e vahshat2 ka Thikaana3 bhi kahiN to hotaa
nahiN be-sarfa4 bayaabaaN5 ka bayaabaaN hona
1.people of 2.passion, madness 3.abode, place/refuge 4.useless 5.wilderness
The idea of this she’r is based on the legendary image of majnuN of laila-majnuN fame. He wandered the desert in search of laila. Thus, we have to have some place/refuge for mad/passionate lovers. That is what the wilderness is useful for. After all the wilderness as a wilderness is not useless.
6
dam1 Gham2-e ishq ka bharte hue naale3 karna
aarzu4 dard5 ki aur taalib6-e darmaaN7 hona
1.‘dam bharna’ is an expression meaning encourage, increase, fortify 2.sorrow 3.wailing 4.longing 5.pain 6.seek, demand 7.cure
On the one hand the lover constantly increases the intensity of the sorrow of love (sorrow because the beloved does not reciprocate). On the other hand he wails in pain. Wailing is considered to be relieving some of his tension. It is at least a partial cure. Thus, the lover is doing opposite things … increasing the intensity of his love on the one hand and seeking a cure through wailing, on the other.
7
baa’is1-e hairat2-e arbaab3-e suKhan4 hai mahroom5
ahd6-e piiri7 meN tumhaara ye Ghazal-KhwaaN8 hona
1.basis, reason 2.surprise, puzzle 3.owners, patrons, lords 4.versification, composing poetry 5.pen-name of the poet 6.age, period 7.old age 8.reciting Ghazal
O mahroom, you recitation of Ghazal at the time of your old age surprises/puzzles other poets. This could be a compliment to himself saying when most others in their advanced years stop composing, but this poet still goes on, much to the surprise of others.
