Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit anand narain mulla (1901-1997), lukhnow, thoughtful and thoughtprovoking shaa’er. MA English Literature. Learnt urdu and faarsi at home. First venture into poetry translation of parts of iqbal’s ‘payaam-e mashriq’ into English. First urdu nazm published 1925. Ardent urdu lover as a language of the people. High court justice, parliamentarian and strong secularist and rationalist/atheist.
1
narmi diloN se, lab¹ se halaavat² bhi chhiin li
iss daur³ ne nazar⁴ se muruvvat⁵ bhi chhiin li     1.lips 2.sweetness 3.times, period, age 4.eyes 5.respect, regard, kindliness
Times have changed. People are disregarding traditions. Changing times have robbed them of the tenderness of heart, sweetness of lips (polite and gentle conversation), and kindliness from the eyes. This could also be about the deteriorating relationship between hindu and muslim communities at this stage of the independence movement.
2
tyori¹ chaRha ke pahle to kahne diya na kuchh
phir muskura ke dil se shikaa’et² bhi chhiin li     1.frown 2.complaint
This is about the beloved. First she frowned at the lover, frightening him into silence. Then she smiled sweetly at him, robbing him of the ability to complain.
3
maiN kar raha tha sabr¹ se Gham² ka muqaabla³
kii ek nigaah⁴ aur ye taaqat⁵ bhi chhiin li    1.patience, self-control 2.sorrow 3.facing down, overcoming 4.glance 5.power, ability
This is also about the beloved. The lover has been sorrowful because of her indifference towards him. He was facing/overcoming this sorrow with self-control. But she cast one glance at him and robbed him of the power of self-control. Thus he can no longer face down his sorrow.
4
pahle to har Khataa¹ se kiya mana’a² shauq³ ko
aur phir har ek savaab⁴ ki lazzat⁵ bhi chhiin li     1.transgression, sin 2.forbid 3.desire 4.blessing 5.pleasure
This is about orthodoxy and conventional morality. Normally shauq/desire would like to indulge in enjoyable things/activities. But conventions forbid these. In return they promise blessings/rewards (perhaps in the next life). Then with convoluted explanations of ‘sharaab in heaven is not intoxicating’, they take away all pleasure from the reward.
5
sayyaad¹ ne ba-‘uzr²-e havaa-Khwaahi³-e chaman
sabze⁴ se raNg, phool se nik’hat⁵ bhi chhiin li     1.hunter, bird-catcher 2.with the excuse of 3.pleasant walk, walking in fresh air 4.greenery 5.fragrance
Here ‘sayyaad-hunter’ probably represents the colonial master. He made an excuse of just taking a walk in fresh air of the garden but robbed all vegetation of its greenery and flowers of their fragrance i.e., they exploited the local resources and people.
6
baa-hiila¹-e durustii²-e aKhlaaq³-e rind⁴ se
vaqtii⁵ hii zar-Khariid⁶ musarrat⁷ bhi chhiin li    1.using the excuse of 2.correction, reform 3.character, behaviour 4.wine-lover 5.temporary 6.that which can be bought for gold/money 7.pleasure, joy
The wine-lover could buy wine and get pleasure from drinking it, even if it was temporary/transitory. But using the excuse of reforming the behaviour of the wine-lover, they took away even that pleasure from him, that could be legitimately (paid for) his.
7
kya kahiye hashr-gaami¹-e raftaar²-e kaarvaaN
talvoN³ se Khaar⁴ chun’ne⁵ ki fursat⁶ bhi chhiin li    1.path towards doom 2.pace, speed 3.sole, heel 4.thorn 5.pick, pull out 6.opportunity, leisure, time
Life has become very fast-paced as if it is rapidly headed towards doom. The speed of the caravan has robbed the traveler/seeker of the opportunity/time to sit down and pull out thorns from his feet.
8
umr-ash-daraaz-baad¹, kulaah²-e safed ne
sar meN latiif³ shai⁴ ki zaruurat⁵ bhi chhiin li     1.an expression meaning- may you have a long life 2.cap 3.refined, subtle, gracious 4.thing 5.necessity
This is a very sarcastic she’r. Here, ‘white cap’ refers to the donning of a khaadi cap (used to be called gandhi Topi) by politicians. Sarcastically, this was considered to be the entry ticket into the halls of power. The ‘latiif shai in the sar/head/skull’ of course means a refined/learned mind. Thus by donning this cap even a fool can enter the halls of power. The need for a refined mind has been rendered unnecessary.
9
dunyaa amiir chhiin chuka tha Ghariib se
jannat bachi thi shaiKh ne jannat bhi chhiin li     The rich had already usurped/snatched the world (means of living) from the poor. The only hope they had was to get to heaven. But now the shaiKh with his fire-breathing morality has robbed them even of that.
10
maa’tuub¹ sham’a²-e urdu ko turbat³ pe rakh diya
parvaane⁴ phir bhi aaye to turbat bhi chhiin li     1.cursed, hated, unwanted 2.candle 3.tomb, grave 4.moths
The constituent assembly has adopted a resolution that the national language would be hindustaani (not hindi or urdu). Then the pakistan assembly passed a resolution adopting urdu as their national language. The India constituent assembly overnight changed its resolution adopting hindi as the national language. This she’r was probably written in the wake of this resolution. The ‘tomb’ is also probably that of urdu. Thus, they dug a grave made a tomb for urdu and put up a candle. But moths (urdu lovers) still came to it, so they destroyed the tomb. Editorial note … years later, narendra modi, destroyed the tomb of vali dakkhani and paved a highway on top of it.
11
mulla¹ ko baam²-e she’r pe yaaroN ne jaa³ na di
phir uss se ye ‘ibadat⁴-e Khalwat⁵ bhi chhiin li     1.pen-name of the poet 2.roof top 3.place 4.worship 5.privacy, seclusion
He considers his endeavour at poetic composition to be ‘ibaadat i.e., worship. Friends did not give a place to mulla in their poetic gatherings on the rooftop. But he continued to perform his worship in privacy. Even that, they took away – probably meaning that they did not recognize even this. I am not sure how much this is hyperbole.