For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
اُن کا کرم دیکھتے ہیں ۔ رام کرشن مضطرؔ
۱
نشاط و الم کو بہم دیکھتے ہیں
بہر رنگ اُن کا کرم دیکھتے ہیں
۲
زمانے کی جاں سوز نظروں سے بچ کر
اُنہیں اُن کے عالم میں ہم دیکھتے ہیں
۳
کبھی جن میں رقصاں تھی موجِ محبّت
اُن آنکھوں میں اب اشکِ غم دیکھتے ہیں
۴
نہ دیکھیں گے پروردگارانِ عشرت
وہ خوشیاں جو اربابِ غم دیکھتے ہیں
۵
میسّر کہاں ہر کسی کی نظر کو
کسی کا وہ عالم جو ہم دیکھتے ہیں
۶
ہم اُس چشمِ بدمست کی شوخیوں میں
غزالوں کا اندازِ رم دیکھتے ہیں
۷
تصوّر میں بھی ہم اسیرِ محبت
ترے گیسوئے خم بہ خم دیکھتے ہیں
۸
کہیں کیا جو دل پر گزرتی ہے مضطرؔ
اُنہیں دور سے جب بھی ہم دیکھتے ہیں
उन का करम देखते हैं – राम क्रिष्ण मुज़्तर
१
निशात ओ अलम को बहम देखते हैं
बहर रंग उन का करम देखते हैं
२
ज़माने कि जां-सोज़ नज़्रौं से बच कर
उन्हें उन के आलम में हम देखते हैं
३
कभी जिन में रक़्सां थी मौज-ए मोहब्बत
उन आंखौं में अब अश्क-ए ग़म देखते हैं
४
न देखेंगे परवरदिगारान-ए इश्रत
वो ख़ुशियां जो अरबाब-ए ग़म देखते हैं
५
मयस्सर कहां हर किसी की नज़र को
किसी का वो आलम जो हम देखते हैं
६
हम उस चश्म-ए बदमस्त की शूख़ियौं में
ग़ज़ालौं का अंदाज़-ए रम देखते हैं
७
तसव्वुर में भी हम असीर-ए मोहब्बत
तेरे गेसु-ए ख़म-ब-ख़म देखते हैं
८
कहें क्या जो दिल पर गुज़रती है मुज़्तर
उन्हें दूर से जब भी हम देखते हैं
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. ram krishn muztar (1927-1984) buland shahr. He was adopted by a childless uncle and aunt, but they died while he was still very young. He did not have much interest in being a landlord and lost inherited lands to squatters but did his undergraduate in faarsi (with honours) from punjab university with further education from the Iranian Cultural House in dehli, in the late 1950s. Worked for milaap, dehli, an urdu daily newspaper/magazine. He was a shaagird of firaq gorakhpuri. This Ghazal is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
nishaat1 o alam2 ko baham3 dekhte haiN
ba-har-raNg4 un ka karam5 dekhte haiN 1.joy 2.sorrow 3.together, equal 4.under every style/kind 5.gift, kindness
In urdu poetic convention the beloved is always unkind to the lover, but the lover always looks upon her cruelty as a gift to be treasured. Thus, the poet/lover considers joy and sorrow to be equal. Whatever kind of gift she gives him, he considers it to be a favour.
2
zamaane1 ki jaaN-soz2 nazroN3 se buch kar
unheN un ke aalam4 meN ham dekhte haiN 1.world, society 2.life/soul burning 3.eyes 4.condition
To look at something/someone with soul-burning eyes means to look upon it with great disapproval. Society looks upon the lover with disapproval (just like the disapproved of and chased majnuN). Whatever condition the beloved is in – angry or kind, the poet/lover looks at her every chance he gets, escaping the disapproving eyes of society.
3
kabhi jin meN raqsaaN1 thi mauj2-e mohabbat
un aaNkhoN meN ab ashk3-e Gham4 dekhte haiN 1.dancing 2.wave 3.tears 4.sorrow
When lovers start out on their journey of love, love dances in their eyes. As they get a little bit into their journey they encounter pain and rejection by the beloved and their eyes are filled with tears of sorrow. This is what the poet/lover sees.
4
na dekheNge parvardigaaraan1-e ishrat2
vo KhushiyaaN jo arbaab3-e Gham4 dekhte haiN 1.lords 2.pleasure, joy, luxury 3.owners 4.sorrow
In poetic convention pain and sorrow is valued more highly than pleasure. The unstated theme in this she’r is that those who suffer in this life, will be rewarded with pleasure in the next. Thus, the kind of happiness that ‘arbaab-e Gham’ i.e., owner of pain, will experience, cannot be experienced by the ‘lords of luxury’.
5
mayassar1 kahaaN har kisi ki nazar2 ko
kisi ka vo aalam3 jo ham dekhte haiN 1.available 2.sight, eyes 3.condition
The poet has discerning eyes and can see beyond superficialities into the real condition/suffering of others. Such sight is not available to everyone, he claims.
6
ham us chashm1-e bad-mast2 ki shooKhiyoN3 meN
GhazaaloN4 ka andaaz5-e rum6 dekhte haiN 1.eyes 2.stone drunk 3.mischief 4.deer, fawn 5.running, prancing, leaping
The graceful leaping run of the dear is often used as a metaphor for grace of the beloved. Sometimes it is also used for darting from here to there. Her eyes are intoxicating/beautiful to the point of causing lovers to get stone-drunk – go into a trance, transported with joy. They are also furtive and fleeting. Thus, in her beautiful eyes the lover sees the graceful dance (or darting) of the deer.
7
tasavvur1 meN bhi ham asiir2-e mohabbat
tere gesu3-e Kham4-ba-Kham dekhte haiN 1.imagination 2.prisoner 3.hair 4.curl
The poet is a prisoner of love. A prisoner could be in chains. The beloveds hair are curly … curled into rings like chains. Thus, even in our imagination, we prisoners of love, see your hair curl by curl, just like the links of the chain.
8
kaheN kya jo dil par guzarti1 hai muztar2
unheN duur se jab bhi hum dekhte haiN 1.happens to, passes over 2.pen-name of the poet
O muztar, how can I describe what passes through my heart, when I see the beloved from a distance.
ram krishn muztar (1927-1984) buland shahr. He was adopted by a childless uncle and aunt, but they died while he was still very young. He did not have much interest in being a landlord and lost inherited lands to squatters but did his undergraduate in faarsi (with honours) from punjab university with further education from the Iranian Cultural House in dehli, in the late 1950s. Worked for milaap, dehli, an urdu daily newspaper/magazine. He was a shaagird of firaq gorakhpuri. This Ghazal is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.
1
nishaat1 o alam2 ko baham3 dekhte haiN
ba-har-raNg4 un ka karam5 dekhte haiN
1.joy 2.sorrow 3.together, equal 4.under every style/kind 5.gift, kindness
In urdu poetic convention the beloved is always unkind to the lover, but the lover always looks upon her cruelty as a gift to be treasured. Thus, the poet/lover considers joy and sorrow to be equal. Whatever kind of gift she gives him, he considers it to be a favour.
2
zamaane1 ki jaaN-soz2 nazroN3 se buch kar
unheN un ke aalam4 meN ham dekhte haiN
1.world, society 2.life/soul burning 3.eyes 4.condition
To look at something/someone with soul-burning eyes means to look upon it with great disapproval. Society looks upon the lover with disapproval (just like the disapproved of and chased majnuN). Whatever condition the beloved is in – angry or kind, the poet/lover looks at her every chance he gets, escaping the disapproving eyes of society.
3
kabhi jin meN raqsaaN1 thi mauj2-e mohabbat
un aaNkhoN meN ab ashk3-e Gham4 dekhte haiN
1.dancing 2.wave 3.tears 4.sorrow
When lovers start out on their journey of love, love dances in their eyes. As they get a little bit into their journey they encounter pain and rejection by the beloved and their eyes are filled with tears of sorrow. This is what the poet/lover sees.
4
na dekheNge parvardigaaraan1-e ishrat2
vo KhushiyaaN jo arbaab3-e Gham4 dekhte haiN
1.lords 2.pleasure, joy, luxury 3.owners 4.sorrow
In poetic convention pain and sorrow is valued more highly than pleasure. The unstated theme in this she’r is that those who suffer in this life, will be rewarded with pleasure in the next. Thus, the kind of happiness that ‘arbaab-e Gham’ i.e., owner of pain, will experience, cannot be experienced by the ‘lords of luxury’.
5
mayassar1 kahaaN har kisi ki nazar2 ko
kisi ka vo aalam3 jo ham dekhte haiN
1.available 2.sight, eyes 3.condition
The poet has discerning eyes and can see beyond superficialities into the real condition/suffering of others. Such sight is not available to everyone, he claims.
6
ham us chashm1-e bad-mast2 ki shooKhiyoN3 meN
GhazaaloN4 ka andaaz5-e rum6 dekhte haiN
1.eyes 2.stone drunk 3.mischief 4.deer, fawn 5.running, prancing, leaping
The graceful leaping run of the dear is often used as a metaphor for grace of the beloved. Sometimes it is also used for darting from here to there. Her eyes are intoxicating/beautiful to the point of causing lovers to get stone-drunk – go into a trance, transported with joy. They are also furtive and fleeting. Thus, in her beautiful eyes the lover sees the graceful dance (or darting) of the deer.
7
tasavvur1 meN bhi ham asiir2-e mohabbat
tere gesu3-e Kham4-ba-Kham dekhte haiN
1.imagination 2.prisoner 3.hair 4.curl
The poet is a prisoner of love. A prisoner could be in chains. The beloveds hair are curly … curled into rings like chains. Thus, even in our imagination, we prisoners of love, see your hair curl by curl, just like the links of the chain.
8
kaheN kya jo dil par guzarti1 hai muztar2
unheN duur se jab bhi hum dekhte haiN
1.happens to, passes over 2.pen-name of the poet
O muztar, how can I describe what passes through my heart, when I see the beloved from a distance.
