Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. gyaan siNgh shaatir (1936-xxxx) hoshiarpur, punjab. He was from a rural agricultural background with no tradition of formal education. His father was annoyed with his desire for schooling and after he graduated from high school with high honours, threw him out of the house at 17. He walked to dehli where he worked as a construction labourer and graduated from the polytechnic college as a civil engineer. Hired by the government on dam construction projects he was sent to Moscow for further training and appointed (1962) as Executive Engineer in hyderabad, where he settled and called home. He started composing in the mid 1960s. In addition to a collection of rubaaii and Ghazal, he published a novel too. ratan panDorvi was his ustaad.
1
ye uRaati hai kisi basti¹ ke afsaane² ki Khaak³
ek zamaana⁴ keh raha hai jis ko veerane⁵ ki Khaak    1.settlement, village, town 2.tale, story 3.dust, ashes 4.world, era, time 5.wilderness, deserted place
This is the dust of the tales of some settlement; the times refer to it as the dust of the wilderness. The poet reflects on how the remnants of desolation – symbolized by dust – carry within them the forgotten stories of once-thriving settlements. It suggests that time erodes all grandeur, leaving only traces for history to recall and implies that this ‘dust’ ought to be looked at with kindness, remembering its past glory.
2
kaisi kaisi bastiyaaN¹ is meN ujaR² kar mil ga’iiN
kitni tahzeeboN³ ka sarmaaya⁴ hai viiraane⁵ ki Khaak     1.settlements, neighbourhoods 2.ruined, desolate 3.civilization, culture 4.sarmaya, treasure, legacy
What grand settlements must they have been that merged into it after being ruined; how many civilizations’ treasures reside in the dust of the wilderness! This couplet highlights the transience of human civilization. Once-flourishing societies are now reduced to dust, symbolizing both loss and the rich legacy they leave behind to be remembered and repected.
3
halqa¹ basti ka bashar² ke vaaste³ jab taNg⁴ ho
apne daaman⁵ meN samo⁶ leti hai viirane⁷ ki Khaak    1.circle, boundary, domain 2.human being 3.for 4.narrow 5.lap, embrace 6.fold, hold 7.desolation
When the boundaries of the settlement become too narrow for a person, then the dust of the wilderness gathers them in its embrace. This couplet reflects on the wilderness as a refuge for those displaced or constrained by society. It metaphorically points to nature’s vastness and its ability to accommodate what human-made boundaries cannot.
4
meri vahshat¹ ko na kyuN is martabe² par naaz³ ho
tere haathoN se uRi hai tere diivaane⁴ ki Khaak    1.frenzy, passion 2.rank, stature 3.pride 4.lover, madman
Why shouldn’t my frenzy take pride in this high honour, the dust of your mad lover was scattered/blown by your own hands. Here, the poet romanticizes the act of devotion and destruction. The ‘mad lover’ (the poet himself) finds pride in being reduced to dust and scattered into the air/wilderness by the very beloved he adores.
5
rehbaraan-e-qaum¹ ne ehsaan² farmaa’e³ haiN jo
yaad rakkhegi use’ urdu ke viiraane ki Khaak     1.leaders of the homeland 2.favor, benevolence 3.given, bestowed
The favors bestowed by the leaders of the homeland, will be remembered by the dust of urdu’s wilderness. This couplet critiques the so-called benevolence of national leaders. The poet sarcastically states that even the desolation surrounding urdu language will preserve the memory of their acts, whether good or ill.
6
iss ko aye shaatir¹ kabhi chashm-e-hiqaarat² se na dekh
bastiyoN ki azmat-e-rafta³ hai viiraane ki Khaak      1.pen-name 2.eye of disdain, scornful gaze 3.past grandeur, bygone glory
Never look at this with a scornful eye, O shaatir. the dust of the wilderness holds the bygone glory of settlements. The poet reminds us that even desolate ruins hold the echoes of past greatness. It’s a call to respect history, even in its decayed state, as it carries the essence of humanity’s achievements.