usi be-navaa ki baat kareN-Khudrat (qudrat) ali KhaaN

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

اُسی بے نوا کی بات کریں ۔ قدرت علی خاں

۱

وفا کی بات ہو کیا کیوں وفا کی بات کریں

گناہگار جو ٹھہرے سزا کی بات کریں

۲

ہر ایک دکھ کی کسک جس کے دم سے تازہ ہے

چلو پھر آج اُسی دلربا کی بات کریں

۳

وہ جس کے شورِ سلاسل میں قمریوں کی چہک

قفس میں آج اُسی بے نوا کی بات کریں

۴

طیورِ شاخ غزل خواں، روِش روِش نغمہ

ہوائے گلشن و بادِ صبا کی بات کریں

۵

وہ گل تراش وہ مہوش وہ پیکرِ رنگیں

سحر نواز کی ساحر نما کی بات کریں

۶

کہاں وہ قصّہ اُلفت کہاں وہ ذکرِ حبیب

عہد کا کیا کہیں، ہم کیا وفا کی بات کریں

۷

فسانہ کارِ جنوں قصّۂ صحنِ زِنداں

دریدہ جان، شکستہ قبا کی بات کریں

उसी बे-नवा कि बात करें – क़ुद्रत अली ख़ां

वफ़ा कि बात हो क्या, क्यूं वफ़ा कि बात करें

गुनाहगार जो ठहरे सज़ा कि बात करें

हर एक दुख कि कसक जिस के दम से ताज़ा है

चलो फिर आज उसी दिल-रुबा कि बात करें

वो जिस के शोर-ए सलासल में क़ुम्रियौं कि चहक

क़फ़स में आज उसी बे-नवा कि बात करें

तुयूर-ए शाख़ ग़ज़ल-ख़्वां, रविश रविश नग़्मा

हवा-ए गुल्शन ओ बाद-ए सबा कि बात करें

वो गुल-तराश, वो महवश, वो पैकर-ए रंगीं

सहर नवाज़ की, साहर नुमा कि बात करें

कहां वो क़िस्सा-ए उल्फ़त कहां वो ज़िक्र-ए हबीब

अहद का क्या कहें, हम क्या वफ़ा कि बात करें

फ़साना-कार-ए जुनूं क़िस्सा-ए सहन-ए ज़िंदां

दरीदा जान, शिकस्ता क़बा कि बात करें

 

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. Khudrat (qudrat) ali KhaaN (xxxx-living), hyderabad, telaNgaana. I have been told that he has composed a lot and contributed extensively to mushaa’era, which have been very well received. But he has not collected his work for publication. vijay pargaoNkar is a dear friend and long-term well-wisher of urdushahkar. He has contributed his voice to several other posts. I have made my own politically slanted interpretation and am not sure if the shaa’er agrees with it.
1
vafaa1 ki baat ho kya, kyuN vafa ki baat kareN
gunaahgaar2 jo Thahre3, saza4 ki baat kareN   
1.faithful (in love?, or loyalty to the country?), fidelity 2.sinner 3.declared, stand accused 4.punishment
What can I say about fidelity/loyalty. Why should I even talk about it. I stand accused of sinning (being unfaithful or being disloyal). Let us talk about punishment! The poet does not say what he has been accused of, why he has been declared a sinner or who has done it. It could well be the beloved, but ambiguity is a well-established tradition in urdu poetry. Is he saying that the government/society has declared him disloyal and is ready to punish? Is this a reflection of the political conditions in India today?

2
har ek dukh ki kasak1 jis ke dam2 se taaza3 hai
chalo phir aaj usi dilruba4 ki baat kareN    
1.prick, pangs of pain 2.power, strength 3.fresh 4.beloved
Perhaps this is a conversation between friends/rivals all of them vying for the love of the beloved. But she is uniformly indifferent or even cruel to them. Any talk of her, causes pangs of pain, keeps it fresh, but the friends/rivals are willing to talk of her. Is ‘dilruba’ the homeland with the earlier concept of a secular India?

3
vo jis ke shor1-e salaasal2 meN qumriyoN3 ki chahak4
qafas5 meN aaj usi be-navaa6 ki baat kareN   
1.sound, noise 2.chains 3.doves, used here to mean birds 4.chirping 5.cage, prison 6.voiceless, helpless
The poet and his friends are all birds in a cage. There is someone out there who is in chains. The sound/clang of his chain sounds like the chirping of birds i.e, he views the sound of chains in a positive light as the sound of protest. Whoever is in chains is not being heard, he is ‘be-navaa’. His cry of pain or his protests are ignored. In the cage, let us talk about the voiceless/helpless. This could again be a political statement – the poet and comrades are in prison; a new prisoner is being brought in; the sound of chains indicates his courageous resistance, which sounds pleasant and admirable.

4
tuyoor1-e shaaKh Ghazal-KhwaaN2, ravish-ravish3 naGhma4
havaa5-e gulshan6 o baad7-e sabaa8 ki baat kareN    
1.birds 2.singing Ghazal 3.every path 4.song 5.atmosphere, ambience 7.breeze 8.morning breeze
Birds on branches sing/chirp Ghazal. A song can be heard on every path in the garden. Let us talk about the ambience of the garden and of the morning breeze. Perhaps the poet and friends are still in their cage, pining for their freedom in the garden.

5
vo gul-taraash1, vo mahvash2, vo paikar3-e raNgiiN
sahar-navaaz4 ki, saahir-numa5 ki baat kareN  
1.rose sculpted, sculpted like a rose, beautiful 2.moon-faced 3.image, picture 4.enchantment nurturing 5.shape of magic, unbelievably beautiful
Let us talk about the beloved who is … sculpted like a rose, moon faced, embodiment of a colourful picture, creating a magic spell and enchantingly beautiful. This could also be interpreted as a political statement … the early concept of a secular homeland was enchantingly beautiful.

6
kahaaN vo qissa-e-ulfat1, kahaaN vo zikr-e-habiib2
ahd3 ka kya kaheN, ham kya vafa4 ki baat kareN   
1.story of love 2.talk of the beloved 3.times, age 4.fidelity
Where are those old stories of love, the erstwhile way of talking about the beloved. What can we say about the times, how can we talk about faith in love. There could also be a political intepretation, with the ‘habiib’ being the homeland. We can no longer narrate the old way of love of homeland. Times have changed. How can we talk about fidelity/loyalty.

7
fasaana-kaar1-e junuuN2, qissa3-e sahn4-e zindaaN5
dariida6 jaan, shikasta7 qaba8 ki baat kareN  
1.fable creating 2.passion 3.story 4.yard 5.prison 6.injured, cut 7.torn 8.robe, clothes
The image is that of majnuN with his torn clothes, cuts on his feet, injured body. He is the one who caused the fable of passion to become popular. Perhaps he was even thrown into prison, thus making the story of the prison yard a part of the legend. That is what the poet wants to talk/write about, recite.

Khudrat (qudrat) ali KhaaN (xxxx-living), hyderabad, telaNgaana.  I have been told that he has composed a lot and contributed extensively to mushaa’era, which have been very well received.  But he has not collected his work for publication.  vijay pargaoNkar is a dear friend and long-term well-wisher of urdushahkar.  He has contributed his voice to several other posts.  I have made my own politically slanted interpretation and am not sure if the shaa’er agrees with it.
1
vafaa1 ki baat ho kya, kyuN vafa ki baat kareN
gunaahgaar2 jo Thahre3, saza4 ki baat kareN

1.faithful (in love?, or loyalty to the country?), fidelity 2.sinner 3.declared, stand accused 4.punishment

What can I say about fidelity/loyalty.  Why should I even talk about it.  I stand accused of sinning (being unfaithful or being disloyal).  Let us talk about punishment!  The poet does not say what he has been accused of, why he has been declared a sinner or who has done it.  It could well be the beloved, but ambiguity is a well-established tradition in urdu poetry.  Is he saying that the government/society has declared him disloyal and is ready to punish?  Is this a reflection of the political conditions in India today?
2
har ek dukh ki kasak1 jis ke dam2 se taaza3 hai
chalo phir aaj usi dilruba4 ki baat kareN

1.prick, pangs of pain 2.power, strength 3.fresh 4.beloved

Perhaps this is a conversation between friends/rivals all of them vying for the love of the beloved.  But she is uniformly indifferent or even cruel to them.  Any talk of her, causes  pangs of pain, keeps it fresh, but the friends/rivals are willing to talk of her.  Is ‘dilruba’ the homeland with the earlier concept of a secular India?
3
vo jis ke shor1-e salaasal2 meN qumriyoN3 ki chahak4
qafas5 meN aaj usi be-navaa6 ki baat kareN

1.sound, noise 2.chains 3.doves, used here to mean birds 4.chirping 5.cage, prison 6.voiceless, helpless

The poet and his friends are all birds in a cage.  There is someone out there who is in chains.  The sound/clang of his chain sounds like the chirping of birds i.e, he views the sound of chains in a positive light as the sound of protest.  Whoever is in chains is not being heard, he is ‘be-navaa’.  His cry of pain or his protests are ignored.  In the cage, let us talk about the voiceless/helpless.  This could again be a political statement – the poet and comrades are in prison; a new prisoner is being brought in; the sound of chains indicates his courageous resistance, which sounds pleasant and admirable.
4
tuyoor1-e shaaKh Ghazal-KhwaaN2, ravish-ravish3 naGhma4
havaa5-e gulshan6 o baad7-e sabaa8 ki baat kareN

1.birds 2.singing Ghazal 3.every path 4.song 5.atmosphere, ambience 7.breeze 8.morning breeze

Birds on branches sing/chirp Ghazal.  A song can be heard on every path in the garden.  Let us talk about the ambience of the garden and of the morning breeze.  Perhaps the poet and friends are still in their cage, pining for their freedom in the garden.
5
vo gul-taraash1, vo mahvash2, vo paikar3-e raNgiiN
sahar-navaaz4 ki, saahir-numa5 ki baat kareN

1.rose sculpted, sculpted like a rose, beautiful 2.moon-faced 3.image, picture 4.enchantment nurturing 5.shape of magic, unbelievably beautiful

Let us talk about the beloved who is … sculpted like a rose, moon faced, embodiment of a colourful picture, creating a magic spell and enchantingly beautiful.  This could also be interpreted as a political statement … the early concept of a secular homeland was enchantingly beautiful.
6
kahaaN vo qissa-e-ulfat1, kahaaN vo zikr-e-habiib2
ahd3 ka kya kaheN, ham kya vafa4 ki baat kareN

1.story of love 2.talk of the beloved 3.times, age 4.fidelity

Where are those old stories of love, the erstwhile way of talking about the beloved.  What can we say about the times, how can we talk about faith in love.  There could also be a political intepretation, with the ‘habiib’ being the homeland.  We can no longer narrate the old way of love of homeland.  Times have changed.  How can we talk about fidelity/loyalty.
7
fasaana-kaar1-e junuuN2, qissa3-e sahn4-e zindaaN5
dariida6 jaan, shikasta7 qaba8 ki baat kareN

1.fable creating 2.passion 3.story 4.yard 5.prison 6.injured, cut 7.torn 8.robe, clothes

The image is that of majnuN with his torn clothes, cuts on his feet, injured body.  He is the one who caused the fable of passion to become popular.  Perhaps he was even thrown into prison, thus making the story of the prison yard a part of the legend.  That is what the poet wants to talk/write about, recite.