vatan ki galiyaaN – shahed

Word meanings and explanatory discussion in “Roman” and “Notes” tabs.

وطن کی گلیاں – شا ہد

 

نثار میں تیری گلیوں کے ائے وطن کہ جہاں

ہیں جذب میرے لڑکپن کے صد ہزار نشاں

تنگ گلیوں کی طرح تنگی وسائل کی تو تھی بے شک

سرشار مگر رکھتی تھی اِفراطِ محبت کی اماں

 

تیرے کوچے وہ در و بام و دریچے تیرے

پر پھڑ پھڑائے اُن میں تو وسعت ہوئی عیاں

قدموں تلے تھی جب تو میں جاہل ٹھہرا

ڈھونڈوں تری وہ خاک توملتی نہیں یہاں

 

تلاشِ معاش میں چھوڑا تیری گلیوں کو مگر

نظروں میں ابھی تک ہے وہ یادوں کا جہا ں

ہے تیری خاک، درخشاں اگر ہےمیری جبیں

ہر اِک فراز پہ میرے ، تیرا غبار ہے افشاں

 

یہ شاہراہوں پہ چمکیلی تیز رو کاریں

مانوس ہر گلی تھی، سڑک اجنبی ہے یہاں

وہ دائرہ کہ جہاں دفن میری یادیں ہیں

اُسی کی خاک میں چاہت کے راز ہیں پنہاں

वतन की गलियाँ – शाहेद

 

निसार मैं तेरी गालियों के अए वतन के जहां

हैं जज़्ब मेरे लड़कपन के सद हज़ार निशां

तंग गालियों कि तरह तंगी वसा’एल कि तो थी बे शक

सरशार मगर रखती थी इफ़रात ए मोहब्बत की अमां

 

तेरे कूचे वो दर ओ बाम ओ दरीचे तेरे

पर फड़फड़ाए उन में तो वुस’अत हुई अयां

तलाश ए मा’श में छोड़ा तेरी गलियों को मगर

नज़रों में अभी तक है वो यादों का जहां

 

क़दमों तले थी जब तो मैं जाहिल ठहरा

ढूंडूं तेरि वो ख़ाक तो मिलती नहीं यहाँ

है तेरी ख़ाक, दरख़शां अगर है मेरी जबीं

हर एक फ़राज़ पे मेरे, तेरा ग़ुबार है अफ़्शां

 

ये शाहराहों पे चमकीली तेज़ रौ कारें

मानूस हर गली थी, सड़क अजनबी है यहाँ

वो दा’एरा के जहाँ दफ़्न मेरी यादें हैं

उसी कि ख़ाक में चाहत के राज़ हैं पिन्हां

vatan ki galiyaaN – shahed

Click here for overall comments and on any passage for meanings and discussion. The first misra is borrowed from a famous faiz ahmed faiz nazm.

nisaar1 maiN teri galiyauN ke ae vatan ke jahaaN
haiN jazb2 mere laRakpan3 ke sad hazaar4 nishaaN
taNg5 galyauN ki tarah taNgi6 vasaa’el7 ki to thi beshak
sarshaar8 magar rakhti thi ifraat9 e mohabbat ki amaaN10
1.sacrifice, tribute 2.absorbed 3.boyhood 4.hundred thousand 5.narrow 6.shortage 7.means (of livelihood) 8.fulfilled, satiated 9.abundance 10.protection
I pay tribute to you, alleyways of my homeland, mingled in which are a thousand signs of my boyhood. The narrowness of alleys matched the scarcity of our means, but fulfillment there was, in the protection of an abundance of love.

tere kooche11, vo dar o baam12 o dareeche13 tere
par phaRphaRae14 un meN to vusa’at15 hui ayaaN16
qadmon tale17 thi jab to maiN jaahil18 Thahra
DhoonDooN teri vo Khaak to milti nahiN yahaaN
11.streets 12.doors and roofs 13.windows 14.flapping wings (learning to fly) 15.expanse 16.manifest 17.under feet 18.ignorant
Your alleys, your houses, roofs and windows, I flapped my wings there to learn to fly, and learnt the expanse of the world. When your dust was underfoot, I was ignorant. Now that I search for it, I can’t find it anywhere.

talaash e ma’ash19 meN chhoRa teri galyauN ko magar
nazrauN20 meN abhi tak hai vo yaadauN ka jahaaN
hai teri Khaak darKhshaN21 agar hai meri jabiN22
har ek faraaz23 pe mere, tera Ghubaar24 hi afshaaN25  
19.in search of a living 20.sight, memories 21.shining 22.forehead, brow 23.height 24.dust 25.shining, glittering
I left your alleys in search of livelihood, but the memories of that world still linger in my mind. If my brow shines, it is the reflection of your dust. At every height (of achievement), it is your glorious dust that is scattered.

ye shaahraahoN26 pe chamkeeli tez rau27 kaareN
manoos28 har gali thi, saRak ajnabi29 hai yahaaN
vo da’era30 ke jahaaN dafn31 meri yaadeN haiN
usi ki Khaak meN chaahat ke raaz haiN pinhaaN32 
26.highways 27.fast moving 28.familiar 29.strange, unfamiliar 30.literally circle – Mir Momin’s daa’era, an ancient graveyard in Hyderabad where my forebears lie 31.buried 32.hidden
These glittering cars moving fast on highways. Those (narrow) streets were familiar/friendly, these roads are new/fearsome. The old graveyard where my memories are buried, in its dust is hidden the secret of love.

vatan ki galiyaaN – shahed

The first misra is borrowed from a famous faiz ahmed faiz nazm.

nisaar1 maiN teri galiyauN ke ae vatan ke jahaaN
haiN jazb2 mere laRakpan3 ke sad hazaar4 nishaaN
taNg5 galyauN ki tarah taNgi6 vasaa’el7 ki to thi beshak
sarshaar8 magar rakhti thi ifraat9 e mohabbat ki amaaN10

1.sacrifice, tribute 2.absorbed 3.boyhood 4.hundred thousand 5.narrow 6.shortage 7.means (of livelihood) 8.fulfilled, satiated 9.abundance 10.protection

I pay tribute to you, alleyways of my homeland, mingled in which are a thousand signs of my boyhood. The narrowness of alleys matched the scarcity of our means, but fulfillment there was, in the protection of an abundance of love.

tere kooche11, vo dar o baam12 o dareeche13 tere
par phaRphaRae14 un meN to vusa’at15 hui ayaaN16
qadmon tale17 thi jab to maiN jaahil18 Thahra
DhoonDooN teri vo Khaak to milti nahiN yahaaN

11.streets 12.doors and roofs 13.windows 14.flapping wings (learning to fly) 15.expanse 16.manifest 17.under feet 18.ignorant

Your alleys, your houses, roofs and windows, I flapped my wings there to learn to fly, and learnt the expanse of the world. When your dust was underfoot, I was ignorant. Now that I search for it, I can’t find it anywhere.

talaash e ma’ash19 meN chhoRa teri galyauN ko magar
nazrauN20 meN abhi tak hai vo yaadauN ka jahaaN
hai teri Khaak darKhshaN21 agar hai meri jabiN22
har ek faraaz23 pe mere, tera Ghubaar24 hi afshaaN25

19.in search of a living 20.sight, memories 21.shining 22.forehead, brow 23.height 24.dust 25.shining, glittering

I left your alleys in search of livelihood, but the memories of that world still linger in my mind. If my brow shines, it is the reflection of your dust. At every height (of achievement), it is your glorious dust that is scattered.

ye shaahraahoN26 pe chamkeeli tez rau27 kaareN
manoos28 har gali thi, saRak ajnabi29 hai yahaaN
vo da’era30 ke jahaaN dafn31 meri yaadeN haiN
usi ki Khaak meN chaahat ke raaz haiN pinhaaN32

26.highways 27.fast moving 28.familiar 29.strange, unfamiliar 30.literally circle – Mir Momin’s daa’era, an ancient graveyard in Hyderabad where my forebears lie 31.buried 32.hidden

These glittering cars moving fast on highways. Those (narrow) streets were familiar/friendly, these roads are new/fearsome. The old graveyard where my memories are buried, in its dust is hidden the secret of love.