For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
وصال یار ہوتا ۔ مُنشی نوبت راے نظرؔ لکھنوی
۱
ترے وعدے کا ہر اک کو اگر اعتبار ہوتا
تو جہاں میں کچھ نہ ہوتا فقط انتظار ہوتا
۲
ابھی کم ہے سوزِ الفت کہ نفس شرر فشاں ہے
اگر آگ تیز ہوتی تو یہ شعلہ بار ہوتا
۳
دل و تیرِ خوں چکاں کی وہ شبیہ کھینچ دیتا
جو لہو کا کوئی قطرہ سر نوک خار ہوتا
۴
مجھے درد بھی تھا راحت مجھے غم بھی تھا مسرّت
جو وہ مجھ کو رنج دے کر کبھی غم گُسار ہوتا
۵
جو بھرا ہے غم سے سینہ تو سکوت ہی ہے بہتر
کہ لبوں پر آہ آتی تو اک اشتہار ہوتا
۶
کبھی یوں مٹا نہ سکتا اُسے آسمان ظالم
ترے در پہ او ستم گر جو مرا مزار ہوتا
۷
یہ حِجابِ جسمِ خاکی کہ ہے دید کا منافی
کبھی درمیاں سے اٹھتا تو وصال یار ہوتا
۸
نہ ہوا اثر کسی پر مرے نالۂ حزیں کا
ترا تیر تھا نہ ظالم کہ جگر کے پار ہوتا
۹
ابھی اور طول دیتے غم عشق کو نظرؔ ہم
اگر اپنی زندگی کا ہمیں اعتبار ہوتا
विसाल-ए यार होता – मुंशी नौबत राय नज़र लखनवी
१
तेरे वादे का हर एक को अगर ए’तबार होता
तो जहाँ में कुछ न होता फ़क़त इंतज़ार होता
२
अभी कम है सोज़-ए उल्फ़त कि नफ़स शरर-फ़िशाँ है
अगर आग तेज़ होती तो ये शो’ला-बार होता
३
दिल-ओ-तीर-ए ख़ूँ-चकां की वो शबीह खैंच देता
जो लहू का कोई क़त्रा सर-ए नोक-ए ख़ार होता
४
मुझे दर्द भी था राहत मुझे ग़म भी था मसर्रत
जो वो मुझ को रंज दे कर कभी ग़म-गुसार होता
५
जो भरा है ग़म से सीना तो सुकूत ही है बेहतर
के लबों पर आह आती तो एक इश्तिहार होता
६
कभी यूँ मिटा न सकता उसे आसमान-ए ज़ालिम
तेरे दर पे ओ सितमगर जो मेरा मज़ार होता
७
ये हिजाब-ए जिस्म-ए ख़ाकी के है दीद का मुनाफ़ी
कभी दर्मियाँ से उठता तो विसाल-ए यार होता
८
न हुआ असर किसी पर मेरे नाला-ए हज़ीं का
तेरा तीर था न ज़ालिम के जिगर के पार होता
९
अभी और तूल देते ग़म-ए इश्क़ को नज़र हम
अगर अपनी ज़िंदगी का हमें ए’तिबार होता
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. munshi naubat rai nazar lakhnavi (1864-1923), lukhnow. Well recognized poet with a published diivaan and the editor of several literary magazines including adeeb. He has several Ghazal modeled after Ghalib, with this one after ‘visaal-e yaar hota’. I date this Ghazal to 1897, marking Ghalib’s birth centennial.
1
tere vaa’de1 ka har ek ko agar e’tibaar2 hota
to jahaaN meN kuchh na hota faqat3 intezaar4 hota 1.promise 2.trust, belief 3.only 4.wait, anticipation
In urdu verse, the beloved is infamous for making promises and never keeping them. Ghalib said …
tere vaa’de pe jiye hum tu ye jaan jhooT jaana
keh Khushi se mar na jaate agar e’tebaar hota
This is a variation on that theme. If everyone believed that you will fulfil your promise (to come), there would be nothing going on in the world. Everyone will be waiting for you, anticipating your arrival. But of course, you will never come and they will wait forever.
2
abhi kam hai soz1-e ulfat2 keh nafas3 sharar-fishaaN4 hai
agar aag tez hoti to ye sho’la-baar5 hota 1.fire, passion 2.love 3.breath 4.throwing up/spreading sparks 5.flame showering
For now the passion/fire of love is somewhat restrained. The breath only scatters sparks. If the fires of love had been burning strongly, then it would have rained flames.
3
dil-o-tiir-e KhooN-chakaaN1 ki vo shabiih2 khaiNch detaa
jo lahu3 ka koi qatra4 sar5-e nok6-e Khaar7 hota 1.blood dripping 2.image, likeness 3.blood 4.drop 5.head, end 6.point 7.thorn
In poetic convention the beloved shoots arrows at (glances that pierce) the poet/lover’s heart. At the same time the poet/lover wanders the wilderness in distress like a madman (majnuN). His feet are normally pierced with thorns and bleeding profusely. But probably because he has already lost all blood because his heart has been pierced by her arrows, there is no drop of blood at the point of the thorn. If there had been one, he could have used as ink and drawn a likeness of the heart and the arrow dripping with blood.
4
mujhe dard bhi tha raahat1 mujhe Gham bhi tha masarrat2
jo vo mujh ko raNj de kar kabhi Gham-gusaar3 hota 1.comfort 2.joy 3.sorrowful
For me, pain would have been comfort, sorrow would have been joy, if, after giving pain and sorrow, she had been a little sorrowful/regretful.
5
jo bharaa hai Gham se siina to sukoot1 hi hai behtar2
keh laboN3 par aah4 aati to ek ishtehaar5 hota 1.silence 2.better 3.lips 4.sigh 5.advertisement
It is better to be silent even if my bosom/heart is full of sorrow. If only one sigh escapes my lips, then there it would be advertized (talked about) all over (and the beloved’s reputation would be maligned).
6
kabhi yuN miTaa1 na saktaa2 use aasmaan-e zaalim3
tere dar4 pe o sitamgar5 jo meraa mazaar6 hota 1.erase, obliterate 2.able to 3.oppressive 4.door 5.cruel/beloved 6.grave, tomb
The sky – “aasmaan” is considered to determine the fate of the poet/lover and is usually cruel. It also sends down lightning strikes to burn and obliterate things. Says the poet, the sky would not have been able to obliterate my grave, if it had been at your door-step. Both amir minaaii and daaGha dehlavi want their graves to be in the street of the beloved …
amir minaaii …
na malak savaal karte na lahad fishaar deti
sar-e raah-e koo-e qaatil jo mera mazaar hota
daaGh dehlavi …
mujhe maante sab aisa ke adu bhi sajde karte
dar-e yaar k’aaba banta jo mera mazaar hota
7
ye hijaab1-e jism2-e Khaaki3 keh hai diid4 kaa munaafi5
kabhi darmiyaaN6 se uThtaa to visaal7-e yaar8 hota 1.veiling, hiding 2.body 3.clay 4.sight, display 5.opposed to, prohibiting 6.middle, between 7.union 8.beloved, friend
Here ‘jism-e Khaaki’ – body of clay is meant to signify the body of the beloved. It is hiding behind a veil and is opposed to showing itself. If it were ever to be lifted from between the beloved and the poet/lover, then it would be like he had achieved union with her.
8
na huaa asar1 kisi par mere naala2-e haziN3 ka
teraa tiir thaa na zaalim4 keh jigar5 ke paar hota 1.effect 2.wailing 3.sorrowful 4.cruel oppressor, beloved 5.liver/heart
My sorrowful wailing did not have any effect on anyone. O, cruel one, it was not as powerful as your arrow that it would pierce the heart.
9
abhi aur tuul1 dete Gham-e ishq ko nazar2 ham
agar apni zindagi ka hameN e’tebaar3 hota 1.length, longer duration 2.pen-name of the poet 3.dependability
If we could only depend on our life i.e. believe that we would live longer, then we would have continued to mourn our sorrowful heart, continued to love the beloved. But he cannot depend on his life, he cannot say when he will die. That will put a stop to his love!
munshi naubat rai nazar lakhnavi (1864-1923), lukhnow. Well recognized poet with a published diivaan and the editor of several literary magazines including adeeb. He has several Ghazal modeled after Ghalib, with this one after ‘visaal-e yaar hota’. I date this Ghazal to 1897, marking Ghalib’s birth centennial.
1
tere vaa’de1 ka har ek ko agar e’tibaar2 hota
to jahaaN meN kuchh na hota faqat3 intezaar4 hota
1.promise 2.trust, belief 3.only 4.wait, anticipation
In urdu verse, the beloved is infamous for making promises and never keeping them. Ghalib said …
tere vaa’de pe jiye hum tu ye jaan jhooT jaana
keh Khushi se mar na jaate agar e’tebaar hota
This is a variation on that theme. If everyone believed that you will fulfil your promise (to come), there would be nothing going on in the world. Everyone will be waiting for you, anticipating your arrival. But of course, you will never come and they will wait forever.
2
abhi kam hai soz1-e ulfat2 keh nafas3 sharar-fishaaN4 hai
agar aag tez hoti to ye sho’la-baar5 hota
1.fire, passion 2.love 3.breath 4.throwing up/spreading sparks 5.flame showering
For now the passion/fire of love is somewhat restrained. The breath only scatters sparks. If the fires of love had been burning strongly, then it would have rained flames.
3
dil-o-tiir-e KhooN-chakaaN1 ki vo shabiih2 khaiNch detaa
jo lahu3 ka koi qatra4 sar5-e nok6-e Khaar7 hota
1.blood dripping 2.image, likeness 3.blood 4.drop 5.head, end 6.point 7.thorn
In poetic convention the beloved shoots arrows at (glances that pierce) the poet/lover’s heart. At the same time the poet/lover wanders the wilderness in distress like a madman (majnuN). His feet are normally pierced with thorns and bleeding profusely. But probably because he has already lost all blood because his heart has been pierced by her arrows, there is no drop of blood at the point of the thorn. If there had been one, he could have used as ink and drawn a likeness of the heart and the arrow dripping with blood.
4
mujhe dard bhi tha raahat1 mujhe Gham bhi tha masarrat2
jo vo mujh ko raNj de kar kabhi Gham-gusaar3 hota
1.comfort 2.joy 3.sorrowful
For me, pain would have been comfort, sorrow would have been joy, if, after giving pain and sorrow, she had been a little sorrowful/regretful.
5
jo bharaa hai Gham se siina to sukoot1 hi hai behtar2
keh laboN3 par aah4 aati to ek ishtehaar5 hota
1.silence 2.better 3.lips 4.sigh 5.advertisement
It is better to be silent even if my bosom/heart is full of sorrow. If only one sigh escapes my lips, then there it would be advertized (talked about) all over (and the beloved’s reputation would be maligned).
6
kabhi yuN miTaa1 na saktaa2 use aasmaan-e zaalim3
tere dar4 pe o sitamgar5 jo meraa mazaar6 hota
1.erase, obliterate 2.able to 3.oppressive 4.door 5.cruel/beloved 6.grave, tomb
The sky – “aasmaan” is considered to determine the fate of the poet/lover and is usually cruel. It also sends down lightning strikes to burn and obliterate things. Says the poet, the sky would not have been able to obliterate my grave, if it had been at your door-step. Both amir minaaii and daaGha dehlavi want their graves to be in the street of the beloved …
amir minaaii …
na malak savaal karte na lahad fishaar deti
sar-e raah-e koo-e qaatil jo mera mazaar hota
daaGh dehlavi …
mujhe maante sab aisa ke adu bhi sajde karte
dar-e yaar k’aaba banta jo mera mazaar hota
7
ye hijaab1-e jism2-e Khaaki3 keh hai diid4 kaa munaafi5
kabhi darmiyaaN6 se uThtaa to visaal7-e yaar8 hota
1.veiling, hiding 2.body 3.clay 4.sight, display 5.opposed to, prohibiting 6.middle, between 7.union 8.beloved, friend
Here ‘jism-e Khaaki’ – body of clay is meant to signify the body of the beloved. It is hiding behind a veil and is opposed to showing itself. If it were ever to be lifted from between the beloved and the poet/lover, then it would be like he had achieved union with her.
8
na huaa asar1 kisi par mere naala2-e haziN3 ka
teraa tiir thaa na zaalim4 keh jigar5 ke paar hota
1.effect 2.wailing 3.sorrowful 4.cruel oppressor, beloved 5.liver/heart
My sorrowful wailing did not have any effect on anyone. O, cruel one, it was not as powerful as your arrow that it would pierce the heart.
9
abhi aur tuul1 dete Gham-e ishq ko nazar2 ham
agar apni zindagi ka hameN e’tebaar3 hota
1.length, longer duration 2.pen-name of the poet 3.dependability
If we could only depend on our life i.e. believe that we would live longer, then we would have continued to mourn our sorrowful heart, continued to love the beloved. But he cannot depend on his life, he cannot say when he will die. That will put a stop to his love!
