Jaane bargashta hai kyun mujh se zamaane ki hawa
Apne daaman ki hawa de zindagi ai zindagi
Ruch gaya hai meri nus nus mein meri raaton ka zahr
Mere sooraj ko bula de zindagi ai zindagi
2
Where do I linger, tell me, O life, my life
Let me hear your songs again, O life, my life
One by one, all the lamps of the heart went to sleep
Wake them up once again, O life, my life
The sallies of words, lively nights, that hubbub
Let them come alive again, O life, my life
The drop that made the blood gurgle in my veins
Let me drink that drop again, O life, my life
I don’t remember what my look, what my mien
Show me now my face again, O life, my life
It’s ages now, I’ve been sulking with myself
Let me now meet myself, O life, my life
Why is the world cross with me, I don’t know why!
Be kind to me, be kind again, O life, my life
Night’s poison has gone deep, deep into my veins
Now call my sun, call it now, O life, my life
35
Hasan Naim
Hasan Naim (1927–1991), named Syed Hasan and mentioned in the family tree as Syed Shah Hasan Naim after his father, was born in Patna to a family which had major Sufi saints as ancestors. He received his school and early college education in Patna. Later, he went to Aligarh Muslim University for his bachelor’s degree in science, and there, he also got an opportunity to prune his literary taste. Beginning his professional career as a schoolteacher in Patna and Calcutta, he went on to join the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi. A series of assignments outside India gave him the opportunity to enrich his poetic taste. After completing his foreign assignments, he worked as the director of the All India Ghalib Centenary Committee, which led to the establishment of the Ghalib Institute (Aiwan-e Ghalib) in Delhi, an institution he served with great dedication, but not without controversy. Naim spent the rest of his days in disease, despair, silence and penury.
Although Naim aligned himself with the Progressive Writers Association ideologically, he disapproved of their poetics and sought a mode of expression that could sustain new consciousness. An abundance of ideas and thoughts characterized his poetry. These ideas oscillated between doubt and faith, and the secular and the spiritual. His poetic strategy lay in executing multiple allusions and in exploiting the ambiguities of language. He was fully aware of the demands that the new ghazal made and he met them with critical discretion. Naim has left behind three collections of his poems—Ash’aar, Ghazalnaama (in Hindi) and Dabistaan.
1
Karein na yaad shab-e haadasa hua so hua
Bhula dein aao her ek waaqeya hua so hua
Bura hua ke lade jaan nisaar aapas mein
Bura hai aur bhi ye tazkira hua so hua
Ghazab hua ke naye log aa base dil mein
Bichhadna un se alag saaneha hua so hua
Kahaan kahaan se na aafat ki badliyaan aaeein
Dayaar-e qalb mein jo zalzala hua so hua
Bahut se kante gire phool ban ke daaman per
Gulon ki zaat se jo faaida hua so hua
Pehen ke dost bhi nikle libaas-e tanz Hasan
Wo apni aan mein beqaaida hua so hua
1
Let’s forget that terrible night, whatever happened, happened
Let’s forget that dreadful sight, whatever happened, happened
It was really sad the lovers picked a deadly brawl
Talking about a bigger blight, whatever happened, happened
Awful! Some new faces found their homes in hearts
Parting but was a sad plight, whatever happened, happened
Dark clouds gathered around, spelling calamity
Hearts got a terrible fright, whatever happened, happened
Many a thorn fell like blossoms into my cozy lap
Blossoms brought such delight, whatever happened, happened
Even friends with their sarcasm, Hasan, found their way ahead
They were though full of spite, whatever happened, happened
2
Husn ki sehr-o karaamaat se jee darta hai
Ishq ki zinda riwaayaat se jee darta hai
Main ne maana ke mujhe un se mohabbat na rahi
Hamnahseen phir bhi mulaaqaat se jee darta hai
Such to ye hai ke abhi dil ko sukoon hai lekin
Apne aawaaraa khayaalaat se jee darta hai
Itna roya hoon gham-e dost zara saa hans kar
Muskuraai hue lamhaat se jee darta hai
Kis ghadi kaun si wahshat mein kare mujh ko shareek
Ishq ki ek isee baat se jee darta hai
Jo bhi kehna ho kaho saaf shikaayat hi sahi
In ishiraat-o kinaayaat se jee darta hai
Hijr ka dard naee baat naheen hai lekin
Din wo guzra hai ke ab raat se jee darta hai
Phir bhi un taaza inaayaat se jee darta hai
2
I’m scared of love’s kindness, I’m scared
I’m scared of love’s eternal ways, I’m scared
I know I don’t love her now anymore, I don’t
I’m scared of meeting her again, I’m scared
True, I’m at rest; my heart is also calm now
I’m scared of my roving thoughts, I’m scared
Love’s sorrow! I’ve wept so much, after a smile
I’m scared of the smiling moments, I’m scared
Who knows what wild acts it may get me in, and when
I’m scared of this very way of love, I’m scared
Say what you have to say, even make a complaint
I’m scared of these and those signs, I’m scared
The pain of parting is nothing new, even then
I’m scared of the night, as of the day, I’m scared
I haven’t forgotten, Naim, the illusions lived in love
I’m scared of the new compassions, I’m scared
36
Mohammad Alvi
Mohammad Alvi (1927–2018) was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where he lived all his life. A man of little formal education, Alvi hailed from the business community of his home-town.
Alvi can be called a typical avant-garde Urdu poet, who broke all the established traditions of the classical and the Progressive poets in the way he excercised his poetic diction, and used images, metaphors and symbols. He evolved his own methods of turning a bizarre idea into a poem. Alvi strengthened this poetic method further by appropriating a diction that is now childlike, now monologist, and now too prosaic to be even seemingly poetic. He was a rebel without proclaiming to be one. He made his mark with his very first collection of poems, Khaali Makaan, which was followed by Aakhiri Din Ki Talaash, Teesri Kitaab and Chauthaa Aasman, which won him the Sahitya Akademi Award and also an award from the Gujarat Urdu Academy.
1
Ghar ne apna hosh sambhaala din nikla
Khidki mein bhar gaya ujaala din nikla
Laal gulabi hua ufuq ka darwaaza
Toot gaya sooraj ka taala din nikla
Pedon per chup rahne waali raat gaee
Shaakh shaakh pe bolne waala din nikla
Naye naye manzar aankhon mein phail gaye
Khula koee rangeen risaala din nikla
Aankhein kholo, khwab sameto, jaago bhi
Alvi pyare dekho saala din nikla
1
To its senses came the abode, appeared the day
Then the sleeping windows glowed, appeared the day
Red and pink turned the threshold of the horizon
Breaking its lock, the sun showed, appeared the day
Perching silent on the trees the night met its end
The swinging boughs the birds rode, appeared the day
New landscapes showed up bright before the eyes
A lively site then bes
towed, appeared the day
Open your eyes, fold your dreams, wake up now
Alvi dear, break your mode, appeared the day
2
Roshni kuchh to mile jungle mein
Aag lag jaai ghane jungle mein
Aap ko shahr mein dar lagta hai
Hum to bekhauf rahe jungle mein
Ek ek shaakh zaban ho jaai
Koee aawaaz to de jungle mein
Ped se ped lagaa rehtaa hai
Pyar hota hai ghane jungle mein
Shahr mein kaan taraste hi rahe
Chahchahe hum ne sune jungle mein
Shaam hote hi utar aate hain
Shokh pariyon ke pare jungle mein
Shokh hirnon ne qalaanchein maareen
More ke raqs hue jungle mein
Ab bhi qadmon ke nishaan milte hain
Gaaon se door pare jungle mein
Ab bhi phirti hai koee parchchaaeen
Raat ke waqt bhare jungle mein
Khoob the hazrat-e Adam Alvi
Bastiyaan chhod gaye jungle mein
2
Let there be some light in the jungle
Let some fire ignite in the jungle
You stay scared in the city
I lived with no fright in the jungle
Let each bough speak as a tongue
Let a call alight in the jungle
The trees stand embracing trees
Love glows so bright in the jungle
Ears craved for a tweet in the city
Birds chirped with delight in the jungle
They all descend when the evening does
A flock of meteorites in the jungle
Naughty deer, all jump in joy
Peacock’s dance excited in the jungle
Even now, footprints appear
Far from village, bright in the jungle
Even now, there moves a shadow
During a dark night in the jungle
Adam was so wise, Alvi
He kept the sylvan site in the jungle
37
Munir Niazi
Munir Niazi (1928–2006) was born in a village called Khanpur, near Hoshiarpur in Punjab, India. After the 1947 Partition, he migrated to Pakistan and settled in Sahiwal, where he completed his school education. Later, he went to Bahawalpur and Lahore for his college education. He launched a journal called Saat Rang, wrote lyrics for films, established a publishing institute called Al-Misaal and wrote for radio and newspapers as a freelancer. He also worked for the Pakistan Television Corporation.
Niazi wrote poetry in both Urdu and Punjabi. He may be read as a major imagist poet. He used nostalgia, dreams and fantasies as his basic poetic material. His short poems have appealed to a large section of readers as intimate whispers, remarkable for their immediacy of appeal. Niazi evolved a light idiom, a humble tone, and an organic form, eminently suited to his short and pithy poems. As testaments of innocence and beauty, his poems have stayed in the common imagination of his readers for long. Poems from his seven anthologies, some of them being Tez Hawaa aur Tanha Phool, Jungle Mein Dhanak, Dushmanon ke Darmiyaan Shaam and Maah-e Munir, are put together in Kulliyat-e Munir Niazi.
1
Uga sabza dar-o-deewaar per aahista aahista
Hua khaali sadaaon se nagar aahista aahista
Ghira baadal khamoshi se, khizaan aasaar baaghon mein
Hile thhandi hawaaon mein shajar aahista aahista
Chamak zar ki use aakhir makaan-e khaak mein laai
Banaayaa naag ne jismon mein ghar aahista aahista
Mere baahar faseelein theen ghubaar-e khaak-o baaran ki
Mili mujh ko tere ghum ki khabar aahista aahista
Munir is mulk per aasaib ka saaya hai ya kya hai
Ke harkat tez tar hai aur safar aahista aahista
1
The green grass showed up on the walls, bit by bit
The city got shorn of echoes, bit by bit
Clouds gathered in silence, by the ruined orchards
The cool breeze then shook the boughs, bit by bit
The lure of riches brought him to abode of dust
The snakes made their way in limbs, bit by bit
The screens of dust and wind lay beyond my being
I got to know of your pain and plight, bit by bit
Does an evil spirit haunt my land, Munir
The speed is fast but journey slow, bit by bit
2
Meri saari zindagi ko be-samar us ne kiya
‘Umr meri thee magar us ko basar us ne kiya
Main bahut kamzor tha is mulk mein hijrat ke baad
Per mujhe is mulk mein kamzor tar us ne kiya
Raahbar mera banaa gumraah karne ke liye
Mujh ko seedhe raste se dar-ba-dar us ne kiya
Shahr mein wo mutabar meri gawaahi se hua
Phir mujhe is shahr mein na-mutabar us ne kiya
Shahr ko barbaad kar ke rakh diya us ne Munir
Shahr per ye zulm mere naam per us ne kiya
2
Who rendered all my life meaningless, but only he
This life was mine, who lived this life, but only he
Too frail I was, too frail, in this land on migration
He made me frailer still, who else, but only he
He became the way finder only to put me astray
Who led me away from the right way, but only he
My witness alone stood by him in his city
I was proved fake, who made me so, but only he
He ruined this city Munir, beyond all repair
In my name, who ruined the city, but only he
38
Zeb Ghauri
Zeb Ghauri (1928–1985) was born Khan Ahmad Hussain Khan Ghauri. He hailed from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and lived there pursuing his vocation as a poet, with sincere commitment towards discovering a voice and a technique of his own. He belonged to the group of poets who rose to prominence with the modernist movement, gaining momentum and critical recognition during the late 1960s and early ’70s. He is one of those poets who came to stay on even after the ultra-modernists started losing their fire and settled down to speak in quieter tones using sober modes of expression.
Ghauri is clearly recognizable among his contemporaries for his detached yet essentially personal and sympathetic understanding of life’s ambiguities and incongruities. He published his ghazals in a collection titled Zard Zarkhaiz. His second collection, Chaak, was published posthumously in Pakistan.
1
Shahr mein hum se kuchh aashufta dilaan aur bhi hain
Sahil-e bahr pe qadmon ke nishaan aur bhi hain
Ret ke toode chamak uthh’te hain jab zulmat mein
Aisa lagta hai ke kuchh log yahaan aur bhi hain
Kaise manzar the ke sheeshe ki tarah toot gaye
Magar aankhon mein kaee khwab-e giraan aur bhi hain
Bastiyaan dil ki bhi sunsaan padi hain kab se
Ye khandar hi naheen saayon ke makaan aur bhi hain
Shub ke sannate mein chattanon ko dekho ai Zeb
Tum se begana-i faryyad-o fughaan aur bhi hai
1
The city has some more anguished ones, not only me
Some more footprints on the seashore, not only mine
The sand dunes shine bright when it grows pitch dark
Seems the place has more like me, not only me
What sights were those to crush like frail glasses
But I’ve more of dear dreams, not only those
The heart has stayed deserted all along
There are more abodes for shadows, not only these
Look at the rocks in the quiet of night, Zeb
There are more who don’t wail, not only you
2
Ho chuke gum saare khadd-o khaal manzar aur main
Phir hue ek aasmaan saahil samunder aur main
Ek harf-e raaz dil per aaeena hota hua
Ek kuhar chhaayi hui manzar ba manzar aur main
Chhed kar jaise guzar jaati hai dosh
eeza hawa
Der se khaamosh hai gehra samunder aur main
Kis qadar ek doosre se lagte hain maanoos Zeb
Naariyal ke ped ye saahil ke pathhar aur main
2
All outlines are lost, all sights, all landscapes and me
They’re one again—the sky, sea, shore, and me
A secret word being a mirror to the heart
A haze spread from scene to scene, and me
As the maiden wind teases when it passes on
But silent for so long are the deep sea, and me
How well known they are to each other, Zeb!
Those coconut trees, these stones on shore, and me
39
Jaun Eliya
Jaun Eliya (1931–2002), generally described as a philosopher, rebel, radical, atheist and a holder of an offbeat political stance, was born in Amroha, India. Following the 1947 Partition, he migrated to Pakistan and came into prominence as a poet on account of his intriguingly individual approach to poetic diction and syntax. He was proficient in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit and English, as well as Hebrew which he could access to a limited extent. Eliya was deeply interested in philosophy, logic, Islamic history, Sufism and Kabaala, which is well borne out by the kind of poetry he wrote to express his despair and deep-rooted frustration.
As Eliya was not quite convinced about publishing his poetry, his first book, Shaayad, appeared when he was sixty. Other collections of his poetry including Yaani, Gumnaam, Lekin and Goya were published posthumously. Unlike any other poet, Eliya emerged as a cult figure with a large following in India and Pakistan. He edited a journal called Insha and also published essays and translations of Sufi, Mutazilite and Ismaili treatises. In recognition of his contribution to Urdu poetry, the government of Pakistan conferred upon him the prestigious Pride of Performance award. Eliya died in Karachi.
1
Hum jee rahe hain koee bahaana kiye baghair
Us ke baghair us ki tamanna kiye baghair
Ambaar us ka parda-i hurmat banaa miyan
Deewar tak giri naheen parda kiye baghair
Yaaraan wo jo hai mera maseeha-i jaan-o dil
Behad azeez hai mujhe achha kiye baghair
Main bistar-e-khayaal pe letaa hoon us ke paas
Subh-e azal se koee taqaaza kiye baghair
Us ka hai jo bhi kuchh hai mera aur main magar
Wo mujh ko chahiye koee sauda kiye baghair
Ye zindagi jo hai use maani bhi chaahiye
Waada hamein qubool hai eefa kiye baghair