Raat Youn Teri (Faiz)-Translation

Your forgotten memory, last night, came by,
As spring steals upon a garden deserted,
Amidst still sands, gently, as the morning breeze blows,
As an ailing man is simply comforted.

Original by Faiz:

Raat youn teri khoyi hui yaad aayi,
Jaise veeraane mein chupke se bahaar aa jaaye,
Jaise sehraon main haule se chale baad-e-naseem,
Jaise beemaar ko bevajah qaraar aa jaaye.

Ek Arsey Se

This is the poem "Ek aur Ufuq" written earlier, that Nitin Sinha has composed beautifully and sung.thanks Nitin :)

For J

Here's an attempted translation...

Aate hai.n ghai'b se ye mazaamee.n khayaal mein,
Ghalib sareer-e-khwama, nava-e-sarosh hai

They occur from the obscure
These conceptions in the mind
The scraping of Ghalib’s pen
Is expression of the divine

Josh in Translation

O flower, at your life, my heart shudders,
A smile is all for which you bloom...
Said the flower "even a smile my friend,
who receives in this garden of gloom"

Original by 'Josh':


Gunche teri zindagi pe dil hilta hai,
Bas ek tabassum ke liye khilta hai...
gunche ne kaha ki "Is chaman mei.n baba,
Ye ek tabassum bhi kise milta hai"

TUM

Chhoo loon tumhe, sirf tumhaare haathon ko hi,
Tab bhi
Ye raftaar o jumbish jo tumhaare lahu main hai
Meri thehri nabz mein shayad kahin se aa jaaye

Ha.ns loo.n tumhaari tarah khilkhila kar to,
Ye gulabi sharm jo tumhaare rukhsaar pe damakti hai
Mere chehre ki kagazi safedi par
Apna halka sa rang phaila jaaye

Ye zindagi jo tumhaari abru ke beech, lakeeron par
Naaz o aaraam se baithi dikhti hai
Ji bhar ke dekhoon tumhe to
Aankhon ko na sahi
Mere ashko.n ko to ghar bana jaaye

Kyon itni khoobsoorat ho tum
Kyo.n tum se nigaah nahi hat-ti meri
Chalo theek bhi hai
Tumhaara husn, kuch nahi to,
Mere dil ki thandi raakh mein
Koi rashk ka shola hi jaga jaaye

(An ode to the beautiful women of Rajasthan...)

LAL DEEWAREI.N

(A poem inspired by Mughal Architecture in Delhi & Agra.
Some pictures of the same here)

Maazi ka madham taraana koi
Bhoola bisra zamaana koi
Kaheen parchhaiyee, kahee.n sargoshi
Kuch izhaar, kuch khamoshi
Dard, khalish, bam, dhamaake
Raqs, teohar, khushi, patakhe
Buland Minaro.n ki zubaani
Khule darwaazo.n ki band kahaani

Dil soz daastaa.n apni sunayei.n
Ye thandi deewarein, ye thehre saaye

Sone si subho.n ka bayaa.n hai
Zikr-e-naseem-e-seher yahaa.n hai
Shaahi gusal, sekdo.n phawware
Aab-e-gulaab mein bheege nazaare
Saaye sametne ki tayyaari bhi
Halke nishaa.n hai, bhaari bhi

Dil soz daastaa.n apni sunayei.n
Ye thandi deewarein, ye thehre saaye

Garm dopeher mein tapte fasaane
Pedo.n ki chhaao.n mein soye zamaane
Thami hawa mein koi raaz si sar sar
Thandi aaho.n sa sang-e-mar mar
Thak ke dhoop ka shaakho.n par tikna
Kirno.n se aayatei.n likhna

Dil soz daastaa.n apni sunayei.n
Ye thandi deewarein, ye thehre saaye

Rangeen aanchalo.n mein shaam ka aana
Doobte suraj se shamme jalaana
Aazaan par nehro.n ka raqs
Wuzoo karta shammo.n ka aqs
Meena baazaar roshan roshan
Jhumka, paazeb, itr, kangan

Dil soz daastaa.n apni sunayei.n
Ye thandi deewarein, ye thehre saaye

In lal deewaro.n ke zakhm hare hain
Khamosh daamano.n mei.n raaz dhare hai.n
Gard mein lipte jahaa.n yahaa.n par
Bujhte kadmon ke nishaa.n yahaa.n par
Saalo.n saal, hazaaro.n kisse
Itihaas ke nazuk, toote hisse
Kitni gutthiyaa.n kholti hai.n
Tum suno, to ye bhi bolti hai.n

Dil soz daastaa.n apni sunayei.n
Ye thandi deewarein, ye thehre saaye

Hum Ke Thehre Ajnabi

Whew! the reign of guilt comes to an end. This is how I would describe the process of this translation. I have only short of had nightmares about Faiz questioning me as to what I think I was doing with his poem.
More than ever I now believe in what A.K. Ramanujan said: A translation is like a wife, it can either be beautiful or faithful. (I'm not quoting because I could have jumbled some words but the effect is right. My knowledge of the same=courtesy Bali-a good friend).
Now as most men, I have succumbed to greed and I want both at the risk of getting neither. In any case here is the outcome.
The original followed by the translation:

Hum ke Thehre ajanabii itane madaaraato.n ke baad
Phir bane.nge aashnaa kitanii mulaaqaato.n ke baad

Kab nazar me.n aayegii bedaaG sabze kii bahaar
Khuun ke dhabbe dhule.nge kitanii barasaato.n ke baad

Dil to chaahaa par shikast-e-dil ne mohalat hii na dii
Kuchh gile-shikave bhii kar lete munaajaato.n ke baad

The bahut bedard lamhe.n Khatm-e-dard-e-ishq ke
Thii.n bahut bemahar subahe.n meharabaa.N raato.n ke baad

Un se jo kahane gaye the "Faiz" jaa.N sadaqaa kiye
Anakahii hii rah ga_ii vo bat sab baato.n ke baad



Hospitalities exchanged, yet we who strangers stay
With how many encounters, shall amiability display?

After how many rains, shall the blood stains fade,
And when, in our sight, shall unspotted fields sway?

All that the heart desired, its breaking permitted not,
No grievance did those contained praises betray.

Merciless were moments, that witnessed the end of pain,
Benevolent nights brought in a cruel break of day.

That which, on your life, you determined to convey
Unspoken on your lips, Faiz, the decided words lay

BALOGHAT (Adolescence)

For the past two weeks Nyela (my sister) and I have been creatively busy. This was on account of some work that we are almost glad we did: translating the poems of contemporary urdu poet Abdul Ahad Saaz to be presented in an international poetry conference to be held recently. We translated three of them. I shall however post the translation that I am happiest with.
While I was at it I have been playing around with translating a ghazal of Faiz too. Hopefully that would comprise the next post.
For the time, here is the original and the translation of the poem “Baloghat” by Abdul Ahad Saaz:

Baloghat

Meri nazm mujh se bahot chhoti thi

Khelti rehti thi pehr o aagosh mein meri
Aadhe adhoore misre, mere gale mein bahein dale
Jhoolte rehte the

Zehen ke gehvaar mein humakte
Dil ki farsh pe rote machalte
Nok-e-kalam par shor machate, zid karte
Mani ki titliyon ke peechhe daudte phirte the alfaaz

Meri nazm mujh se bahot chhoti thi


Jaane samay kab beet gaya
Gudyo.n ke par nikle aur who pariyo.n si aazaad hui
Lafz javaan hokar izhaar ki raah chal nikle


Aur main tanha,
Apni parayi aankhon se ye dekh raha hoo.n
Meri ungli thaam ke chalne waali nazm
Ab apne pairo.n pe khadi hai

Meri nazm- mujh se badi hai




ADOLESCENCE

My poem, just an infant

In my embrace for hours played
Fingers of verses half-composed
Playfully around my neck laid

Words and phrases-
Restless, in the cradle of my mind,
On the floor of my heart, weeping,
Stubborn, on the tip of my pen,
Chasing butterflies of meaning

My poem was younger to me,

And how now the time has passed,
Wingless dolls like fairies have flown
Adolescent words tread paths of expression
And I here, detached, alone

Watch with my distant gaze,
The poem, that once needed my hand,
Now strong upon its feet stays

My poem is now, bigger than me.

Ghazal

This is my first ever attempt at the ghazal form of urdu poetry. I have played around with the triveni and nazm (here and here) forms earlier and even had the audacity to add a couplet or two to some poor souls already established meters (including Ghalib’s which I am too ashamed to show anyone). However whenever I contemplated deciding on my own meter, I felt I was biting off more than I would have been able to chew. I have bitten off anyways now and the crumbs that fell off are here:

Thaki dopehar ko behlaati hui shaam nahi

Meri sulagti bechainiyo.n ko aaraam nahi

Kahi.n to dil ki siyaahi mei.n kuch kami hogi

Ke khat mein khushboo hai meri, mera naam nahi

Dil pe dard ki likhai thi, so mita di humne

Bas bujh bujh se gaye lafz, hue tamaam nahi

Kya ke phir is tarah ek aur mulaqaat gayi

Nahi ishaara nazar ka, koi salaam nahi

Maut aayi to mitti aur jism ek khaak hue

Chalo is rooh pe ab pairahan ka ilzam nahi

Is manzil pe le aaye.n hain aql-o-ishq, ke jahaa.n

Hosh ka kuch kaam nahi, bekhudi ka ehteraam nahi

Sachhe sher ‘Sadia’, ek umr laga dete hain

Kore kaagazo.n pe waqt ka koi muqaam nahi

Tags: urdu poetry urdu ghazal