The Evolution of Urdu Literature in the 20th Century

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Dear Nasah:

It`s difficult to translate Urdu poetry into English, maintaining the originality and inherent beauty. Any how, the following is my effort for translating Faiz`s Loh-o-Qalam. Be well.

LOH- O- QALAM

I`m not grieved if I`m robbed of the use of pen and paper

Because I`ve drowned my fingers in the blood of my heart

It does not matter if my lips are sealed,

because I`ve placed

A tongue in every link of my fetter

Dear Farangikush:

Thank you so much for Iqbal`s gazal.

Der ayad drust ayad.

Good to know that you`re not hindukush (but then why Farangi kush?)-- that you love hindi peotry too -- I am not very familiar with Hindi poetry --had some encounters with Bacchan`s poems -- they sounded rather bachagana -- love Kabir`s dohes and Mira`s bhajans.

``kubhee soz o saaz e Roomi,kubhee pech o taab e Raazi``

This is the dilemma.

Thanks again.

nasah:#28

I missed this request by you and I`m really sorry.I did not visit CHOWK either for quite sometime and now feel that it was nice to be away.

Here is the Ghazal you requested.

It is from ``Baal e Jibreel``....ALLAMA IQBAAL

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Vohee meri kumm naseebee,vohee teri bey niazee

miray kaam kuchh naa aaya,yeh kamaal e nai navazee

Mein kahaan hoon too kahaan hai?yeh makan keh lamakan hai?

yeh jahan mira jahan hai,keh teri karishmaa saazi?

Issi kushmkash mein guzreen meri zindgi kee raatein

kubhee soz o saaz e Roomi,kubhee pech o taab e Raazi

Voh fareb khurdaa shaheen keh pulla ho krguson mein

ussey kyaa khabar ke kyaa hai ruh O rusm e shahbaazi

Naa zubaan koi ghazal kee,naa zubaan sey baa khabar mein

koi dil kushaa sadaa ho,ujaa/mee ho yaa keh taazee

Naheen fuqr o sultanat mein koi imtiaz aisaa

yeh sipaah kee tegh baazee,voh nigahh kee tegh baazee

Koi karavaan sey toota koi budgumaan haram sey

keh ameer e karavaan mein,naheen khoo e dilnvaazee.

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Huzoor e valaa,

Aap ney yeh kyaa farmayya key /aap to Iqbal vaaley hain ?

Qiblaa O Kaaba! Naa to koi Iqbaal vaala hota hai naa tagore valaa naa shakespeare valla aur naa arastoo vaala.Issi tarah naa koi einstein valaa hota hai naa Ibn-sinaa valaa,naa newton valaa aur naa Mualana Sattar Edhee valaa.

Kyoon bhalaa?

Kyoon key huzoor inn tamaamm hustiyon ney upney aap ko khud kissi kaa paband naheen kiyaa to humm inhain qaid krnay vaaley kaun hotai hain?

AAp kee ittilaah key liyay yeh khadim Bhuk soor Daas,Kaalidas,Shaam Churaasi aur Pandit Malik Mohammed Jaisee mein bhee itnee hee dilchuspee laitaa hai.Farangi laikukh bhee humm pur ghar bund naheen hain mugar jubb sey baichaaray ba ba blacksheep qism kee cheezon nein unn ko apnaana shrooh kiyaa to vallah inn bhangyon mein khud ko shumaar karvanay ko jee nahee maantaa.

``Hurr bul havas nein husn parastee shiaar kee....``

Inn ghareebon key bavaa aadam hazrat e Faiz jubb khud liberalism/humanism(whatever that is) sey Taib hokurr phir sey iqraar e bil-lissan musalmaan ho gayeey to yeh taddee-dull kis shumaar qataar mein hein.

``aaye hai bay-kusee e ishque pey ronaa ghalib...``

They have to be pitied but not condemned because some of them become Johnny Levers because of a necessity to get farangi-look-alike jobs in morally bankrupt corporations & organisations.Only self-employed bazzaaris and business types can afford to talk & dress and read/write whatever they want.The ba ba blacksheep must mortgage their souls to get their minds mined.

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Your poets neeraj and ravinder jain are simply superb.If you can post some of their stuff to share with us it might open a new vista here.

Ravinder Jain especially being from the south and having become a master of urdu from aligargh---and blind(totally?) has composed some of the finest geets for Indian films.I very especially admire his

``dil mein tujhey chhupaa key

kr loon gee mein bundd aankhein

poojaa karoon gee tereee.......

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My apologies....I`ll let you go now!

WASSALAAM.

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Dear Freethinker:

Where are you.

If you`re still around Chowk, here is another ``mission impossible`` assignment for your poetic spirit.

Please try your hand on Faiz famous quartet for our Indian friends:

mataaye loho qulum chin gayee to keya ghum hai

ke khoone dil meiN dubo leeN haiN oungliaN meiN ne

labooN pe muhre lagee hai to keya ke rakh dee hai

hur aik hulquey zunjeer mein zabaN meiN ne

Thanks.

A surprisingly beautiful short Tarana by my favorite poet, Hafeez Jallundhari -- famous for epics.

But the language -- is that poem in Urdu or in Persian?

Dear SameerJB:

I had really planned to sign off; I didn`t want to go overboard with my recurrent appearances at Chowk. But again, I couldn`t really ignore a well-meaning request. This time, I was able to get the translation of Pakistani National Anthem from the Internet; I`m transmitting that to you. May be, it will serve your purpose. Wishing you well.

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PAKISTANI QUAMI TARANA

Urdu: Islam-i Jamhuriya-e Pakistan / English: Islamic Republic of Pakistan



Tarana

(National Anthem)

Historical Background

The national anthem of Pakistan is a harmonious rendering of a three-stanza composition with a tune based on eastern music but arranged in such a manner that it can be easily played by foreign bands. It was adopted in August 1954. An open competition was held among all highly competitive entries, and the entry of Hafeez Jallundhuri was approved by the jury. The national anthem of Pakistan is one of the most prestigious ones in the world and is very short. Its duration is only one minute and eight seconds.

Original Urdu Words



Latin Transliteration

Pak sarzameen shad bad Kishwar-e-Haseen shad bad

Tou Nishaan-e-Azm-e-aali shan Arz-e-Pakistan

Markaz-e-yaqeen Shad bad

Pak sarzameen ka nizaam Qouwat-e-Akhouwat-e-Awam

Qaum mulk saltanat Painda tabinda bad

Shad bad Manzil-e-murad

Parcham-e-Sitara-o-Hilal Rahbar-e-Tarakkeey-o-Kamal

Tarjumaan-e-mazee-shaan-e-Hal Jan-e-Istaqbal

Saaya-e-Khuda-e-zuljalal

English Translation

Blessed be the sacred land,

Happy be the bounteous realm,

Symbol of high resolve, Land of Pakistan.

Blessed be thou citadel of faith.

The Order of this Sacred Land

Is the might of the brotherhood of the people.

May the nation, the country, and the State.

Shine in glory everlasting.

Blessed be the goal of our ambition.

This flag of the Crescent and the Star

Leads the way to progress and perfection,

Interpreter of our past, glory of our present,

Inspiration of our future,

Symbol of Almighty`s protection.

Lyrics: Abu-al-Asar Hafeez Jullandhuri (1900-1982)

Music: Ahmed Gulamali Chagla (1902-1953)

Adopted: 1954

Dear freethinker:

Many many thanks for translating the Sahir`s Taj for Indian audiences -- and again you have excelled.

Are you sure you`re not a poet? You have to be one.

Only a poet with a command of two languages can feel the subtlety, delicacy, intricacy of language and culture specific poetic expressions –and you have done that, freethinker – especially in the following gems of Sahir’s nazam..

Ungenut logoN ne duniya meiN muhabbut kee hai

Countless people in the world had cherished love

Kaun kahtaa hai ke sadiq na the jasbey unke

Who can say their emotions were not true?

Lekin unke liye tashheer ka saamaan nahiN

But they remained obscure and faceless

kewN ke wuh loge bhi apni hi tarah mufliss tthe

Because they were poor like me and you

meri muhboob unhe bhee tO muhabbut hogee

They too must have cherished love, my darling

jinki sannaiee ne bakhsha thaa usey shukle jameel

Whose skills have rendered it (Taj) a beautiful form

unke peyarooN ke muqabir rahey be naamo namood

Their tombs of love have remained nameless, without any form

Ajj tuk unpey jalaiee nu kisi ne qundeel

Nobody ever lit a light on them

yeh chumun zaar yeh Jumuna ka kinara yeh mahal

This garden-scape, the bank of Jumna, and this palace

yeh munnaqqush duro diwar yeh mehraab yeh taaq

These painted doors and walls , these arches and recesses

ek shanshah ne daulaut ka sahara ley ker

Thanks to the immense wealth of a king of kings

hum ghariboN ki muhabbut ka uraya hai mazaaq

Sneer at our love, love of the poor and the

hapless ones

meri muhboob kahiN aur mila ku mujhko

Let us find some other place, my love, for our rendezvous

Enjoyed it immensely and please stay on the Chowk. Thanks.

freethinker #54: Thanks for correcting me. Your post was exactly what I expected. Your command of translating poetry into English is really commendable. Please keep up the good work relying on your strength. I am just wondering if Pakistani national anthem would be a bigger challenge than Faiz`s poetry. I am sure it has been translated before.I`ll prefer it in English, understandable Urdu or any other Pakistani languahe anytime over Persian.

Regards,

Sameer

P.S. I wonder what Jinnah would have thought of our national anthem?

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Dear Ras Siddiqui, nasah, and SameerJB:

Thank you for your appreciation. Regarding Sameer`s wondering abut the `tense` used in the translation, he can use the past tense as he suggested, if he feels more comfortable with it. The poets are poets (although I am not one); such things fall under the `poetic license`. I remember having read in the foreword of one of Faiz`s books in which he discussed the gender issue implicit in `meray mehboob`. He had suggested,``if the reader is a female, she can read it as `Mujh sey pehli see mohabbat meray mehboob nah maang`, on the other hand, if the reader is a male, he can read it as `meree mehboob```. Suit yourself. This gender issue had been subject of great discussion in urdu literature, but personally I don`t consider it so very important.

I`ll wrap this discussion, as far as I am concerned, with the following piece.

TAJ MAHAL

May be Taj is an expression of love for you

You revere this valley of colors, be it so

Let us find some other place, my love, for our rendezvous

It`s pointless for the poor to consort with the kings

The pathway paved with the majestic royal imprints

Is not fit for the tread of the love filled souls

Behind the screen of the vainglorious loyalty

You should have perceived the haughty impress of the royalty

Fascinated with the tombs of the dead royals

You also should have looked at your own dark hovels

Countless people in the world had cherished love

Who can say their emotions were not true?

But they remained obscure and faceless

Because they were poor like me and you

These awe inspiring buildings, tombs, and ramparts

Are the bulwarks of the might of the autocrats

Ulcers they are, the chronic ulcers, in the soul of the world

With the blood of our forefathers, they are steeped

They too must have cherished love, my darling

Whose skills have rendered it (Taj) a beautiful form

Their tombs of love have remained nameless, without any form

Nobody ever lit a light on them

This garden-scape, the bank of Jumna, and this palace

These painted doors and walls , these arches and recesses

Sneer at our love, love of the poor and the hapless ones

Thanks to the immense wealth of a king of kings

Let us find some other place, my love, for our rendezvous

freethinker: Great translation of a deep meaning poem by freethinker Faiz. Don`t you think that first stanza is in the past and in past tense. This poem is about moving from immaturity to maturity, from self-fulfilling to diffusion of self into universal consiousness, from individualism to collectivism. It is simultaneously a critique of western individualism and Sufism`s one-to-one relationship with God. Because of this thinking, Ashfaq Ahmed labelled Faiz as ``Mulamati Sufi`` of the type, ``chori kar, bhan ghar Rab da-te us thaggaN de thug nuN thug``.

Do you think my changing the tense in the following makes sense.

[Do not ask for the bygone love from me, my love

I had imagined that my life glows when you`re with me

So long as I pine for you, there is nothing else for me to worry about

Spring owes its permanence in the universe to your beloved being

What else of worth is there in the world but for your beautiful eyes

Even the fate would bow to me had I gotten you]

to

Do not ask for the bygone love from me, my love

I had imagined that my life glows when you were with me

So long as I pined for you, there was nothing else for me to worry about

Spring owed its permanence in the universe to your beloved being

What else of worth was there in the world but for your beautiful eyes

Even the fate would have bowed to me had I gotten you

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Three cheers for freethinker!!!

Bravo! A job well done.

Yoon na thaa maiN ne faqut chaha tha youN ho jaye

Aur bhi gham hain zamane meiN muhhabat ke sewa

RahateiN aur bhi haiN wasl ki rahut ke sewa

``Alas, tis was not meant to be so, only my wishful illusion it was

There are things to worry about in the world other than love

There are pleasures other than the pleasure of union in love``.

Great translation. You captured the mood and the essence of the classic, freethinker. Congratulations.

One of these days try your hand on another classic -- Sahir Ludhianwi`s nazam, TaJ.

``Meri mahbbob kahiN aur mila kur mujhko...

And please don`t go away -- stay on Chowk -- from all that banality it`s a refreshing change.

Thanks again.

RE: Reply #: 48 freethinker

Thanks for doing ``Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat``
justice.

Ras