§15. Namrūd kī ḳhudāʾī

yih qudsiyoñ kī zamīñ
jahāñ falsafī ne dekhā thā, apne ḳhvāb-e saḥar-gahī meñ,
havā-e tāzah-o-kisht-e shādāb-o-chashmah-e jāñ-firoz kī ārzū kā partav!
yihīñ musāfir pahuñch ke ab sochne lagā hai:
"vuh ḳhvāb kābūs to nahīñ thā?
—vuh ḳhvāb kābūs to nahīñ thā?

ai falsafah-go,
kahāñ vuh royā-e āsmānī?
kahāñ yih namrūd kī ḳhudāʾī!
tū jāl buntā rahā hai, jin ke shikastah tāroñ se apne mauhūm falsafe ke
ham us yaqīñ se, ham us ʿamal se, ham us muḥabbat se,
āj māyūs ho chuke haiñ!

koʾī yih kis se kahe kih āḳhir
gavāh kis ʿadl-e be-bahā ke the ʿahd-e tātār ke ḳharābe?
ʿajam, vuh marz-e t̤ilism-o-rang-o-ḳhayāl-o-naġhmah
ʿarab, vuh iqlīm-e shīr-o-shahd-o-sharāb-o-ḳhurmā
faqat̤ navā-sanj the dar-o-bām ke ziyāñ ke
jo un pah guzrī thī
us se bad-tar dinoñ ke ham ṣaid-e nā-tavāñ haiñ!

koʾī yih kis se kahe:
dar-o-bām,
āhan-o-chob-o-sang-o-sīmāñ ke
ḥusn-e paivand kā fusūñ the
bikhar gayā vuh fusūñ to kyā ġham?
aur aise paivand se umīd-e vafā kise thī?

shikast-e mīnā-o-jām bar-ḥaq,
shikast-e rang-e ʿiżār-e maḥbūb bhī gavārā
magar—yahāñ to khañḍar diloñ ke,
(—yih nauʿ-e insāñ kī
kah-kashāñ se buland-o-bar-tar t̤alab ke ujṛe huʾe madāʾin—)
shikast-e āhang-e ḥarf-o-maʿnī ke nauḥah-gar haiñ!

maiñ āne-vāle dinoñ kī dahshat se kāñptā hūñ
mirī nigāheñ yih dekhtī haiñ
kih ḥarf-o-maʿnī ke rabt̤ kā
ḳhvāb-e lażżat-āgīñ bikhar chukā hai,
kih rāste nīm-hoshmandoñ se,
nīñd meñ rāh-po gadāʾoñ se
"ṣūfiyoñ" se bhare paṛe haiñ
ḥayāt ḳhālī hai ārzū se
hamārī tahżīb, kuhnah bīmār jāñ ba-lab hai!

arrow_left §14. Tamāshāgah-e lālah-zār

§16. Vuh ḥarf-e tanhā (jise tamannā-e vaṣl-e maʿnā) arrow_right

I Too Have Some Dreams: N. M. Rashed and Modernism in Urdu Poetry

A translation of this Urdu poem by N. M. Rashed as well as this transliteration appears in the appendix of I Too Have Some Dreams. The transliteration is intended for people who can understand Urdu/Hindi or related languages. I hope to soon add performances of these poems as well.