jibrīl-o-iblīs
Published in bāl-e jibrīl (The Wing of Gabriel) (1935).
From: kulliyāt-e iqbāl urdū (Lahore: Shaikh Ghulam 'Ali and Sons Publishers, 1973 (and later reprints), *pp. 435-36*
jibrīl |
|
ham-dam-e
derinah ! kaisā hai jahān-e rang-o-bū ? |
|
iblīs |
|
soz-o-sāz-o-dard-o-dāġh-o-justjū-o-ārzū
! |
|
| 1) | |
| Jibril: Old friend! How is
the world of color and scent? Iblis: Burning and creativity and pain and wounds and searching and longing! |
|
jibrīl |
|
har
ghaṛī aflāk par rahtī hai terī guftagū kyā nahīñ mumkin kih terā chāk-e dāman ho rafū ? |
|
| 2) | |
| Jibril: In the heavens, we
constantly speak of you. Isn't it possible that the rip in your garment-hem might be mended? |
|
iblīs |
|
āh
ay jibrīl tū vāqif nahīñ us rāz se kar gayā sarmast mujh ko ṭūt kar merā subū ! |
|
| 3) | |
| Iblis: Ah, oh Gabriel, you
are not acquainted with that secret that intoxicated me, my cup having broken! |
|
| == It wasn't just that the secret "intoxicated"
me [kiyā]; rather, it "intoxicated me and then
went away" [kar gayā]. It's hard to convey the
nuances in English. The same verb form occurs in verse (10) also. == The secret did not break the cup; if it had, the verb would be toṛ kar . The cup broke either spontaneously, or for unspecified reasons. |
|
ab
yahāñ merī gużar mumkin nahīñ , mumkin nahīñ kis qadar ḳhāmosh hai yih ʿālam-e be-kāḳh-o-kū ! |
|
| 4) | |
| Now my access here is not possible, not possible. How silent it is, this world without palaces and streets! |
|
| jis
kī naumīdī se ho soz-darūn-e kāʾināt us ke ḥaq me taqnat̤ū achchhā hai yā lā-taqnat̤ū ? |
|
| 5) | |
| The one through whose despair is the inner
burning of creation-- with regard to him, is [Arabic] "Despair!" better, or [Arabic] "Do not despair!"? |
|
| == These imperatives are from the Qur'an. | |
jibrīl |
|
kho
diye inkār se tū ne maqāmāt-e buland chashm-e yazdāñ meñ firishtoñ kī rahī kyā ābrū ! |
|
| 6) | |
| Jibril: You've lost, through
refusal, lofty ranks/positions In the eyes of God, what honor remained for the angels? |
|
| == In other words, Iblis's behavior has discredited the whole group of angels. | |
iblīs |
|
hai
mirī jurʾat se musht-e ḳhāk meñ żauq-e namū mere fitne jāmah-e ʿaql-o-ḳhirad kā tār-o-pū ! |
|
| 7) | |
| Iblis: Through my courage,
in the handful of dust is the relish for growth My mischiefs/rebellions are the warp and weft of the garment of wisdom and knowledge. |
|
| == The "handful of dust" is of course what Adam was made from. | |
dekhtā
hai tū faqat̤ sāḥil se razm-e ḳhair-o-shar kaun t̤ūfāñ ke t̤amāñche kha rahā hai ? maiñ kih tū ? |
|
| 8) | |
| You only look from shore at the battle of good
and evil Who is feeling the buffets of the typhoon-- I, or you? |
|
ḳhiẓr
bhī be-dast-o-pā , ilyās bhī be-dast-o-pā mere t̤ūfāñ yam bah yam , daryā bah daryā , jū bah jū ! |
|
| 9) | |
| Khizr too is helpless, Elias too is helpless My typhoons are ocean by ocean, sea by sea, stream by stream! |
|
| == Khizr and Elias are literally "without hand and food," and thus unable to swim. | |
gar
kabhī ḳhalvat muyassar ho to pūchh allâh se qiṣṣah-e ādam ko rangīñ kar gayā kis kā lahū ? |
|
| 10) | |
| If sometime you would have a chance to be in
private, then ask God, Whose blood made colorful the story of Adam? |
|
maiñ
khaṭaktā hūñ dil-e yazdāñ meñ kāñṭe kī t̤araḥ , tū faqat allâh hū , allâh hū , allâh hū ! |
|
| 11) | |
| I prick like a thorn in the heart of God, You are only [in Arabic] "God is He, God is He, God is He"! |
|
| == That is, Gabriel is just a yes-man who does nothing but blindly praise God. | |
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