lenin
ḳhudā ke ḥuẓūr meñ
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. 398-400
a musalsal ġhazal ; *meter*: = = / - - = = / - - = = / - - = =
Urdu spellings reflect adjustments made for the
sake of the meter.
See the 'script bar' at the bottom of the page for viewing choices.
Here's *the Urdu text*, and here's *a serial glossary*.
| *page 398* | .... | |
1) oh, your signs are created in breaths and horizons |
ay
anfus-o-āfāq meñ paidā tire āyāt |
|
| the truth is that your Self is alive and established | ḥaq
yih hai kih hai zindah-o-pāyindah tirī żāt |
|
2) how would I have understood whether you are, or are not? |
maiñ
kaise samajhtā kih tū hai yā kih nahīñ hai |
|
| changing at every moment were the perspectives of wisdom | har
dam mutaġhaiyir the ḳhirad ke naz̤ariyyāt |
|
3) he was not acquainted with the primal lute of nature-- |
maḥram nahīñ fit̤rat ke sarod-e azalī se |
|
| whether he would be a star-gazer, or a knower of vegetation! | bīnā-e kavākab ho kih dānā-e nabātāt ! |
|
4) today when the eye saw, then that world became proved! |
āj āñkh ne dekhā to vuh ʿālam huʾā ṡābit ! |
|
| which I had considered to be the babbling of the church | maiñ jis ko samajhtā thā kalīsā ke ḳharāfat |
|
| .... | ||
5) we are captives, pinioned in the bondage of night and day |
ham band-e shab-o-roz meñ jakṛe huʾe bande |
|
| you are the creator of ages and the overseer of moments | tū ḳhāliq-e aʿṣār-o-nigārindah-e ānāt |
|
6) one thing, if there would be permission, then I would ask |
ik bāt agar mujh ko ijāzat ho to pūchhūñ |
|
| which the discourses of the wise were not able to solve! | ḥal kar nah sake jis ko ḥakīmoñ ke maqālāt ! |
|
| *page 399* | .... | |
7) as long as I lived beneath the tent of the skies |
jab tak maiñ jiyā ḳhemah-e aflāk ke nīche |
|
| like a thorn, this thing kept pricking in my heart | kāñṭe kī t̤araḥ dil meñ khaṭaktī rahī yih bāt |
|
8) no control over the principles of speech remains |
guftār ke aslūb pah qābū nahīñ rahtā |
|
| when within the spirit thoughts would be in collision | jab rūḥ ke andar mutalāt̤im hoñ ḳhayālāt |
|
9) which Adam is it by whom you are worshiped? |
vuh kaun-sā ādam hai kih tū jis kā hai maʿbūd ? |
|
| that Adam of dust, who is under the heavens? | vuh ādam-e ḳhākī kih jo hai zer-e samāvāt ? |
|
10) the lords of the east-- messengers of the Europeans! |
mashriq ke ḳhudāvand safīrān-e firangī ! |
|
| the lords of the west-- shining metals! | maġhrib ke ḳhudāvand daraḳhshandah filizzāt ! |
|
11) in Europe, there's much radiance of knowledge and skill |
yūrap meñ bahut raushanī-e ʿilm-o-hunar hai |
|
| the truth is that this darkness is without the fountain of life! | ḥaq yih hai kih be-chashmah-e ḥaivāñ hai yih z̤ulmāt ! |
|
12) in attractiveness of structure, in liveliness, in purity |
raʿnāʾī-e taʿmīr meñ raunaq meñ ṣafā meñ |
|
| bank buildings are a good bit ahead of churches! | girjoñ se kahīñ baṛh ke haiñ bankoñ kī ʿimārāt ! |
|
13) outwardly it's trade, in reality it's a gambling-game |
z̤āhir meñ tijārat hai ḥaqīqat meñ juvā hai |
|
| the profit for one is, for hundreds of thousands, sudden death! | sūd ek kā lākhoñ ke liye marg-e mufājāt ! |
|
14) this knowledge, this wisdom, this deliberation, these dominions! |
yih ʿilm yih ḥikmat yih tadabbur yih ḥukūmat ! |
|
| they drink blood, they give instruction in equality! | pīte haiñ lahū dete haiñ taʿlīm-e musāvāt ! |
|
| *page 400* | ||
15) unemployment and nakedness and wine-drinking and poverty |
be-kārī-o-ʿuryānī-o-mai-ḳhvārī-o-aflās |
|
| are the triumphs of European civilization few? | kyā kam haiñ firangī madaniyyat ke futūḥāt ? |
|
16) that community that would be unacquainted with the blessings of heaven |
vuh qaum kih faiẓān-e samāvī se ho maḥrūm |
|
| the limit of its accomplishments is lightning/electricity and fog/steam! | ḥad us ke kamālāt kī hai barq-o-buḳhārāt ! |
|
17) it's death for the heart, the rule of machines |
hai dil ke liye maut mashīnoñ kī ḥukūmat ! |
|
| tools trample underfoot the feeling of compassion! | aḥsās-e muruvvat ko kuchal dete haiñ ālāt ! |
|
18) some few signs can be seen that finally |
aṡār to kuchh kuchh naz̤ār āte haiñ kih āḳhir |
|
| the trickster of fate has checkmated contrivance | tadbīr ko taqdīr ke shāt̤ir ne kiyā māt |
|
19) in the foundation of the wine-house, an earthquake has come |
mai-ḳhāne kī bunyād meñ āyā hai tazalzul |
|
| the elders of the wine-house have sat down to deliberate on this very thing | baiṭhe haiñ isī fikr meñ pīrān-e ḳharābāt |
|
20) the redness that can be seen on faces, at the beginning of the evening, |
chahroñ pah jo surḳhī naz̤ar ātī hai sar-e shām |
|
| it's either rouge, or the miracles of glass and flagon | yā ġhāzah hai yā sāġhar-o-mīnā kī karāmāt |
|
21) you are powerful and just, but in your world |
tū qādir-o-ʿādil hai magar tere jahāñ meñ |
|
| the circumstances of working captives are very harsh | haiñ talḳh bahut bandah-e mazdūr ke auqāt |
|
22) when will the boat of capital-worship sink? |
kab ḍūbegā sarmāyah-parastī kī safīnah ? |
|
| your world is awaiting the day of retribution! | dunyā hai tirī muntaz̤ir-e roz-e mukāfāt ! |
|
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