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Faiz: Yeh jafaa-e-gham ka chaara

June 4, 2018, 3:14 am
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Yeh jafaa-e-gham ka chaara
by 
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Yeh jafaa-e-gham ka chaara woh najaat-e-dil ka aalam
Tera husn dast-e-isa teri yaad ruh-e-mariam

Dil-o-jaan fidaa-e-raahe kabhi aa ke dekh hamdam
Sar-e-ku-e-dil-figaaraan shab-e-aarzoo ka aalam

Teri deed se sivaa hai tere shouq mein bahaaraan
Woh chaman jahaan giri hai tere gesuon ki shabnam

Yeh ajab qayaamatein hain tere rehguzar mein guzraan
Na hua ki mar mitein hum na hua ki jee uthein hum

Lo suni gayi hamaari, yuun phire hai din ke phir se
Wahi gosha-e-afas hai wahi fasl-e-gul ka maatam




No getting away from the tyranny of sorrow
translated by 
Mustansir Dalvi

No getting away from the tyranny of sorrow,
from this state, to free the heart from pain.
Your memory conjures the spirit of Mary;
your beauty cures like the touch of Christ.

Come when you can, Love, and see
my heart, my soul, laid bare in your wake.
On the street, in the dusk of desire
my weary spirit succumbs in resignation.

Beyond your countenance
your ardour summons spring -
there a garden blooms, steeped
in the dew of your wet tresses.

How calamitous it is
to walk down your streets -
neither am I annihilated,
nor can I rise among the living.

O, I have been heard
once more. My days turn.
Here I am, back in my cage
warbling about the state of spring.




Translation and transliteration © 2018 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved



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Faiz: Ba-nok-e-shamshir

February 12, 2019, 12:12 am
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Ba-nok-e-shamshir
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Mere aabaa ki the na-mahram-e-tauq-e-zanjeer
Woh mazaameen jo adaa karta hai ab mera qalam
Nok-e-shamsheer pe likhte the ba-nok-e-shamsheer
Raushnaee se jo main karta hoon kaaghaz pe raqam
Sang-o-sehra pe woh karte the lahu se tahreer


On the scimitar’s edge
translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

My forefathers held no brief for manacles or yokes;
those very things that now make up my pen,
on edges of scimitars they wrote of the scimitar’s edge.
With the lightness by which I now put nib on paper
they wrote bloody discourses in wild desolation.


Translation and transliteration © 2019 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Philistini bachche ke liye lori

February 12, 2019, 12:17 am
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Philistini bachche ke liye lori 
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

mat ro bachche
ro ro ke abhi
teri ammi ki aankh lagi hai
mat ro bachche
kuchh hi pahle
tere abbaa ne
apne gham se ruḳhsat li hai
mat ro bachche
tera bhai
apne khwaab ki titli peeche
door kahin pardes gaya hai
mat ro bachche
teri baaji ka
dola paraaey des gaya hai
mat ro bachche
tere aangan mein
murda sooraj nahlaa ke gaye hain
chandarma dafnaa ke gaye hain
mat ro bachche
ammi, abbaa, baaji, bhai
chaand aur sooraj
tu gar roegaa to ye sab
aur bhi tujh ko rulwaaenge
tu muskaaega to shaayad
saare ik din bhes badal kar
tujh se khelne laut aaenge




Lullaby for a Palestinian child
translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

don’t cry, child
your mother has just fallen asleep
weeping her heart out

don’t cry, child
moments ago, your father
took leave of his sorrows

don’t cry, child
your brother
is off to a foreign land
chasing the butterfly of his dream

don’t cry, child
the wedding palanquin
carrying your elder sister
has reached her matrimonial home

they have all gone
having washed the corpse of the sun
having buried the moon in the yard 
behind your home

don’t cry, child, for if you do
your mother, your father, your brother and sister,
the moon and the son
will make you weep all the more

should you smile instead, then perhaps
they will all return to play with you one day
in some guise or the other


Translation and transliteration © 2019 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved

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Faiz: Tumhaari yaad ke jab zakhm bharne lagte hain

February 12, 2019, 12:21 am
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Tumhaari yaad ke jab zakhm bharne lagte hain
by
Faiz Ahmad Faiz

Tumhaari yaad ke jab zakhm bharne lagte hain
Kisi bahaane tumhe yaad karne lagte hain

Hadees-e-yaar ke unwaan nikharne lagte hain
To har hareem mein gesu savarne lagte hain

Har ajnabi hamein mehram dikhaai deta hai
Jo ab bhi teri gali se guzarne lagte hain

Sabaa se karte hai ghurbat-naseeb zikr-e-watan
To chashm-e-subh mein aansoo ubharne lagte hain

Woh jab bhi kartein hai is nuktq-o-labh ki bakhiyaagari
Fazaa mein aur bhi naghme bikharne lagte hain

Dar-e-qafas pe andhere ki mohar lagti hai
To Faiz, dil mein sitare utarne lagte hain



When scars of remembrance begin to heal
translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

When scars of remembrance 
begin to heal,
they find some pretext 
to think of you again.

When my beloved is recalled 
in tales anew,
in every household
tresses are coiffed afresh.

Every stranger 
seems intimate to me
when they have walked the street 
where you live.

When exiles remind zephyrs 
of their homelands,
dawn's eye fills,
brimming with tears.

Whenever she puts her lips 
together to speak,
even more melodies 
are scattered everywhere.

When darkness puts its seal 
on the door of my internment,
Faiz, I swear, stars 
descend into my very being.


Translation and transliteration © 2019 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved

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Faiz: Nisaar main teri galiyon ke

May 22, 2019, 10:55 am
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Nisaar main teri galiyon ke
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Nisaar main teri galiyon ke ae watan, ki jahaan
Chali hai rasm ke koi na sar utha ke chaley
Jo koi chaahnewaala tawaaf ko niklay
Nazar chura ke chale, jism-o-jaan bacha ke chaley
Hai ahl-e-dil ke liye ab yeh nazm-e-bast-o-kushaad
Ke sang-e-wakhast muqayyad hain aur sag aazaad

Bahut hai zulm ke dast-e-bahaana joo ke liye
Jo chand ahl-e-junoon tera naam lewa hain
Bane hain ahl-e-hawas, mudda’i bhi, munsif bhi
Kise vakeel karein, kis se munsafi chaahein
Magar guzarnewalon ke din guzarte hain
Tere firaaq mein yun subh-o-shaam karte hain

Bujha jo rozan-e-zindaan to dil yeh samjha hain
Ke teri maang sitaaron se bhar gayi hogi
Chamak uthe hain salasil to humne jaana hai
Ke ab sehar tere rukh par bikhar gayi hogi
Garaz-e-tasawwur-e-shaam-o-sehar mein jeete hain
Girift-e-saaya-e-deewaar-o-dar mein jeete jain

Yunhi hamesha ulajhti rahi hai zulm se khalq
Na inki rasm nayi, na apni reet nayi
Yunhi hamesha khilaaye hain humne aag mein phool
Na unki haar nayi, na apni jeet nayi
Isi sabab se falak ka gila nahin karte
Tere firaaq mein hum dil bura nahin karte

Gar aaj tujhse judaa hai to kal baham honge
Yeh raat bhar ki judaai to koi baat nahin
Gar aaj auj pe hai taali-e-raqib to kya
Yeh chaar din ki khudaai to koi baat nahin
Jo tujhse ahd-e-wafaa ustawar rakhte hain
Ilaaj-e-gardish-e-lail-o-nahar rakhte hain


Here is Faiz Ahmed Faiz reciting excerpts from 'Nisar main teri galiyon ke'


I bow to your streets
translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

I bow to your streets, O my country, where
common law decrees none may raise their head.
Should one desire the grace of pilgrimage,
avoid the gaze of others, keep life and limb safe.
Gentle hearts, this is the new straight-and-narrow,
bricks and stones are in chains here, while dogs run free.

Tyranny has a thousand reasons to carry on.
Is it not enough, the steadfast few still think well of you?
Filled with hate, the rest both advocate and judge.
Who will speak for you now, to whom will you turn for justice?
But time goes on, even for those who have to abide
never-ending days and nights away from the beloved.

When the light dims beyond the skylight of my cell,
this heart is aware your forehead is bedecked with stars,
when my manacles begin to glisten, I know
that the dawn lies scattered across your face.
I live on, hemmed within the shadows of these walls,
but carry on dreaming about you, and your time outside.

It has always been our way to resist tyranny,
neither is their oppression new, nor our rebellions.
We have always made flowers bloom in fire,
neither is their defeat new, nor our victory.
No reason this, to rail against the sky,
nor will we let severance fill our hearts with bile.

If we are apart today, tomorrow we will be one.
This night of separation is nothing, this too shall pass.
What if our very adversaries celebrate victory today?
They have four days of power, which too shall pass.
Look to the steadfast few, their constancy is the cure 
for every adversity, wrought by darkness and by light.


Translation and transliteration © 2019 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Gham na kar, gham na kar

December 27, 2019, 10:25 pm
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Gham na kar, gham na karby
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Dard tham jaayega, gham na kar, gham na kar
Yaar laut jaayenge, dil thehar jaayega, gham na kar, gham na kar
Zakhm bhar jaayega
Gham na kar, gham na kar
Din nikal aayega
Gham na kar, gham na kar
Abr khul jaayega, raat dhal jaayegi
Gham na kar, gham na kar
Rut badal jaayegi
Gham na kar, gham na kar

from Nuskha Hai Wafa
(Kulliyat-e-Faiz), 2009





Do not grieve, do not grievetranslated by
Mustansir Dalvi

The hurt will subside,
do not grieve, do not grieve
Friends will arrive,
do not grieve, do not grieve

The heart will be calmed,
do not grieve, do not grieve
Wounds will find balm,
do not grieve, do not grieve

Dawn will soon be here,
do not grieve, do not grieve
Skies will clear,
do not grieve, do not grieve

The long night won’t last,
do not grieve, do not grieve
The seasons will pass,
do not grieve, do not grieve



Translation and transliteration © 2019 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Kab yaad mein tera saath nahin

January 2, 2020, 9:37 pm
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Kab yaad mein tera saath nahin 
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Kab yaad mein tera saath nahin, kab haath mein tera hath nahin
Sad-shukr ki apni raaton mein ab hijr ki koi raat nahin

Mushkil hai agar haalaat wahaan, dil bech aayen, jaan de aayen
Dilwalon, kucha-e-jaanaan mein kya aise bhi haalaat nahin

Jis dhaj se koi maqtal mein gaya, woh shaan salaamat rehti hai
Yeh jaan to aani jaani hain is jaan ki to koi baat nahin

Maidaan-e-wafaa darbaar nahin yahaan naam-o-nasab ki pooch kahaan
Aashiq to kisi ka naam nahin, kuch ishq kisi ki jaat nahin

Dar baazi ishq ki baazi hai to chalo laga do darr kaisa
Gar jeet gaye to kya kehna, hare bhi to baazi maat nahin


From Nuskha Hai Wafa (Pg. 259)




The Field of Love
translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

you were once estranged from my mind
your hand was once not in mine
a thousand thanks, for now no more 
must nights of separation be endured.

should the state of things turn unbearable
we'll place our hearts and lives on the line
but dearly beloved, is this how things are
down on the streets where lovers meet?

it’s your gait as you stride to the gallows
that'll be recalled with enduring grace
life, such as it is, comes and goes
of that there’s little more to be said 

no royal court, this field of love
name or descent holds no weight here
a lover is a lover, and needs no name
nor does a high station define love

if this is to be the game of love
then play on, what use is fear
for if you win, very well then 
if you don’t, it isn't over yet.

Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved

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Faiz: Hum to majboor-e-wafa hai

January 29, 2020, 4:47 am
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Hum to majboor-e-wafa hai
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Tujhko kitnon ka lahu chaahiye ae arz-e-watan
Jo tere aariz-e-berang ko gulnaar karein
Kitni aahon se kaleja tera thanda hoga
Kitne aansoo tere sehraahon ko gulzaar karein

Tere aiwaanon me purze hue paimaan kitne
Kitne vaade jo na aasood-e-ikraar hue
Kitni aankhon ko nazar kha gayi badkhwaahon ki
Khwaab kitne tere shahraahon mein sangsaar hue

Bala-kashaan-e-muhabbat pe jo hua so hua
Jo mujhpe guzri mat us se kaho, hua so hua
Mubaada ho koi zaalim tera girebaan gir
Lahu ke daag ko daaman se dho, hua so hua

Hum to majboor-e-wafa hai, magar ai jaan-e-jahaan
Apne ushhaaq se aise bhi koi karta hai
Teri mehfil ko khuda rakhkhe abad tak kaayam
Hum to mehmaan hai ghadi bhar ke hamaara kya hai




We are bound by loyalty
Translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

How many should bleed for you, dear Nation
to bring blushes to your lackluster cheeks?
How many lamentations will it take to satisfy your heart?
How many tears will make your wilderness blossom?

Your hallways are littered with shards
of broken promises, never once honoured.
How many eyes were consumed by ill intention?
How many dreams turned to stone on your highways?

I remain afflicted by love, but what’s done is done.
Do not tell her what befell me, what’s done is done.
May you never be collared by a tormentor, so wash off
the blood from your shirt, what’s done is done.

We are bound by loyalty, but, love of my life,
is this any way to treat your lover?
May the lord make your soirees flourish all eternity--
we are but guests of the moment, we hardly matter.



Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Un Talaaba Ke Naam

January 29, 2020, 4:57 am
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Un Talaaba Ke Naam
Jo aman aur azaadi ki jadd-o-jahad mein kaam aaye
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Yeh kaun sakhi hai
Jin ke lahu se
Ashrafiyaan chanchan chanchan
Dharti ke paiham pyaase
Kashkol mein dhalti jaati hai
Kashkol ko bharti jaati hai
Yeh kaun jawaan hai, arz-e-watan
Yeh lakhlut
Jin ke jismon ki
Bharpoor jawaani ka kundan
Yun khaak mein reza reza hai
Yun kucha kucha bikhra hai
Ai arz-e-watan, Ai arz-e-watan
Kyon noch ke has has phenk diye
In aankhon ne apne neelam
In honton ne apne marjan?
In haathon ki bekal chaandi
Kis kaam aayi? Kis haath lagi?

Ai poochnewaale pardesi
Yeh tifl-o-jawaan
Us noor ke nauras moti hain
Us aag ki kachchi kaliyaan hai
Jis meethe noor aur kadvi aag
Se zulm ki aandhi raat mein phuta
Subh-e-baghawat ka gulshan
Aur subh hui man man, tan tan
In jismon ka chaandi sona
In chehron ke neelam marjan
Jagmag jagmag, rakshaan rakshaan
Jo dekhna chaahe  pardesi
Paas aaye dekhe jee bharkar
Yeh zeest ki raani ka jhoomar
Yeh amn ki devi ka kangan

(From Dast-e-Saba) 1952




For Those Students
Who lost their lives in the struggle for peace and freedom
Translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

Who are the benefactors
from whose blood
jingling, jangling coins
pour into the thirsty earth’s
begging bowl,
filling it to the brim?

Who are these young ones, dear Nation,
these profligates,
whose bodies,
wet in golden bezels of youth
lie scattered in the dirt,
lie strewn in streets and alleyways?

Dear Nation, O dear Nation
why did you laugh as you snatched away
the sapphire glow from their eyes,
the coral redness from their lips,
their restless argentine hands?
What use were they? Who benefitted from their labour?

Well may you ask, stranger…
These children and these youth
are shimmering pearls of that grace,
the blossoming buds of that fire
from whose sweet light and bitter flame
bursts forth, like a garden in spring,
the dawn of revolution, out of the torment of night,
where morning illuminates each body and mind.

Come closer stranger,
gaze to your heart’s content
upon their bodies, silver and gold,
upon their coral and sapphire countenances,
glittering and shining. Look upon them,
these dangling jewels adorning the queen of life,
these jingling bracelets of the goddess of peace.



Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Yeh fasl ummeedon ki, hamdam

January 29, 2020, 5:04 am
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Yeh fasl ummeedon ki, hamdam
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Sab kaat do
Bismil paudon ko
Be-aab sisakte mat chhodo
Sab noch lo
Bekal phoolon ko
Shaakhon pe bilagte mat chhodo
Yeh fasl ummeedon ki, hamdam
Is baar bhi ghaarat jaaegi
Sab mehnat subhon shaamon ki
Abke bhi akaarat jaaegi
Kheti ke konon khudron mein
Phir apne lahu ki khaad bharo
Phir mitti seencho ashkon se
Phir agli rut ki phikr karo
Jab phir ek baar ujadna hai
Ek fasl paki to bhar paaya
Jab tak to yehi kuch karna hai


(From Zindaan Naama, 1956)



This is the harvest of hope, dear oneTranslated by
Mustansir Dalvi

Cut them down
every wounded stalk,
do not leave them to wither unwatered.
Gouge them all
every restless bloom,
do not leave them keening on branches.
This is the harvest of hope, dear one,
that will, this time too, be belied.
Every effort put in, day and night
will again come to naught this year.
Fill the roughs and crannies of plough-fields
with your rich, fertile blood once more.
Quench the earth with your tears again
before you worry about the next season.
Worry about the next season
that will return to be devastated.
But we can wait— for one good harvest
and until then, do what we keep doing.



Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Phir hashr hai saamaan hue

January 29, 2020, 5:13 am
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Phir hashr hai saamaan hue 
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Phir hashr hai saamaan hue aivaan-e-hawas mein
Baithe hai zavi-al-adl, gunehgaar khade hain
Haan, jurm-e-wafa dekhiye kis kis pe hai saabit
Woh saare khataakaar sar-e-daar khade hain


(From Dast-e-Saba) 1952



Once again, apocalypse is being readied
Translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

Once again,
apocalypse is being readied
in the Halls of ambition.
The justices are seated,
the accused stand.

Let’s see now,
who will be proved guilty
of the sin of loyalty.
There they stand, all of them,
right next to the  chopper’s block.



Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Dhalti hain mauj-e-mai ki tarah

January 29, 2020, 5:22 am
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Dhalti hain mauj-e-mai ki tarah 
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Dhalti hain mauj-e-mai ki tarah raat in dinon
Khilti hai subh gul ki tarah rang-o-boo se poor
Veeraan hai jaam, paas karo kuch bahaar ka
Dil aarzoo se poor karo, aankhein lahoo se poor




Night Totters About
Translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

Night totters about
like a drunken sot these days.
Dawn blooms like a flower
brimming with colour and perfume.

Think of the blossoming spring
when wine cups are found empty;
fill hearts with yearning
and eyes with fire.


Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Yak-ba-yak shorish-e-fughaan ki tarah

February 11, 2020, 2:06 am
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Yak-ba-yak shorish-e-fughaan ki tarah
by 
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Yak-ba-yak shorish-e-fughaan ki tarah
Fasl-e-gul aayee imtihaan ki tarah

Sehn-e-gulshan mein bahar-e-mushtaaqaan
Har ravish kheench gayi kamaan ki tarah

Phir lahoo se har ik kaasa-e-daagh
Poor hua jam-e-arghavaan ki tarah

Yaad aaya junoon-e-gum-gushta
Be talab karz-e-dostaan ki tarah

Jaane kis par ho meherbaan qatil
Be sabab marg-e-na-gahaan ki tarah

Har sada par lage hain kaan yahaan
Dil sambhaale raho zabaan ki tarah

(from Nuskha Hai Wafa)



Suddenly, like a burst of commotion
translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

Suddenly, 
like a burst of commotion
the blossoming season 
sprung upon us, 
like an examination.

Inside the garden 
spread a sea of desire;
while every path stretched, 
like a pulled bow.

Once again, stained 
with blood, every bowl 
was filled to brimming
like a cup of blushing wine.

Memories once lost
flowed inside me again, 
a tempest unbidden, 
like an obligation to friends.

Who will my assassin favor,
I wonder? Will he arrive 
without reason, like death 
ahead of its time?

There’s an ear out here 
for every passing call.
Guard your heart, keep it in check, 
like a civil tongue.



Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved

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Faiz: Dil mein ab yun tere bhoole hue gham aate hain

February 12, 2020, 1:57 am
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Dil mein ab yun tere bhoole hue gham aate hain
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Dil mein ab yun tere bhoole hue gham aate hain
Jaise bichde hue ka’abe mein sanam aate hain

Ek ek karke hue jaate hai tare roushan
Meri manzil ki taraf tere kadam aate hain

Raqs-e-mai tez karo saaz ki lai tez karo
Su-e-maikhaana safiraan-e-haram aate hain

Kuch hamin ko nahin ahsaan uthaane ka dimaag
Woh to jab aate hain, maail-ba-karam aate hain

Aur kuch der na guzre, shab-e-furqat se kaho
Dil bhi kam dukhta hai woh yaad bhi kam aate hain


Like forsaken idols returning to temples
translated by 
Mustansir Dalvi

Like forsaken idols 
Returning to temples, 
my heart fills with lost
memories of your sorrows.

One by one, stars 
turn themselves on,
in step with you, as you 
make your way to my abode.

Pick up the rhythm of the lute,
pour wine with greater abandon.
Look! The keepers of idols
make their way to the drinking house. 

Whenever they arrived
they were inclined to kindness;
but we lacked the grace
to appreciate their favor.

Go tell the night of separation –
do not tarry much longer:
the heart hurts less now
the less I think of her.



Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Hum ne sab sher mein savaare they

February 13, 2020, 9:30 pm
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Hum ne sab sher mein sanvaare they
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Hum ne sab sher mein sanvaare they
Hum se jitney sukhan tumhare they

Rang-o-khusboo ke husn-o-khubi ke
Tumse they jitney istiaare they

Tere qaul-o-qaraar se pehle
Apne kuch aur bhi sahaare they

Jab woh laal-o-guhar hisaab kiye
Jo tere gham ne dil pe vaare they

Mere daaman mein aa gire saare
Jitney tasht-e-falak mein tare they

Umr-e-jaaved ki dua karte
Faiz itne woh kab hamaare they




I had embellished all my verse
translated by 
Mustansir Dalvi

I had encrusted 
in all my verse
all the words
I knew about you,

with colour, with fragrance, 
with beauty, with goodness,
with every likeness 
I could allude to you, 

but even before you 
pledged yourself,
there were a few others 
I could lean on too.

When we made 
our reckonings, with rubies 
and pearls of sorrow
you levied on my heart,

every star that filled 
the bowl of the sky,
fell into my lap,
all at once.

Faiz will always pray 
for your eternal life,
but tell me when 
were you ever really mine?



Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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Faiz: Yahaan se sheher ko dekho

February 17, 2020, 11:08 pm
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Yahaan se sheher ko dekho
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Yahaan se sheher ko dekho to halqa-dar-halqa
Kheenchi hai jail ki surat har ek samt fasil
Har ek raahguzar gardish-e-asiraan hai
Na sang-e-mil na manzil na mukhlisi ki sabil

Jo koi tez chale raah to poochta hai khayaal
Ki tokne koi lalkaar kyon nahin aayi
Jo koi haath hilaaye to vaham ko hai sawaal
Koi chanak koi jhankaar kyon nahin aayi

Yahaan se sheher ko dekho to saari khilqat mein
Na koi saahab-e-tamkin na koi vaali-e-hosh
Har ek mard-e-jawaan mujrim-e-rasan-ba-guloo
Har ek haseen-e-raana, kaneez-e-halqa bagosh

Jo saaye door charaaghon ke gird larzaan hain
Na jaane mehfil-e-gham hai ki bazm-e-jaam-o-suboo
Jo rang har dar-o-deewaar par pareshaan hai
Yahaan se kuch nahi khulta ki phool hai ya lahoo



If you should look out at the city 
translated by 
Mustansir Dalvi

If you should look out at the city from here, it seems drawn
like walls of a jail wrapped within concentric ramparts.
Every road is interminable, like circular walks in prison-yards,
without milestones, without alleviation, with no end in sight.

If you should walk swiftly, such thoughts will arise-
why has no one called out to stop you as yet?
Should someone shake your hand, misgivings will foment-
why did I not hear the rattle and clink of manacles around my wrist?

If you should look out at the city from here at all of its denizens,
you will be hard pressed to find one contented soul, one guardian of reason.
Every strapping youth looks destined for the gallows pole.
Each delicate damsel seems marked for lifelong servitude.

Those distant shadows quaking in the lamplight, do they portend
assemblies of sorrow or soirees of the intoxicated?
Those pigments smeared on every door and wall, one can scarce discern
are they the colors of bloodshot blossoms or of billowing blood?



Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved

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Faiz: Ab wahi harf-e-junoon

February 18, 2020, 2:12 am
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Ab wahi harf-e-junoon sab ki zabaan thehri hai
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Ab wahi harf-e-junoon sab ki zabaan thehri hai
Jo bhi chal nikli hai, woh baat kahaan thehri hai

Aaj tak sheikh ke ikraam mein jo shai thi haram
Ab wahi dushman-e-deen raahat-e-jahaan thehri hai

Hai khabar garm ki phirta hai gurezaan naaseh
Guftagu aaj sar-e-ku-e-butaan thehri hai

Hai wahi aariz-e-Laila wahi Sheereen ka dahan
Nigaah-e-shaouq ghadi bhar ko jahaan thehri hai

Vasl ki shab thi to kis darza subak guzri thi
Hijr ki shab hai to kya sakht giraan thehri hai

Ik dafa bikhri to haath aayi hai kab mauj-e-shamim
Dil se nikli hai to kab lab pe fughaan thehri hai

Dast-e-sayyaad bhi aajiz hai kaf-e-gulchinn bhi
Boo-e-gul thehri na bulbul ki zabaan thehri hai

Aate aate yuhin dam bhar ko ruki hogi bahaar
Jaate jaate yuhin pal bhar ko khizaan thehri hai

Hum ne jo traz-e-fughaan ki hai jo kafas mein ijdaad
Faiz gulshan mein wahi traz-e-bayaan thehri hai





The same frenzied words are stuck on every tongue
translated by 
Mustansir Dalvi

The same frenzied words
are stuck on every tongue.
Once the word is out
can it ever be stopped?

Every single thing
the preacher once forbade;
those very blasphemies
now bring solace to my soul.

The news is rife- the preacher
has resumed walking his beat;
this gossip was last heard
in the street of my beloved.

Laila’s cheeks are as rosy
as Shirin’s ruby lips;
look where love’s glance
has paused to rest.

How lightly was the night
of our union spent,
how heavy now is the burden
in this dusk of separation.

Can waves of fragrance,
once spread, be contained?
No lips can hold back cries
that surge straight from the heart.

The hunter hands are as helpless
as the one’s that pluck flowers.
Neither the bulbul’s call, nor
the bloom’s fragrance will be stymied.

Spring must have paused
for a bit, as it arrived, but
the fall seems to have stopped
even in departing.

The manner that we contrived
to vent our grief in prison,
Faiz, the same voicing of woe
is now endorsed by the garden.




Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved

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Faiz: Zindaan zindaan shor-e-an-al-haq

February 25, 2020, 12:06 am
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Zindaan zindaan shor-e-an-al-haq
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Zindaan zindaan shor-e-an-al-haq mehfil mehfil qul-qul-e-mai
Khoon-e-tamanna dariya dariya dariya dariya dariya aish ki lahar
Daaman daaman rut phoolon ki aanchal aanchal ashkon ki
Qarya qarya jashn bapaa hai maatam shahar-ba-shahar



in every prison, in every jail
translated by 
Mustansir Dalvi

in every prison 
in every jail the cry of I am truth is heard
     while in every tavern
     in every fete, wine blubs and gurgles

          desire is drowned drowned drowned drowned 
          drowned under surging swells of luxury

the season of bloom stains 
every skirt, every tail
     while every mantle
     every veil is wet with tears

in every village 
in every hamlet carousing is rife
     while in city after city
     grief reigns


Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved

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Faiz: Aa gayi fasl-e-sukoon

March 3, 2020, 12:58 am
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Aa gayi fasl-e-sukoon
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Aa gayi fasl-e-sukoon chaak girebaan waalo
Sil gaye hont koi zakhm sile ya na sile

Dosto bazm sajaao ki bahaar aayi hai
Khil gaye zakhm koi phool khile ya na khile




Here comes the harvest of peace
translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

Here comes the harvest of peace,
you tattered and disheveled ones;
our lips are stitched shut, even if
our wounds are laid raw and bare.

Spread out the feast, friends
for spring is here;
our wounds will bloom, even if
flowers shrivel and die, unaware.




Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved

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Faiz: Zabt ka ahd bhi hai

March 3, 2020, 1:04 am
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Zabt ka ahd bhi hai
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Zabt ka ahd bhi hai shouk ka paimaan bhi hai
Ahd-o-pimaan se guzar jaane ko jee chaahta hai

Dard itna hai ki har rag mein hai mahshar barpa
Aur sukoon aisa ki mar jaane ko jee chaahta hai




It is the time of restraint
translated by
Mustansir Dalvi

It is the time of restraint,
there is a promise of ardor,
this heart feels a desire
to move beyond every vow.

It hurts so much
that every vein is in disorder,
while there is so much peace
this life only desires release.



Translation and transliteration © 2020 Mustansir Dalvi, All rights reserved
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