Thursday, November 13, 2008

1.6


syed ahmad shah [1931 – 2008] wrote one of my all-time favourite nazms which i quote below. he used the pseudonym ahmed faraz for his writing and wrote his first couplet as a child disappointed with the clothes his father bought him. ethnically a pathan he learnt persian and urdu at university. during zia’s military rule, he left pakistan and lived in britain and canada for six years. apart from the nazm i have chosen here, i particularly love one sher he wrote that is something of an epigram:
zindagi to apnay hi qadmo pe chalti hai faraz
auroon k saharay to janazay utha kartay hain

and now i present the words that i have enjoyed time and over again:

ranjish hii sahii dil hii dukhaane ke liye aa
aa phir se mujhe chho.d ke jaane ke liye aa
[ranjish – grief, unpleasantness, coldness]

pahale se maraasim na sahii phir bhii kabhii to
rasm-o-rahe duniyaa hii niibhaane ke liye aa
[maraasim – obligations, as dictated by custom / tradition]

kis kis ko bataaye.nge judaa_ii kaa sabab ham
tuu mujh se khafaa hai to zamaane ke liye aa

kuchh to mere pindaar-e-muhabbat ka bharam rakh
tuu bhii to kabhii mujh ko manaane ke liye aa
[pindaar – pride]

ek umr se huu.n lazzat-e-giriyaa se bhii maharuum
ai raahat-e-jaa.n mujh ko rulaane ke liye aa
[lazzat-e-giriyaa – joy of crying /sadness]

ab tak dil-e-khush_faham ko tujh se hai.n ummiide.n
ye aakhirii shamme.n bhii bujhaane ke liye aa

3 comments:

sky said...

oohh, i really liked that one. its very touching. how come i've never heard it before?

idle mind said...

i am surprised you haven't. i most enjoy the runa laila version of it. i believe mehdi hassan has sung it too and so has ghulam ali.

sky said...

i heard all the versions. somehow it sounds better when i guy sings it - coz in my head the guy is pleading to his lover. not the other way around.