For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.

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Recitation

اگر  اِختیار  ہوتا  ۔  یاسؔ  یگانہ  چنگیزی

۱

اگر  اپنی  چشمِ  نم  پر  مجھے  اِختیار  ہوتا

تو  بھلا  یہ  رازِ  اُلفت  کبھی  آشکار  ہوتا

۲

ہے  تُنُک  مزاج  صیّاد  کچھ  اپنا  بس  نہیں  ہے

میں  قفس  کو  لے  کے  اُڑتا  اگر  اِختیار  ہوتا

۳

یہ  ذرا  سی  اِک  جھلک  نے  دل  و  جاں  کو  یوں  جلایا

تری  برقِ  حسن  سے  پھر  کوئی  کیا  دو  چار  ہوتا

۴

اجی  توبہ  اُس  گریباں  کی  بھلا  بِساط  کیا  تھی

یہ  کہو  کہ  ہاتھ  اُلجھا  نہیں  تار  تار  ہوتا

۵

وہ  نہ  آتے  فاتحہ  کو  ذرا  مُڑ  کے  دیکھ  لیتے

تو  ہجوم  یاسؔ  اتنا  نہ  سر  مزار  ہوتا

अगर एख़्तियार होता – यास यगाना चंगेज़ी

१

अगर अपनी चश्म-ए नम पर मुझे एख़्तियार होता

तो भला ये राज़-ए उल्फ़त कभी आश्कार होता

२

है तुनुक-मिज़ाज सय्याद कुछ अपना बस नहीं है

मैं क़फ़स को ले के उढता अगर एख़्तियार होता

३

ये ज़रा सी एक झलक ने दिल ओ जां को यूं जलाया

तेरी बर्क़-ए हुस्न से फिर कोई क्या दो-चार होता

४

अजी तौबा इस गरेबाँ की भला बिसात क्या थी

ये कहो कि हाथ उलझा नहीं तार-तार होता

५

वो न आते फ़ातेहा को ज़रा मुढ के देख लेते

तो हुजूम यास इतना न सर-ए मज़ार होता

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mirza vaajid husain yaas yagaana changezi (1884-1956), azimabad/paTna. Early pen-name ‘yaas’ (despair) and later ‘yagaana’ (unmatched, unique). Egotistical, uncompromising, brusque and acerbic, he did not get along with fellow poets. For some reason he cast himself as a critic of Ghalib. He got a booklet published in which there is a lengthy preface critical of Ghalib and of his many admirers, followed by many rubaaii deriding Ghalib. But he was courageous enough to make controversial statements about religious belief and was attacked by a mob, made to ride a donkey through town, sitting backwards, with his face blackened. In spite of his critique of Ghalib be wrote many Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib. This Ghazal is linked to ‘visaal-e yaar hota’ – Ghalib naqsh-e qadam on the Theme Index page.

mirza vaajid husain yaas yagaana changezi (1884-1956), azimabad/paTna. Early pen-name ‘yaas’ (despair) and later ‘yagaana’ (unmatched, unique).   Egotistical, uncompromising, brusque and acerbic, he did not get along with fellow poets. For some reason he cast himself as a critic of Ghalib.  He got a booklet published in which there is a lengthy preface critical of Ghalib and of his many admirers, followed by many rubaaii deriding Ghalib. But he was courageous enough to make controversial statements about religious belief and was attacked by a mob, made to ride a donkey through town, sitting backwards, with his face blackened.  In spite of his critique of Ghalib be wrote many Ghazal in the zamin of Ghalib.  This Ghazal is linked to ‘visaal-e yaar hota’ – Ghalib naqsh-e qadam on the Theme Index page.

1.moist/tearful eye 2.control 3.an expression meaning-how would it have been possible 4.secret 5.love 6.revealed

It urdu poetic tradition the true lover tries to keep his love hidden so as not to malign the reputation of the beloved.  His stoicism is legendary.  In this case, he lost control over his eyes and cried profusely.  Otherwise, how would it have been possible for this secret of love to be revealed.  This could be an explanation that he is offering to the beloved on being questioned about revealing his love publicly.

1.quick tempered, easily irritated 2.hunter, bird-catcher, beloved 3.power, control 4.cage 5.control, ability

The beloved is the captor and the bird is the poet/lover.  The bird has been caught and put in a cage.  The captive bird sings songs and asks to be released to return to its garden and aashiyaana but the beloved gets annoyed easily.  If I had the ability I would not beg to be released but simply fly away with the cage around me – he says.

1.glimpse 2.lightning flas 3.beauty 4.come face to face with

Just one little glimpse burnt up the heart and soul of the poet/lover such that no one will ever summon enough courage to come face to face with the beloved because of her beauty dazzling like a lightning flash.

1.an expression meaning-I will repent if this is a lie 2.collar 3.status, ability 4.tangled up 5.shredded to threads

In poetic convention the mad-passionate lover tears his collar to shreds.  In this case, apparently it is not completely shredded.  The poet explains- I am not lying, how can this collar stand up to me, it would have been shredded to threads had my hand not got entangled/caught.

1.last rights 2.crowd 3.pen-name, mourning 4.by the tomb

There are several ways of reading this.  In traditional urdu script the izaafat-zer (represented in Roman script as -e) is not always explicitly written.  If this she’r is read without the izaafat, then … if she had not come to the grave for the last rights, just turned around, taken a look and gone away, then there would not have been such a crowd at the grave of yaas-the poet/lover.  The crowd has come because of her.  It the she’r is read with the izaafat then the other meaning of ‘yaas’ becomes operative.  If she had not come for the last rights then there would not have been so much mourning.  There could be two reasons for this.  She came, demonstrated her regrets/sorrow at the death of the lover and there was much sorrowing because the others saw her sorrowful.  Alternatively, the others were rivals … they saw her mournful and became sorrowful themselves out of jealousy of the dead lover.

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