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

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Recitation

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shumona roy biswas

ہماری  زباں  کی  ہے  ۔  داغؔ  دہلوی

۱

کعبے  کی  ہے  ہوس  کبھی  کوئے  بتاں  کی  ہے

مجھ  کو  خبر  نہیں  مری  مِٹّی  کہاں  کی  ہے

۲

سُن  کے  مرا  فسانہ  اُنہیں  لُطف  آ  گیا

سُنتا  ہوں  اب  کہ  روز  طلب  قِصّہ  خواں  کی  ہے

۳

پیغام  بر  کی  بات  پر  آپس  میں  رنج  کیا

میری  زبان  کی  ہے  نہ  تمہاری  زباں  کی  ہے

۴

کچھ  تازگی  ہو  لذّتِ  آزار  کے  لیے

ہر  دم  مجھے  تلاش  نئے  آسماں  کی  ہے

۵

جاں  بر  بھی  ہو  گئے  ہیں  بہت  مجھ  سے  نیم  جاں

کیا  غم  ہے  اے  طبیب  جو  پوری  وہاں  کی  ہے

۶

حسرت  برس  رہی  ہے  ہمارے  مزار  پر

کہتے  ہیں  سب  یہ  قبر  کسی  نوجواں  کی  ہے

۷

وقت  خرام  ناز  دکھا  دو  جُدا  جُدا

یہ  چال  حشر  کی  یہ  روِش  آسماں  کی  ہے

۸

فرصت  کہاں  کہ  ہم  سے  کسی  وقت  تُو  ملے

دن  غیر  کا  ہے  رات  ترے  پاسباں  کی  ہے

۹

قاصد  کی  گفتگو  سے  تَسلّی  ہو  کس  طرح

چھپتی  نہیں  وہ  بات  جو  تیری  زباں  کی  ہے

۱۰

جورِ  رقیب  و  ظلمِ  فلک  کا  نہیں  خیال

تشویش  ایک  خاطرِ  نامہرباں  کی  ہے

۱۱

سن  کر  مرا  فسانۂ  غم  اس  نے  یہ  کہا

ہو  جائے  جھوٹ  سچ  یہی  خوبی  بیاں  کی  ہے

۱۲

دامن  سنبھال  باندھ  کمر  آستیں  چڑھا

خنجر  نکال  دل  میں  اگر  اِمتحاں  کی  ہے

۱۳

ہر  ہر  نفس  میں  دل  سے  نکلنے  لگا  غبار

کیا  جانے  گردِ  راہ  یہ  کس  کارواں  کی  ہے

۱۴

کیونکر  نہ  آتے  خلد  سے  آدم  زمین  پر

موزوں  وہیں  وہ  خوب  ہے  جو  سُنتے  جہاں  کی  ہے

۱۵

تقدیر  سے  یہ  پوچھ  رہا  ہوں  کہ  عشق  میں

تدبیر  کوئی  بھی  ستمِ  ناگہاں  کی  ہے

۱۶

اُردو  ہے  جس  کا  نام  ہمیں  جانتے  ہیں  داغؔ

ہندوستاں  میں  دھوم  ہماری  زباں  کی  ہے

हमारी ज़बां कि है – दाग़ देहलवी

१

काबे की है हवस कभी कू-ए बुताँ की है

मुझ को ख़बर नहीं मेरी मिट्टी कहाँ की है

२

सुन के मेरा फ़साना उन्हें लुत्फ़ आ गया

सुनता हूँ अब के रोज़ तलब क़िस्सा-ख़्वाँ की है

३

पैग़ाम-बर की बात पर आपस में रंज क्या

मेरी ज़बां की है न तुम्हारी ज़बाँ की है

४

कुछ ताज़गी हो लज़्ज़त-ए आज़ार के लिए

हर दम मुझे तलाश नए आसमाँ की है

५

जाँ-बर भी हो गए हैं बहुत मुझ से नीम-जाँ

क्या ग़म है ऐ तबीब जो पूरी वहाँ की है

६

हस्रत बरस रही है हमारे मज़ार पर

कहते हैं सब ये क़ब्र किसी नौजवाँ की है

७

वक़्त-ए ख़िराम-ए नाज़ दिखा दो जुदा जुदा

ये चाल हश्र की ये रविश आसमाँ की है

८

फ़ुर्सत कहाँ के हम से किसी वक़्त तू मिले

दिन ग़ैर का है रात तेरे पास्बाँ की है

९

क़ासिद की गुफ़्तुगू से तसल्ली हो किस तरह

छुपती नहीं वो बात जो तेरी ज़बाँ की है

१०

जौर-ए रक़ीब ओ ज़ुल्म-ए फ़लक का नहीं ख़याल

तशवीश एक ख़ातेर-ए ना-मेहरबाँ की है

११

सुन कर मेरा फ़साना-ए ग़म उस ने ये कहा

हो जाए झूट सच यही ख़ूबी बयाँ की है

१२

दामन संभाल बाँध कमर आस्तीं चढ़ा

ख़ंजर निकाल दिल में अगर इम्तेहाँ की है

१३

हर हर नफ़स में दिल से निकलने लगा ग़ुबार

क्या जाने गर्द-ए राह ये किस कारवाँ की है

१४

क्यूँके न आते ख़ुल्द से आदम ज़मीन पर

मौज़ूँ वहीं वो ख़ूब है जो सुनते जहाँ की है

१५

तक़्दीर से ये पूछ रहा हूँ के इश्क़ में

तदबीर कोई भी सितम-ए ना-गहाँ की है

१६

उर्दू है जिस का नाम हमीं जानते हैं दाग़

हिन्दोस्ताँ में धूम हमारी ज़बाँ की है

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. daaGh dehlavi (1831-1905) grew up in laal qila and was a shaagird of zauq. Towards the end of his life he lived and died in hyderabad. His Ghazal, simpler in language and straightforward in thought content have great musicality lend themselves to singing.

daaGh dehlavi (1831-1905) grew up in laal qila and was a shaagird of zauq.  Towards the end of his life he lived and died in hyderabad.  His Ghazal, simpler in language and straightforward in thought content have great musicality lend themselves to singing.

1.strong desire 2.street of the beloved

miTTi kahaaN ki hai uses a phrase to imply ‘this is where I am from/where I belong’.  Thus, the poet/lover is torn between the kaaba (observant/orthodox practice) and the street of the beloved (the ways of lust and pleasure, or perhaps the way of liberal thought).  He is not sure where he belongs.

1.story 2.pleasure 3.demand 4.story-teller

Someone relayed the story of the poet/lover to the beloved and she enjoyed it so much that now it seems that she demands a story-teller every night to hear more of his story.

1.messenger 2.mutual, between us 3.ill feeling

Why get miffed at hearing from the messenger.  This is only a secondhand message, it is neither my direct word nor yours.

1.freshness, newness, change 2.pleasure of pain 3.moment 4.search, desire

I seek a change for relief from pain.  I constantly search for a new sky.  Here sky is used as fate … the sky is always cruel on the poet/lover.  It is conventional to value and enjoy pain.  So, the poet is seeking new kinds of pain, hence a new sky every moment.

1.generating/giving new life 2.half-alive 3.healer 4.completely, fully

It is not clear what the poet means by vahaaN – from over there.  Very possibly he is referring to the tavern.  Drinking wine has given a new life to many half-dead people.  What is the problem, O healer, if it is all from there (tavern).

1.used in the sense of ‘pity’ 2.tomb, grave

Pity rains down on my grave.  Everyone says this is a grave of a young one … implying that the poet/lover died young (and he is still writing xxxxx!).

1.proud gait/saunter 2.separately 3.doomsday, tumult 4.way, style

The beloved is taking a walk in the garden.  The style of her graceful gait creates a tumult like doomsday, among her many admirers.  The rotation of the sky, its gait, also causes similar problems for poets/lovers.  Can somebody show me that her gait is different from that of the sky.  Of course not.  They both bring problems.

1.leisure, time 2.other, rival 3.guardian

Where is the time that you can meet me.  You spend your days with the rival and your guardian watches over you at night.

1.messenger 2.consolation

How can I be consoled by the words of the messenger.  It cannot hide the real meaning (sarcasm/cruelty/rejection) of your words.

1.cruelty of the rival 2.oppression of the skies/heavens 3.worry 4.unkind

I do not think about the cruelty of the rival, the injustice of my fate.  I worry about the unkindness of your heart.

1.story of pain/love 2.goodness, qualities, excellence

The poet/lover relays the story of his love.  The beloved does not believe him and congratulates him on the quality of his speech which makes falsehood appear as truth i.e. she claims that he does not really love her.

1.hem of the skirt 2.gird you loins 3.roll up your sleeves 4.dagger 5.test

Gather up your skirt, gird your loins, roll up your sleeve and pull out the dagger, if you want to test my fealty i.e. the poet/lover is willing to die at the hands of the beloved to prove his love.

1.breath 2.dust 3.dust 4.path

The poet/lover has been left behind by caravan after caravan and all he has done is sit by the wayside and breathe the dust from the departing caravans.  All this dust is stored inside and comes out with every breath.  He cannot even tell which caravan it is from.

1.heaven 2.suitable, appropriate 3.good, better

It is thought that aadam/Adam came to earth from heaven.  ‘jahaaN ki hai’ is used here to mean wherever it is from.  Thus, we hear that ‘it’ suits/fits better only there, where ‘it’ is from. ‘it’ applies to anything, but here it is used for Adam.  This implies that Adam was from earth to begin with, and that is where he/humanity fits best.  This also uses the story that Adam was made from clay … perhaps clay of the earth.

1.fate 2.scheme, plan 3.cruelty 4.sudden, unexpected, unpredictable

The beloved is cruel to the poet/lover in unpredictable ways.  He is totally lost and does not know what to do.  He asks his fate, if there is a scheme/plan he can use to deal with this.  Here ‘this’ can apply to the cruelty of the beloved or to the vicissitude. trials and tribulations of life.

1.pen-name of the poet 2.language

That which is called urdu, only I know, O, daaGh.  There is much fame and pomp of our language in hindostan.

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