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

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Recitation

خط  کا  آخر  جواب  آ  گیا  ۔  پنڈت  میلا  رام  وفاؔ

۱

قلق  آ  گیا  اِضطراب  آ  گیا

یہ  دل  کیا  گیا  اِک  عذاب  آ  گیا

۲

جبیں  پر  شِکن  ہے  نگہ  شعلہ  ریز

یہ  کون  آج  زیرِ  عتاب  آ  گیا

۳

اِدھر  بڑھتے  بڑھتے  بڑھا  دستِ  شوق

اُدھر  آتے  آتے  حجاب  آ  گیا

۴

لفافے  میں  پُرزے  میرے  خط  کے  ہیں

میرے  خط  کا  آخر  جواب  آ  گیا

۵

سکندر  نصیبے  کا  ہے  وہ  فقیر

تیرے  در  سے  جو  کامیاب  آ  گیا

۶

ہوئی  قائلِ  جلوۂ  طور  خلق

سرِ  بام  وہ  بے  نقاب  آ  گیا

۷

یہ  عالم  ہوا  تابشِ  حسن  سے

سوا  نیزے  پر  آفتاب  آ  گیا

۸

کہا  اُس  نے  دیکھا  جو  در  پر  مجھے

کہاں  سے  یہ  خانہ  خراب  آ  گیا

۹

اُٹھائے  گئے  بزم  سے  بوالہوس

اُنہیں  شیوۂ  اِنتخاب  آ  گیا

۱۰

ہوئے  ہی  تھے  آمادہ  توبہ  پہ  ہم

کہ  گردش  میں  جامِ  شراب  آ  گیا

۱۱

یہ  کیا  کم  ہے  اے  شیخ  مے  کا  جواز

وہ  کعبے  سے  اُٹھ  کر  سحاب  آ  گیا

۱۲

عدو  ساتھ  رہنے  لگے  اے  وفاؔ

گہن  میں  میرا  آفتاب  آ  گیا

ख़त का आख़िर जवाब आ गया – पंडित मेला राम वफ़ा

१

क़लक़ आ गया इज़्तेराब आ गया

ये दिल क्या गया एक अज़ाब आ गया

२

जबीं पर शिकन है निग’ह शो’ला रेज़

ये कौन आज ज़ेर-ए इताब आ गया

३

इधर बढ़ते बढ़ते बढ़ा दस्त-ए शौक़

उधर आते-आते हिजाब आ गया

४

लिफ़ाफ़े में पुर्ज़े मेरे ख़त के हैं

मेरे ख़त का आख़िर जवाब आ गया

५

सिकंदर नसीबे का है वो फ़क़ीर

तेरे दर से जो कामियाब आ गया

६

हुई क़ा’एल-ए जलवा-ए तूर ख़ल्क़

सर-ए बाम वो बे-नक़ाब आ गया

७

ये आलम हुआ ताबिश-ए हुस्न से

सवा नैज़े पर आफ़्ताब आ गया

८

कहा उसने देखा जो दर पर मुझे

कहाँ से ये ख़ाना-ख़राब आ गया

९

उठाए गए बज़्म से बु-अल-हवस

उन्हें शेवा-ए इंतेख़ाब आ गया

१०

हुए ही थे आमादा तौबा पे हम

के गर्दिश में जाम-ए शराब आ गया

११

ये क्या कम है अए शैख़ मय का जुवाज़

वो का’बे से उठ कर सहाब आ गया

१२

अदु साथ रहने लगे हैं वफ़ा

गहन में मेरा आफ़्ताब आ गया

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit mela ram vafa (1895-1980), sialkoT. Grew up in a rural farming tradition. Early education in rural schools but high school and matriculation from Scotch Mission HS in 1913. One year in Forman Christian College and then quit all formal education. Freedom fighter. Wrote patriotic and resistance poetry for which he was jailed for two years. Worked as editor of several newspapers and taught urdu and faarsi at National College, lahore. India in 1947 and after some struggle found footing in saharanpur, lakhnau and kanpur editing and publishing newspapers. Two collections of nazm and Ghazal to his credit.

panDit mela ram vafa (1895-1980), sialkoT.  Grew up in a rural farming tradition.  Early education in rural schools but high school and matriculation from Scotch Mission HS in 1913.  One year in Forman Christian College and then quit all formal education.  Freedom fighter.  Wrote patriotic and resistance poetry for which he was jailed for two years.  Worked as editor of several newspapers and taught urdu and faarsi at National College, lahore.  India in 1947 and after some struggle found footing in saharanpur, lakhnau and kanpur editing and publishing newspapers.  Two collections of nazm and Ghazal to his credit.

1.regret, sorrow 2.restlessness 3.torture, torment, divine retribution

I have regrets, sorrow and have become restless.  As soon as I gave my heart (to the beloved) it is as if a calamity has descended on me.

1.forehead, brow 2.wrinkles, furrow 3.eyes, gaze 4.flame raising, flaming 5.under control of, in the grip of 6.anger, rage

The brow is furrowed and the eyes flaming, who is it that is in the grip of a rage.  This is obviously about the beloved.  It is not specified who she is angry with.  It could be the poet/lover himself or someone else and he is observing her anger.

1.hand 2.desire 3.veil, shyness, coyness

The hand of desire is the hand of the poet/lover.  Gradually extended, it tried to reach the beloved while on that side (the beloved’s side) shyness/coyness kept increasing until it overpowered the poet’s reach.

1.envelope 2.parts, shreds 3.at last 4.reply, answer

The poet/lover has been sending missives but has not received any response.  It is implied that he repeatedly asked for a response and finally received one … his own letter, shredded and placed back in the envelope.

1.Alexander 2.fate 3.beggar, seeker 4.door 5.successful

‘sikandar-naseeb’ is an expression meaning extremely fortunate.  The military successes of Alexander are transformed into the doing of fate/blessings.  In the second misra-ter’e dar-your door/threshold-implies god’s door.  Thus, the beggar who returns successul from your door (O god), is indeed extremely fortunate, like Alexander.  Of course, this could also be the beloved’s door with the beggar/lover returning from it, after having conquered the domain.

1.convinced, believing 2.beauty, glory 3.mount tuur 4.the world 5.top, head 6.roof 7.unveiled

The story of mount tuur and moosa/Moses is that moosa went up mount tuur and asked to see god.  After much insistence, there was a flash of lightning.  It was so overwhelming that moosa fainted and was convinced of the existence of god.  Thus, the beloved comes unveiled to the rooftop and her radiance is so overwhelming that the world is convinced of the story of mount tuur (divine beauty/glory).

1.condition 2.brilliance, brightness 3.distance of one and a quarter lance/spear 4.sun

According to folklore about doomsday, the sun will come as close to the earth as the distance of one and quarter lance and the intense heat will burn everything up.  Thus, the brilliance of the beauty of the beloved was such that the conditions around felt like the sun was as close as one and a quarter length of a lance.

1.door 2.homewrecker

The poet/lover went to the door of the beloved.  Seeing him she said, where has this homewrecker come from.

1.gathering 2.lechers 3.habit, capability 4.selection, disctinction

The difference between aashiq and bu-al-havas … true lover and lecher is very important in urdu poetry.  The poet/lover considers himself to be the true aashiq and the rival to be a lecher, lusting for the beauty of the beloved.  The poet/lover always bemoans the lack of capacity of the beloved to discern who the true lover is.  But now, from the gathering of the beloved, lechers were asked to leave.  She has developed the ability to distinguish between true lover and lecher.

1.inclined towards, agree to 2.repentence 3.circulation 4.cup, goblet

The poet/reveler had just agreed to repent and give up drinking when the goblet of wine came into circulation.

1.preacher 2.wine 3.reason, justification, permission 4.cloud

O preacher, is this justification for drinking wine any less.  See, that cloud from over the k’aaba has drifted here.  In poetic tradition, spring is the season or clouds and rain and it is also a time for rejuvenation and merriment.  Spring clouds trigger wine drinking parties.  This time, the cloud has drifted in from the west i.e., from over the k’aaba.  Is that not justification enough to drink, asks the poet/reveler.

1.enemy, rival 2.pen-name of the poet 3.eclipse 4.sun

O vafa, the rival often accompanies the beloved now.  My beloved/brilliant sun has gone into an eclipse.

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