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

https://urdushahkar.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/sahaal-pher-hai-taqdiir-ka-audio.mp3

Recitation

پھیر  ہے  تقدیر  کا  ۔  سید  انور  حسین  آرزوؔ  لکھنوی

۱

زخمِ  بازو  سے  ہے  گہرا  زخمِ  دل  نخچیر  کا

اُس  نگاہِ  ناز  سے  ہلکا  ہے  پلّہ  تیر  کا

۲

ترکشِ  صیّادِ  ظالم  دل  ہے  اِس  نخچیر  کا

جِس  کا  ہر  نالہ  بجائے  خود  ہے  پیکاں  تیر  کا

۳

المدد  اے  زورِ  وحشت  آ  چلی  فصلِ  بہار

کھینچتا  ہے  جیسے  پھر  کوئی  سرا  زنجیر  کا

۴

تیر  پتھر  پر  لگا  کر  دل  میں  کیا  پچھتائے  ہم

اُن  کا  اُف  کرنا  کہ  جانا  آہ  سے  تاثیر  کا

۵

دل  صفائی  میں  ہے  شیشہ  جذب  میں  آئینہ  ہے

اِس  ورق  پر  دونوں  ہی  جانب  ہے  رُخ  تصویر  کا

۶

چھٹ  گئے  قیدی  بندھے  بیٹھے  ہیں  اِس  کوچے  میں  ہم

ٹوٹنا  ممکن  نہیں  اِس  قیدِ  بے  زنجیر  کا

۷

کس  سے  بے  دردی  یہ  ہوتی  تجھ  سے  ظالم  کے  سوا

ہاتھ  بھی  دل  پر  نہ  رکھنا  کھینچ  لینا  تیر  کا

۸

میں  یہاں  تڑپا  وہاں  وہ  کروٹیں  لینے  لگے

ہاں  مرے  دردِ  جگر  یہ  ہے  مزہ  تاثیر  کا

۹

ہے  تصوُّر  کی  رَوِش  وحشت  میں  کیا  معجز  نما

کان  تک  آتا  نہیں  غُل  پاؤں  کی  زنجیر  کا

۱۰

دردِ  پِنہاں  نے  دیا  عاشق  کا  ہر  پیکر  میں  ساتھ

رنگ  اُڑا  جاتا  ہے  چہرے  سے  مری  تصویر  کا

۱۱

کثرت  عِصیاں  بچائے  گی  مجھے  روزِ  حساب

کاتبِ  اعمال  کو  وقفہ  نہیں  تحریر  کا

۱۲

اس  جوابِ  دل  کے  صدقے  اور  بھی  دل  پھٹ  گیا

چاک  کر  کے  بھیجنا  کیا  فرض  تھا  تحریر  کا

۱۳

ڈھونڈتے  پھرتے  ہیں  اُس  کو  دل  میں  جو  موجود  ہے

آرزوؔ  کچھ  بھی  نہیں  یہ  پھیر  ہے  تقدیر  کا

फेर है तक़्दीर का – सय्यद अनवर हुसैन आर्ज़ू लखनवी

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Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. aarzu lakhnavi-syed anvar husain (1874-1951). He was born into a well to do family and was educated at home learning faarsi and urdu. Started composing early. There are several collections of Ghazal and nazm, marsia and masnavi. His inheritance did not last very long and he struggled to make a living. Probably was supported by some of his 140 shaagird and for a while with employment at the raampur court, editing magazines. He wrote some plays that became very popular, and theatre companies employed him to write plays in connection with which he traveled to kalkata, bambaii and lahore. He also wrote dialogue and lyrics for the budding film industry. He was invited to a ‘hind-paak mushaaera’ in Jan 1951 to karaachi where he died in April 1951. This Ghazal is linked to shooKhi-e tahriir ka under Ghalib naqsh-e qadam on the Theme Index page.

aarzu lakhnavi-syed anvar husain (1874-1951).  He was born into a well to do family and was educated at home learning faarsi and urdu.  Started composing early.  There are several collections of Ghazal and nazm, marsia and masnavi.  His inheritance did not last very long and he struggled to make a living.  Probably was supported by some of his 140 shaagird and for a while with employment at the raampur court, editing magazines.  He wrote some plays that became very popular, and theatre companies employed him to write plays in connection with which he traveled to kalkata, bambaii and lahore.  He also wrote dialogue and lyrics for the budding film industry.  He was invited to a ‘hind-paak mushaaera’ in Jan 1951 to karaachi where he died in April 1951.  This Ghazal is linked to shooKhi-e tahriir ka under Ghalib naqsh-e qadam on the Theme Index page.

1.wound 2.side of the bosom 3.deep 4.prey 5.glance 6.coquetry 7.weighing pan of scales

The poet/lover is the target and the beloved is the hunter.  She has shot an arrow – a glance of coquetry at the prey naKhchiir.  In the literal sense the arrow penetrates the side the breast/chest and makes a wound but the wound in the heart is much deeper.  Thus, the effect of the arrow itself is less than the effect of the glance on the feelings of love in the heart.  palla halka hai means that weighed on a scales, the arrowhead comes up short compared to the glance itself.

1.quiver 2.hunter 3.cruel 4.prey 5.cry, wail 6.by itself 7.arrowhead

The prey’s (lover’s) heart is like the quiver of the cruel hunter (the beloved); each of its cries (naala) is itself an arrowhead (paikaaN); the heart not only suffers arrows shot at it, but also contains the weapons/arrows of its torment as if it is a quiver for the cruel hunter, suggesting self-inflicted suffering or inescapable pain from love.

1.help! 2.power 3.madness 4.flowering season, spring 5.end

Spring is a season of joy and rejuvenation and of connecting with love.  In poetic tradition the lover goes mad because of his yearning.  The poet calls for the power of madness to help.  With the arrival of spring he feels as if someone is pulling the end of his chain … he is chained to the beloved and it feels as if she is pulling that chain.

1.regretted 2.sigh 3.effect

The lover has ‘shot an arrow’ – a deep and painful sigh – at the beloved.  It is as if he were shooting at a hard rock.  The next part can be interpreted in two different ways depending on how sincere the ‘uff’ of the beloved is.  (a)say that the ‘uff’ is one of annoyance, like shooing a mosquito away.  Then the poet’s heart regrets having shot the arrow because he learns that his sigh has no effect.  (b)say that the ‘uff’ is one of pain, however slight.  Then the poet says, why should my heart regret shooting an arrow, after all I learnt that it has had some effect.

1.clarity, purity 2.clear glass 3.absorption 4.mirror 5.page 6.sides 7.face, image

In clarity and purity the heart is like clear glass and in absorption it is like a mirror.  Because of its purity a clear image of the beloved or the divine can enter his heart and because of its absorption, the image gets captured like in a mirror and retained; it shows up on both sides of the heart.

1.released 2.prisoners 3.lane 4.possible 5.captivity 6.without chains

The lover is a captive without chains, but emotionally tied to the street of the beloved.  Even though he has no chains, he cannot leave, while all the other prisoners have been released and have left.  The ‘other prisoners’ could be those who are merely lustful and not as sincere as the poet/lover.

1.torture 2.short for ‘jaise’, like 3.cruel 4.except

Who else can torture like this except for a cruel one like you; you pull out the arrow without even placing a hand on the heart i.e., she shoots the arrow of her glance and looks away without a second thought.

1.writhed in pain 2.turn over in sleep 3.aching heart 4.pleasure 5.effect

Yes, my aching heart, the real pleasure of effect is when I writhe in pain, the beloved turns restlessly in her sleep.

1.imagination 2.path, manner, habit 3.madness 4.miraculous 5.noise, clamour

In classical poetry the lover can be like a madman, chained to restrain him.  He might break a link of his chain and run off into the desert with bits of chain still hanging on his feet.  But his imagination makes him oblivious of the weight, pain and noise of the chain.  How miraculous is the way of imagination, in the madness of passion that the clamour of the chain of the feet does not reach the ears.

1.hidden pain 2.form, manifestation, aspect 3.going pale/colourless 4.face

The lover’s hidden pain is with him in all his aspects; even his picture/portrait loses its colour and his face becomes pale.

1.abundance 2.sins 3.save 4.day of reckoning 5.record keeper 6.actions 7.time interval 8.writing

The sheer number of sins will save me on the day of judgment.  The record keeper will just have no time to write them all down.  The implication is that he will give up in exhaustion and the poet/sinner will get away with a clean sheet.

1.reply 2.heart, message of the heart 3.used sarcastically, sacrifice self, pay homage 4.tear 5.necessary 6.writing, letter

The poet/lover sent a letter to the beloved through a messenger.  He calls this message his dil suggesting that he poured his heart into the letter.  The beloved replied by tearing his letter into pieces and sending them back.  He says, I pay homage to the reply of the message of my heart; my heart is torn; was it necessary for the beloved to tear my letter into shreds.

1.searching 2.present 3.pen-name 4.manipulation, trickery as in heraa-pherii 5.fate

We search everywhere for the one who resides in our hearts; O aarzu, this is nothing but fate’s trickery.  The trickery is that you are looking for the divine (or the beloved) outside you, when they are in your heart all the time.

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