For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
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اِنساں بنا دیا ۔ جوشؔ ملیح آبادی
جب دل نے مجھ کو شعلہ بداماں بنا دیا
میں نے ہر ایک خار کو بستاں بنا دیا
اِس پچھلی رات کو جسے کہتے ہیں کمسِنی
میری نظر نے صبح درخشاں بنا دیا
اے حسن شاد ہو کہ تجھے چشمِ شوق نے
آشوبِ خلق و فتنۂ دوراں بنا دیا
پِنہاں تھیں جس میں روح کی گہری خموشیاں
اُس جنبشِ نظر کو غزلخواں بنا دیا
زُلفوں کی ہر گرہ کو عطا کی متاعِِ دل
ابرُو کی ہر شِکن کو رگِ جاں بنا دیا
جلوؤں کو دی نظامِ دو عالم کی وسعتیں
شوخی کو کائنات بداماں بنا دیا
عشووں کی غنچگی کو عطا کی شگفتگی
شبنم کی بوند کو دُرِ غلطاں بنا دیا
غمزے کے اشتباہ کو بخشا یقینِ ناز
وہمِ شرر کو شعلۂ عریاں بنا دیا
فیضِ نگاہِ عشق نے اے دفترِ جمال
تیرے ہر ایک جزو کو قرآں بنا دیا
خالِ سیہ کو بخش کے مُہرِ پیعمبری
زُلفوں کی موجِِ کفر کو ایماں بنا دیا
اے ناز داد دے کہ سرابِ جمال کو
میری نظر نے چشمۂ حیواں بنا دیا
اے حُسن شُکر کر کہ ملی تُجھ کو خسروی
اے جِسم ناز کر کہ تجھے جاں بنا دیا
کج کر کلاہِ فخر کہ تیرے شباب کو
میں نے خدائے عالمِ اِمکاں بنا دیا
لیکن بہ ایں ہمہ تیرا احساں ہے جوشؔ پر
دل کو دیے وہ داغ کہ اِنساں بنا دیا
इन्सां बना दिया – जोश मलीहाबादी
जब दिल ने मुझ को शो’ला ब-दामां बना दिया
मैं ने हर एक ख़ार को बुस्ताां बना दिया
इस पिछली रात को जिसे कहते हैं कमसिनी
मेरी नज़र ने सुबह दरख़्शां बना दिया
अए हुस्न शाद हो के तुझे चश्म-ए शौक़ ने
आशोब-ए ख़ल्क़ ओ फ़ितना-ए दौरां बना दिया
पिन्हां थीं जिस में रूह की गहरी ख़मोशियाँ
उस जुम्बिश-ए नज़र को ग़ज़लख़्वां बना दिया
ज़ुल्फ़ों की हर गिरह को अता की मता’-ए दिल
अब्रू की हर शिकन को रग-ए जां बना दिया
जलवों को दी निज़ाम-ए दो-आलम की वुस’अतें
शूख़ी को का’एनात ब-दामां बना दिया
इश्वों की ग़ुंचगी को अता की शगुफ़्तगी
शबनम की बूंद को दुर-ए ग़ल्तां बना दिया
ग़मज़े के इश्तेबाह को बख़्शा यक़ीन-ए नाज़
वहम-ए शरर को शोला-ए उर्यां बना दिया
फ़ैज़-ए निगाह-ए इश्क़ ने अए दफ़्तर-ए जमाल
तेरे हर एक जुज़्व को क़ुर’आं बना दिया
ख़ाल-ए सियह को बख़्श के मोहर-ए पयम्बरी
ज़ुल्फ़ों की मौज-ए कुफ़्र को ईमां बना दिया
अए नाज़ दाद दे के सराब-ए जमाल को
मेरी नज़र ने चश्मा-ए हैवां बना दिया
अए हुस्न शुक्र कर के मिली तुझ को ख़ुस्रवी
अए जिस्म नाज़ कर के तुझे जां बना दिया
कज कर कुलाह-ए फ़ख़्र के तेरे शबाब को
मैं ने ख़ुदा-ए आलम-ए इम्कां बना दिया
लेकिन ब-ईं हमा तेरा एहसां है जोश पर
दिल को दिये वो दाग़ के इन्सां बना दिया
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is called shaa’er-e inqelaab, poet of change/revolution. He is very secular and nationalistic in his writings and rebels against orthodoxy. His range of language and vocabulary is simply amazing. He has written extensively about the beauty of dawn. This is a tribute and at the same time a praise of his own poetic ability.
1
jab dil ne mujh ko sho’la1 ba-daamaaN2 banaa diya
maiN ne har ek Khaar3 ko bustaaN4 banaa diya 1.flame, passion 2.gathered in the hem of the garment 3.thorn 4.flower garden
The traditional folk way of carrying something is to gather it in the hem of the garment and carry it holding like a temporary sack, but figuratively it means, to be in possession of. When the heart gathered in its possession flames of passion, I changed every prickly thorn into a fragrant flower. Thus, the rough, thorny words of verse, became smooth and fragrant verse.
2
is pichhli1 raat ko jise kahte haiN kamsinii2
meri nazar ne sub’h daraKhshaaN3 banaa diya 1.past, last night 2.young age, immaturity 3.brilliant
Here he is talking about the immaturity of verse recited last night by the general crowd of poets (or maybe his own initial composition). He worked on it during the night and by morning changed it into a shining dawn. Thus, this could be a maturation of his own verse and/or an improvement in the poetic standards of the times.
3
aye husn1 shaad2 ho keh tujhe chashm3-e shauq4 ne
aashob5-e Khalq6 o fitna7-e dauraaN8 banaa diya 1.beauty 2.happy 3.eyes 4.desire, love 5.tumult, storm (of passion) 6.world 7.mischief, anarchy 8.times
O beauty, be happy that my loving eye has changed you into a storm of passion and the anarchic tumult of the times. Thus, his beautiful verse expresses strong passion and creates a tumult (of passions, social movement, rebellion).
4
pinhaaN1 thi jis meN rooh2 ki gahri3 KhamoshiyaaN4
us jumbish5-e nazar6 ko Ghazal-KhwaaN7 banaa diya 1.hidden 2.soul 3.deep 4.silence 5.movement, flutter 6.eyes 7.Ghazal singer
Depths of the silence of the soul are hidden in the eyes. They want to express, but cannot find words. I changed the flutter of those eyelashes (fleeting/furtive glances) into Ghazal-singers i.e., they were able to express themselves in exquisite verse.
5
zulfoN1 ki har girah2 ko ataa3 ki mataa4-e dil
abruu5 ki har shikan6 ko rag-e-jaaN7 banaa diya 1.hair 2.knot 3.granted 4.wealth, treasure 5.eyebrow 6.curve, arch 7.jugular vein
‘zulfoN ki girah’-knots in the beloved’s hair can be kinks in the lines of writing, the beloved being his Ghazal. He gave these kinks the treasure of a heart/love. This is nicely juxtaposed with the classical thought of the heart captured by the beloved’s curls. ‘abruu ki shikan’-arched eyebrow, can be a sign of annoyance. With the finesse of his poetry he changed annoying expressions into a jugular vein – the sign of life.
6
jalvaauN¹ ko dii nizaam²-e do-aalam³ ki vus’ateN⁴
shuukhii⁵ ko kaa’enaat⁶ ba-daamaaN⁷ banaa diyaa 1.manifestations, visions (of beauty or the divine) 2.order, structure 3.two worlds (this world and the next) 4.vastness, expanse 5.playfulness, mischief (of beauty) 6.universe, cosmos 7.gathered into the hem
I gave the manifestations of beauty (of the beloved or of the divine) the vast structure of both worlds, and gathered all playfulness into the hem of the cosmos. josh claims (maybe on behalf of all poets) to have elevated fleeting beauty into something with cosmic order, as though his verse gives a structure to the chaos of desire. Even mischief (shuuKhii) is not lost—it is captured and preserved within the folds of the universe itself, giving poetic permanence to what is normally ephemeral.
7
ishvauN¹ ki ghuNchagi² ko ataa kii shagufatgii³
shabnam4 kii buund5 ko dur6-e GhaltaaN7 banaa diyaa 1.coquettish gestures, teasing flirtation 2.bud-like quality, incipient, potential 3.blossoming, blooming 4.dew 5.drop 6.pearl 7.rolling, dripping
I turned the incipient/shy/beginning coquetry into full blooming beauty, and transformed a drop of dew into a rolling pearl – small, delicate gestures become fully expressed beauty, and something as transient as dew becomes a lasting gem. It’s the poet’s lens that creates transformation-from budding to fully blossomed, from transcience (of a drop) to permanence (of a pearl).
8
Ghamze¹ ke ishtebaah² ko baKhshaa3 yaqiin-e-naaz4
vahm5-e sharar6 ko sho‘la-e-‘uriyaaN⁵ banaa diyaa 1.flirtatious glance 2.confusion, ambiguity 3.granted, bestowed 4.confident elegance, graceful certainty 5.illusion, doubt 6.spark 7.naked flame
I turned the ambiguity of a coquettish glance into assured grace, and transformed a doubtful spark into an unveiled flame. His verse granted confidence removing uncertainty from even the most ambiguous flirtatious glances. He turns hesitant flirtation into confident allure, and vague impressions into bold declarations-beauty and emotion made clear through his verse.
9
faiz¹-e nigaah2-e ‘ishq ne aye daftar3-e jamaal4
tere har ek juzv5 ko qur’aaN6 banaa diyaa 1.blessing, grace 2.glance 3.book, record 4.beauty 5.segment, chapter 6.divine revelation
O manuscript of beauty! The grace of lover’s gaze turned your every detail into a sacred revelation. Addressing the beloved (the beloved could also stand for beauty itself and/or for his own verse) as daftar-e jamaal the poet elevates every physical attribute into divine scripture. Through the eyes of love, even the beloved’s smallest features hold spiritual truth and beauty becomes sacred text (the beloved can be his own verse).
10
Khaal¹-e siyaah2 ko baKhsh3 ke mohr4-e payambari5
zulfauuN6 kii mauj7-e kufr8 ko iimaaN9 banaa diyaa 1.mole, beauty spot 2.black 3.grant, bestow 4.seal 5.prophethood 6.curls 7.wave 8.heresy, disbelief 9.faith
It is believed that prophets had a seal stamped on their backs authenticating them as messengers of god. I gave the dark mole (on the beloved’s face) the dignity of a prophetic seal, and turned the waves of her heretical curls into articles of faith. Heretical curls could be the confused first draft of writing or thinking and turn into beautiful verse is like giving it the status of articles of faith.
11
aye naaz¹ daad2 de keh saraab3-e jamaal4 ko
merii nazar ne chashma-e-haivaaN5 banaa diyaa 1.delicate pride 2.reward, praise 3.mirage 4.beauty 5.spring of the nectar of immortality
O pride of grace, praise me, for my vision turned the mirage (unreal shimmering image) of beauty into a spring of life-giving nectar. He doesn’t just reflect beauty; he transforms and amplifies it, gives it immortality through his verse.
12
aye husn¹ shukr2 kar keh milii tujh ko Khusravii3
aye jism4 naaz5 kar keh tujhe jaaN6 banaa diyaa 1.beauty 2.thanks 3.kingship 4.body 5.pride 6.soul
O beauty, be grateful that I gave you sovereignty, O body, be proud that I turned you into soul. josh takes credit for giving external beauty its nobility and for elevating the physical to the spiritual. Through his poetic lens, superficial beauty becomes meaningful, and the material is infused with spirit.
13
kaj¹ kar kulaah²-e faKhr³ keh tere shabaab⁴ ko
maiN ne Khudaa-e ‘aalam-e-imkaan5 banaa diyaa 1.tilt, slanted 2.cap, crown 3.pride 4.youth 5.world of possibilities
A tilted/slanted cap is a sign of defiance/confidence/pride. He is addressing the beloved (where the beloved could be his versification) and saying that he has transformed the budding youth of the beloved into the lord of the world of possibilities i.e., the beloved has been bestowed with great power perhaps to change the world order.
14
laikin ba-iiN1 hama2 teraa ehsaaN3 hai josh4 par
dil ko diye voh daaGh5 keh insaaN6 banaa diyaa 1.despite 2.all this 3.favor, grace 4.pen-name 5.wound, scar 6.human
Yet despite all this (that I have done),
josh is indebted to you, for you gave his heart such scars (wounds of love and sensitivity) that they made him human. The final couplet is a humble turn. Despite the grand claims of artistic transformation and divine beauty, the poet acknowledges that his beloved’s gift of sensitivity to pain is what made him truly human. The scars of love gave him depth, grounding all the poetic heights in human vulnerability.
josh malihabadi (1898-1982) is called shaa’er-e inqelaab, poet of change/revolution. He is very secular and nationalistic in his writings and rebels against orthodoxy. His range of language and vocabulary is simply amazing. He has written extensively about the beauty of dawn. This is a tribute and at the same time a praise of his own poetic ability.
1
jab dil ne mujh ko sho’la1 ba-daamaaN2 banaa diya
maiN ne har ek Khaar3 ko bustaaN4 banaa diya
1.flame, passion 2.gathered in the hem of the garment 3.thorn 4.flower garden
The traditional folk way of carrying something is to gather it in the hem of the garment and carry it holding like a temporary sack, but figuratively it means, to be in possession of. When the heart gathered in its possession flames of passion, I changed every prickly thorn into a fragrant flower. Thus, the rough, thorny words of verse, became smooth and fragrant verse.
2
is pichhli1 raat ko jise kahte haiN kamsinii2
meri nazar ne sub’h daraKhshaaN3 banaa diya
1.past, last night 2.young age, immaturity 3.brilliant
Here he is talking about the immaturity of verse recited last night by the general crowd of poets (or maybe his own initial composition). He worked on it during the night and by morning changed it into a shining dawn. Thus, this could be a maturation of his own verse and/or an improvement in the poetic standards of the times.
3
aye husn1 shaad2 ho keh tujhe chashm3-e shauq4 ne
aashob5-e Khalq6 o fitna7-e dauraaN8 banaa diya
1.beauty 2.happy 3.eyes 4.desire, love 5.tumult, storm (of passion) 6.world 7.mischief, anarchy 8.times
O beauty, be happy that my loving eye has changed you into a storm of passion and the anarchic tumult of the times. Thus, his beautiful verse expresses strong passion and creates a tumult (of passions, social movement, rebellion).
4
pinhaaN1 thi jis meN rooh2 ki gahri3 KhamoshiyaaN4
us jumbish5-e nazar6 ko Ghazal-KhwaaN7 banaa diya
1.hidden 2.soul 3.deep 4.silence 5.movement, flutter 6.eyes 7.Ghazal singer
Depths of the silence of the soul are hidden in the eyes. They want to express, but cannot find words. I changed the flutter of those eyelashes (fleeting/furtive glances) into Ghazal-singers i.e., they were able to express themselves in exquisite verse.
5
zulfoN1 ki har girah2 ko ataa3 ki mataa4-e dil
abruu5 ki har shikan6 ko rag-e-jaaN7 banaa diya
1.hair 2.knot 3.granted 4.wealth, treasure 5.eyebrow 6.curve, arch 7.jugular vein
‘zulfoN ki girah’-knots in the beloved’s hair can be kinks in the lines of writing, the beloved being his Ghazal. He gave these kinks the treasure of a heart/love. This is nicely juxtaposed with the classical thought of the heart captured by the beloved’s curls. ‘abruu ki shikan’-arched eyebrow, can be a sign of annoyance. With the finesse of his poetry he changed annoying expressions into a jugular vein – the sign of life.
6
jalvaauN¹ ko dii nizaam²-e do-aalam³ ki vus’ateN⁴
shuukhii⁵ ko kaa’enaat⁶ ba-daamaaN⁷ banaa diyaa
1.manifestations, visions (of beauty or the divine) 2.order, structure 3.two worlds (this world and the next) 4.vastness, expanse 5.playfulness, mischief (of beauty) 6.universe, cosmos 7.gathered into the hem
I gave the manifestations of beauty (of the beloved or of the divine) the vast structure of both worlds, and gathered all playfulness into the hem of the cosmos. josh claims (maybe on behalf of all poets) to have elevated fleeting beauty into something with cosmic order, as though his verse gives a structure to the chaos of desire. Even mischief (shuuKhii) is not lost—it is captured and preserved within the folds of the universe itself, giving poetic permanence to what is normally ephemeral.
7
ishvauN¹ ki ghuNchagi² ko ataa kii shagufatgii³
shabnam4 kii buund5 ko dur6-e GhaltaaN7 banaa diyaa
1.coquettish gestures, teasing flirtation 2.bud-like quality, incipient, potential 3.blossoming, blooming 4.dew 5.drop 6.pearl 7.rolling, dripping
I turned the incipient/shy/beginning coquetry into full blooming beauty, and transformed a drop of dew into a rolling pearl – small, delicate gestures become fully expressed beauty, and something as transient as dew becomes a lasting gem. It’s the poet’s lens that creates transformation-from budding to fully blossomed, from transcience (of a drop) to permanence (of a pearl).
8
Ghamze¹ ke ishtebaah² ko baKhshaa3 yaqiin-e-naaz4
vahm5-e sharar6 ko sho‘la-e-‘uriyaaN⁵ banaa diyaa
1.flirtatious glance 2.confusion, ambiguity 3.granted, bestowed 4.confident elegance, graceful certainty 5.illusion, doubt 6.spark 7.naked flame
I turned the ambiguity of a coquettish glance into assured grace, and transformed a doubtful spark into an unveiled flame. His verse granted confidence removing uncertainty from even the most ambiguous flirtatious glances. He turns hesitant flirtation into confident allure, and vague impressions into bold declarations-beauty and emotion made clear through his verse.
9
faiz¹-e nigaah2-e ‘ishq ne aye daftar3-e jamaal4
tere har ek juzv5 ko qur’aaN6 banaa diyaa
1.blessing, grace 2.glance 3.book, record 4.beauty 5.segment, chapter 6.divine revelation
O manuscript of beauty! The grace of lover’s gaze turned your every detail into a sacred revelation. Addressing the beloved (the beloved could also stand for beauty itself and/or for his own verse) as daftar-e jamaal the poet elevates every physical attribute into divine scripture. Through the eyes of love, even the beloved’s smallest features hold spiritual truth and beauty becomes sacred text (the beloved can be his own verse).
10
Khaal¹-e siyaah2 ko baKhsh3 ke mohr4-e payambari5
zulfauuN6 kii mauj7-e kufr8 ko iimaaN9 banaa diyaa
1.mole, beauty spot 2.black 3.grant, bestow 4.seal 5.prophethood 6.curls 7.wave 8.heresy, disbelief 9.faith
It is believed that prophets had a seal stamped on their backs authenticating them as messengers of god. I gave the dark mole (on the beloved’s face) the dignity of a prophetic seal, and turned the waves of her heretical curls into articles of faith. Heretical curls could be the confused first draft of writing or thinking and turn into beautiful verse is like giving it the status of articles of faith.
11
aye naaz¹ daad2 de keh saraab3-e jamaal4 ko
merii nazar ne chashma-e-haivaaN5 banaa diyaa
1.delicate pride 2.reward, praise 3.mirage 4.beauty 5.spring of the nectar of immortality
O pride of grace, praise me, for my vision turned the mirage (unreal shimmering image) of beauty into a spring of life-giving nectar. He doesn’t just reflect beauty; he transforms and amplifies it, gives it immortality through his verse.
12
aye husn¹ shukr2 kar keh milii tujh ko Khusravii3
aye jism4 naaz5 kar keh tujhe jaaN6 banaa diyaa
1.beauty 2.thanks 3.kingship 4.body 5.pride 6.soul
O beauty, be grateful that I gave you sovereignty, O body, be proud that I turned you into soul. josh takes credit for giving external beauty its nobility and for elevating the physical to the spiritual. Through his poetic lens, superficial beauty becomes meaningful, and the material is infused with spirit.
13
kaj¹ kar kulaah²-e faKhr³ keh tere shabaab⁴ ko
maiN ne Khudaa-e ‘aalam-e-imkaan5 banaa diyaa
1.tilt, slanted 2.cap, crown 3.pride 4.youth 5.world of possibilities
A tilted/slanted cap is a sign of defiance/confidence/pride. He is addressing the beloved (where the beloved could be his versification) and saying that he has transformed the budding youth of the beloved into the lord of the world of possibilities i.e., the beloved has been bestowed with great power perhaps to change the world order.
14
laikin ba-iiN1 hama2 teraa ehsaaN3 hai josh4 par
dil ko diye voh daaGh5 keh insaaN6 banaa diyaa
1.despite 2.all this 3.favor, grace 4.pen-name 5.wound, scar 6.human
Yet despite all this (that I have done), josh is indebted to you, for you gave his heart such scars (wounds of love and sensitivity) that they made him human. The final couplet is a humble turn. Despite the grand claims of artistic transformation and divine beauty, the poet acknowledges that his beloved’s gift of sensitivity to pain is what made him truly human. The scars of love gave him depth, grounding all the poetic heights in human vulnerability.
The post insaaN bana diya-josh malihabadi appeared first on UrduShahkar.
