Bahadur Shah Zafar's famous ghazal.

[K. Noorani]

Taken from:

http://echo-on.net/~santosh/indiamag.htm

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7.0 Some Poetry ( Urdu Shaayree)
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Here is a famous poem by Zafar, the last of the Mughal kings of Delhi, in
Urdu translated in English. The meaning is difficult to translate but an
attempt is made to convey the "mood" and perhaps the "sense" of the poem.
The British had conquered almost all of India and in about 1857 had banished
Zafar to Burma where he died remembering the motherland to his last breath.

(Mirza Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad: Born:Oct 27,1775, Died: 1862 in Rangoon)

Mulhayza farmaiye--- (Please accept this offering).

Lagta nahin hai dil mera ( My heart is not happy)

Ujrhe dayyar main (In this barren land)

Kiski bani hai ( Who has ever felt fulfilled )

Aalam-e-napaaydar main (In this temporary world)

Keh do in hasratuan se (Please tell my emotions)

Kahin aur ja basain (to go away somewhere else)

Itni jagah kahna hai (there is not enough room for them)

Dil-e-daagdar main (in my sad heart)

Umre daraaz maang kar (I had requested for a long life)

Laaye the chaar din ( a life of four days)

Do aarzu main kat gaye ( Two were spent in praying)

Do intzaar main (and two were spent in waiting)

Kitna hai badnasib Zafar (How unlucky Zafar is !)

Dafn ke liye ( For his burial)

Do gaz zamin bhi na mili (he could'nt get even two yards of earth)

Kooye-yaar main (in my beloved country)

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Kashif N. Noorani

2838 103rd Avenue, kas...@u.washington.edu
NE Bellevue WA 98004. knno...@cc.owu.edu
Phone: 206-827-6389. url: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~kashif