Remembering Faiz (26th Death Anniversary)
Naseer
20/11/2010 is Faiz Ahmed Faiz's 26th Death Anniversary. It seems only
yesterday when on 20/11/1984 we heard that Faiz Ahmed Faiz breathed
his last, having suffered a heart attack.
Faiz was undoubtedly one of the finest Urdu poets of the 20th Century.
His words seem to be so refined and polished, that beauty oozes just
out of them. I have several favourite nazms and Ghazals by Faiz
amongst which is a nazm entitled du'aa, written for Pakistan
Independece Day in 1967.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_hsEsLVTRU
(aa'iye haath uThaa'eN ham bhii: Iqbal Bano)
aa'iye haath uThaa'eN ham bhii
ham jinheN rasm-i-du'aa yaad nahiiN
ham jinheN soz-i-muHabbat ke sivaa
ko'ii but ko'ii Khudaa yaad nahiiN
aa'iye 'arz guzaareN kih nigaar-i-hastii
zahr-i-imroz meN shiiriinii-i-farda bhar de
vuh jinheN taab-i-giraaN-baarii-i-ayyaam nahiiN
un kii palkoN pih shab-o-roz ko halkaa kar de
jin kii aaNkhoN ko ruKh-i-subH kaa yaaraa bhii nahiiN
un kii raatoN meN ko'ii sham' munavvar kar de
jin ke qadmoN ko kisii rah kaa sahaaraa bhii nahiiN
un kii nazroN pih ko'ii raah ujaagar kar de
jin kaa diiN pairavii-i-kizb-o-riyaa hai un ko
himmat-i-kufr mile, jur'at-i-tahqiiq mile
jin ke sar muntazir-i-teGh-i-jafaa haiN un ko
dast-i-qaatil ko jhaTak dene kii taufiiq mile
'ishq kaa sirr-i-nihaaN jaan-tapaaN hai jis se
aaj iqraar kareN aur tapish miT jaa'e
harf-i-Haq dil meN khaTaktaa hai jo kaaNTe kii tarH
aaj izhaar kareN aur Khalish miT jaa'e
14 August 1967
He last attended a mushaa'irah in London (exact date not known, but
late 70s-early80s), a link to which is given below. He recites some of
his latest kalaam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRVEfc5zcoE&feature=related
(Faiz Ahmed Faiz—Last Mushaa’irah)
Below is a video recording of Dilip Kumar and Shabana Azami paying
tribute to Faiz. Interestingly, although the daughter of another
famous Urdu poet, Kaifi Azami, she states that she is unable to read
or write Urdu. She also quotes Faiz saying that he did not consider
Bahadur Shah Zafar, a poet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_XqREh6NaA&feature=related
(Tributes by Dilip Kumar and Shabana Azami)
Here are further three Ghazals and a nazm for your listening pleasure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV9VobZWsyU&feature=related
(donoN jahaaN terii muHabbat meN haar ke…Ustaad Barkat Ali Khan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkhdpFhgU1M
(donoN jahaaN terii muhabbat meN haar ke... Noor Jahan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgHr86M7Iyw&feature=related
(guloN meN rang bhare- Mahdi Hassan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dL52NeXLYY&feature=related
(tum aa’e ho nah shab-i-intizaar guzrii hai...Noor Jahan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N_hkXhb9_M&feature=related
(mujh se pahlii sii muHabbat mere maHbuub nah maaNg---Noor Jahan)
Naseer
Naseer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrSu0gswcVQ&feature=related
(rang pairahan kaa, Khush-buu zulf lahraane kaa naam--Firdausi Begum)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZmimhGqEv8&NR=1
(Faiz Ahmed Faiz recites his own poetry)
Naseer
v
thanks naseer saab for posting these. i remember a few years back i
heard nayyaraa noor for the first time singing a nazm. aaj baazaar
me.n paa bajaaulaa.n chalo. it started with a poet reciting the nazm.
something like kabhie kabhie. i loved the tune and nayyara noor's
voice. but though i figured out the word meaning, i never understood
what the poet was trying to say.
faiz himself says that when he was arrested he was taken to the court
from the prison in a van normally. one day he was taken in an open
horse cart. that prompted him to write this nazm.
chashm-e- nam jaan e shoriidaa kaafii nahee.n
i am sure you would know the nazm. if not i will search the link from
youtube and send it.
but can anyone kindly explain the thought. faiz makes it sound as if
it was something profound.
Jamil
> faiz himself says that when he was arrested he was taken to the court
> from the prison in a van normally. one day he was taken in an open
> horse cart. that prompted him to write this nazm.
>
> chashm-e- nam jaan e shoriidaa kaafii nahee.n
This particular incident where Faiz was transported from jail to a
dentist in a Tonga was discussed on ALUP before. Nagesh, Afzal, and
Ali Minai sahibaan, in addition to yours truly, contributed to that
thread. The discussion is at:
The thread was started by Nagesh Sahib with these words:
"... Here is a poem of Faiz's that is sung beautifully by
Nur Jahan. It is also recited by Faiz in one of the EMI Pakistan
casettes entitled Faiz, and by Zia Mohyeddin. Any comments? I don't
understand what he is trying to say, even though I have been able to
look up the meanings of most of the words.
chashm-e-nam jAn-e-shorIda kAfi nahin
..."
Ali Minai sahib replied:
"This poem has a story behind it. It was written while Faiz was
in prison. He had been charged with treason, and had been accused
of being a communist agent. While in jail, he developed a very
bad tooth-ace and had to be taken to a dentist in town. Instead of
taking him in a dignified way, his jailers hancuffed him (and may
have put chains on his feet, I do not recall exactly), put him in
an open `TangA' (horse-drawn transport), and took him through the
city in this state. This poem describes that event. ..."
To which I replied:
"The story is melodramatic, but not true. When he wrote this poem in
1959, Faiz was in jail, no doubt, but not on a treason charge, or any
other charge. It was during the earlier stint in jail (1951 to 1955)
that Faiz had to undergo as a result of conviction in the so-called
Rawalpindi conspiracy case, that he was brought from Montgomery jail
to
Lahore for dental treatment. [See Major Ishaq's introduction to
Zindaan
Naama].
If he was brought specially for dental treatment so far away from his
usual city of imprisonment (where no doubt, dental clinics existed,
but
were considered not good enough), it seems incredible that he would be
taken in chains, and in a tonga to the clinic. Those days there was
still a certain amount of decency in officialdom and in society at
large! ..."
Then Ali Mianai Sahib modified his version of the story.
I commented on the modified version:
This version of the story is much less disturbing and much more
plausible. The trip in the tonga was on Faiz's own insistence, after
the jailor had offered his apologies for the non-availability of a
car;
there were no handcuffs, not to mention shackles, and far from being
humiliating, the ride became, by the poet's own reckoning, the
loveliest
procession he had seen."
---------------------
I found this discussion one of the more interesting ones from those
days (1999).
Jamil
Naseer
Jamil Sahib, aadaab 'arz hai.
Thank you for prividing the link covering "aaj baazaar meN..".
Hopefully, this would be more than sufficient in supplying Ravi Sahib
an explanation of the poem. I found the thread very illuminating. One
thing which comes out quite clearly is how "Chinese whispers" can
transform reality. If in this instance you had not intervened, Ali
Minai Sahib's version of events might quite easily have been taken as
"gospel".
I also found the discussion on the "Sahib" salutation quite
interesting. My own leaning would be towards your and Afzal Sahib's
views. I do believe that if I am addressing you as "Jamil Sahib", I
would need to stoop really low to end up hurling abuse at you. I think
"Sahib" and other Urdu formalities and niceties are a kind of
"catalyst", the use of which would impede the liklihood of anything
rude and inelegant arising in the discourse.
Youtube is a treasure trove of useful material for our group. Whilst I
was looking for various bits and pieces, I came across three short
clips portraying immediate members of Faiz's family; his wife Alys
Faiz and their two daughters, Salima and Muniza. It was quite a
pleasure listening to them. Did you know that Faiz and his future
wife's marriage was conducted by Sheikh Abdullah?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxl8mn7Pc4I (Alys Faiz)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Eu3wOXokA&feature=fvw (Salima
Hashimi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfkWmtuz90Q&feature=related (Muniza)
Naseer
Partha Choudhury
>
> - Show quoted text -
Two of my favorites...
Raat yunh dil mein teri khoee hui yaad aayee
Jaise veeraaney mein chupkey sey bahaar aa jaye
Jaisey sehra on mein howley se chaley baad-e naseem
Jaisey beemaar ko bey wajhey Qaraar aa jaaye
and...
Aa gaee fasl-e-sakoon, chaak geeraibaan walo
Sil gai hoont, koi zakham seelay ya na seelay
Doostoon bazm sajaoo ke bahar aaee hey
Khil gai zakham, koi phool kheelay ya na kheelay
- Partha
Naseer
> Raat yunh dil mein teri khoee hui yaad aayee
> Jaise veeraaney mein chupkey sey bahaar aa jaye
> Jaisey sehra on mein howley se chaley baad-e naseem
> Jaisey beemaar ko bey wajhey Qaraar aa jaaye
>
> and...
>
> Aa gaee fasl-e-sakoon, chaak geeraibaan walo
> Sil gai hoont, koi zakham seelay ya na seelay
> Doostoon bazm sajaoo ke bahar aaee hey
> Khil gai zakham, koi phool kheelay ya na kheelay
>
One or two corrections, if I may, Partha Jii
raat yuuN dil meN terii kho'ii hu'ii yaad aa'ii
jaise viiraane meN chupke se bahaar aa jaa'e
jaise saHraa'oN meN hole se chale baad-i-nasiim
jaise biimaar ko be-vajh qaraar aa jaa'e
aa ga'ii fasl-i-sukuuN, chaak girebaaN vaalo
sil ga'e hoNT, ko'ii zaKhm sile yaa nah sile
dosto bazm sajaa'o kih bahaar aa'ii hai
khil ga'e zaKhm ko'ii phuul khile yaa nah khile
.........................................................................
Naseer
Partha Choudhury
Naseer Sahib,
My sincerest apologies for causing you extreme agony (I would have
felt the same way if I encountered a piece in Bengali that was
butchered like the ones above). Thank you for the corrections and in
future please feel free to do the same.
- Partha
Naseer
Partha Jii, aadaab-o-tasliimaat.
There is no need to apologise at all, Parta Jii. I merely made a
couple of corrections and posted the poems in the Roman Urdu style I
am used to. Here is a little gem for you..
aate aate yuuNhii dam-bhar ko rukii ho gii bahaar
jaate jaate yuuNhii pal-bhar ko KhazaaN Thahrii hai
ham ne jo tarz-i-fughaaN kii hai qafas meN iijaad
Faiz gulshan meN vuh tarz-i-bayaaN Thahrii hai
........................................................................................................
Naseer
Jawed
Naseer Sahib and ALUPers,
Here ia an interesting article about Faiz and Iqbal, in Urdu.
http://criticalppp.com/archives/293
I am not sure what will the reaction be from Iqbal lovers.
Jawed
v
Jamiil saahab
though the thread had an interesting discussion on the use of saahab
and i tend to agree with ali, i feel I'll still use it here. i guess
saahab is the urdu equivalent of the hindi 'ji'. it reminds me of an
interesting incident. in the south of india (where hindi or urdu is
not so common) I had gone to meet someone called 'a. sundaram'. the
initial 'a' generally indicates the father's name. so they asked me .-
you want to meet sundaram g. i said no i want to meet sundaram a. they
said (a group of people talking almost together) the one from delhi
no? i said yes. we call him sundaram jii as a mark of respect and also
to indicate that he is from delhi. i found that quite funny.
so we are so respectful that even a biscuit is called parle -g. but so
what. it is nice and does not hurt anyone. after this non sequitur let
me get back to the ranch
the thread was very good and has clarified my doubts.
also got to read this couplet
SHaEKH sAhib se rasm-o rAh na kI.
SHukr haE zindigI tabAh na kI. Faiz
is this part of a ghazal? i dont remember having read any faiz ghazal
in this kaafiyaa.
also a thought stuck me. why not do a best threads of alup over last
10 years. it will help the blow hot and blow cold participants like me
to get the best of this group and be up to speed as they say. just a
thought. but can be done only by those who've been here throughout. to
know the best you have to know the rest!
regards
ravi
Jamil
> also got to read this couplet
>
> SHaEKH sAhib se rasm-o rAh na kI.
> SHukr haE zindigI tabAh na kI. Faiz
>
> is this part of a ghazal? i dont remember having read any faiz ghazal
> in this kaafiyaa.
>
> also a thought stuck me. why not do a best threads of alup over last
> 10 years. it will help the blow hot and blow cold participants like me
> to get the best of this group and be up to speed as they say. just a
> thought. but can be done only by those who've been here throughout. to
> know the best you have to know the rest!
>
> regards
>
> ravi
Ravi sahib
The she'r is from a Ghazal by Faiz included in ZiNdaaN Naamah:
shaiKh saahib se ras-o-raah na kii
shukr hai ziNdagii tabaah na kii
tujh ko chaahaa to sair chashm hue
tujh ko chaahaa to aur chaah na kii
taire dast-e-sitam ka 'ajz nahiiN
dil hii kaafir thaa jis ne aah nah kii
the shab-e-hijr kaam aur bhii
ham ne fikr-e-dil-e-tabaah na kii
kaun qaatil bachaa hai shehr meN Faiz
jis se yaaroN ne rasm-o-raah na kii
As for your other suggestion of extracting the best of ALUP, we know
who can do this work, but then would it be fair to impose it on him?
He is already doing so much. No prize for guessing as to who I am
referring to.
Jamil
nagesh
Many thanks to all for the memories.
Like many other ALUPers, I take a particular interest in Urdu poetry
that I have heard sung, and especially classical renditions. Years
ago I had a cassette with a beautiful rendition of "havas-e manzil-e
Laila na mujhe hai na tujhe" by Mehdi Hassan. The cassette, which
mysteriously vanished, labeled Faiz as the author of the ghazal. The
ghazal was discussed on ALUP.
I cannot find the ghazal in my collection of Faiz books. Can anyone
on ALUP tell me whether it is in one of their books, and if so, which
one? I also cannot find the cassette with Mehdi Hassan's rendition
online or at the stores I frequent. Any help in locating a store that
sells the ghazal would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Nagesh
Naseer
Nagesh Sahib, aadaab 'arz hai.
Apparently the Ghazal in question is a translation by Faiz of one of
Iqbal's Farsi Ghazals.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7628737144324822400#
saaDe naal ra'o ge te 'aish karo ge!!
Naseer
deedawar
>
> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7628737144324822400#
>
> saaDe naal ra'o ge te 'aish karo ge!!
>
>
> - Show quoted text -
Thankyou so much for all the lovely links.
One of my favourite Faiz poem is this one.
mere dil mere musaafir
huaa phir se hukm saadir
ke vatan badar ho.n ham tum
de.n galii galii sadaaye.N
kare.n ruKh nagar nagar kaa
ke suraaG koii paaye.N
kisii yaar-e-naamaabar kaa
har ek ajanabii se puuchhe.n
jo pataa thaa apane ghar kaa
sar-e-kuu-e-naashanaayaa.N
hame.n din se raat karanaa
kabhii is se baat karanaa
kabhii us se baat karanaa
tumhe.n kyaa kahuu.N ke kyaa hai
shab-e-Gam burii balaa hai
hame.n ye bhii thaa Ganimat
jo koii shumaar hotaa
hame.n kyaa buraa thaa maranaa
agar ek baar hotaa
Regards
Farah
nagesh
>
> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7628737144324822400#
>
> saaDe naal ra'o ge te 'aish karo ge!!
>
> Naseer
Naseer Sahib:
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I had forgotten Ali Minai
Sahib's illuminating response. One of the few advantages of getting
old is that you can enjoy the same experience for the first time at
least twice.
I understand that the latest custom in ALUP is to point out all the
things you did not do when responding to a novice's request. Being
traditional - even hidebound - let me therefore point out that you did
not include a link to Mehdi Hassan's rendition of this ghazal. Just
kidding! I don't think there is such a link, because I have looked,
and quite diligently too.
I would request anyone who has the original Iqbal ghazal to post it.
The one sher I remember is
main bhi saahil pe khazaf chunta raha hooN, tu bhi
haasil ik gauhar-e yakta na tujhe hai na mujhe
Dreary input, dreary output. It reminds me of the Simon and Garfunkel
number, "Dangling Conversation".
Regards, and thanks once again,
Nagesh
nagesh
Naeer Sahib:
I was kidding about the link; I have just listened to the ghazal, and
thank you once again.
Nagesh
Naseer
> Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I had forgotten Ali Minai
> Sahib's illuminating response. One of the few advantages of getting
> old is that you can enjoy the same experience for the first time at
> least twice.
You are most welcome Nagesh Sahib. aap yahaaN gaah ba-gaah tashriif le
aate haiN, yahii hamaare liye kaafii hai.
> I understand that the latest custom in ALUP is to point out all the
> things you did not do when responding to a novice's request. Being
> traditional - even hidebound - let me therefore point out that you did
> not include a link to Mehdi Hassan's rendition of this ghazal. Just
> kidding! I don't think there is such a link, because I have looked,
> and quite diligently too.
Perhaps, you are being a little unfair here by "labelling" this into a
"custom". I don't think any ALUPer would have any problem answering,
where they can, genuine and earnest enquiries. However, there are
times when a little bit of "justujuu" works wonders. That polite
request made to a few people for this "justujuu" might have given you
the impression that a new custom has come into being in ALUP.
> I would request anyone who has the original Iqbal ghazal to post it.
Now Nagesh Sahib, it seems that you have been searching for this
"Faiz" Ghazal for years. aap ne Hukm kiyaa aur bandah aap ke Hukm ko
ba-jaa laayaa! ab aap ne ek maziid farmaa'ish kii aur bandah ek baar
phir Haazir ho gayaa hai.
بہ یکی از صوفیہ نوشتہ شد
ba yake az suufiyah navishtah shud
(ek suufii ke liye likhii ga'ii)
ہوس منزل لیلی نہ تو داری و نہ من
جگر گرمی صحرا نہ تو داری و نہ من
havas-i-manzil-i-Lailaa nah tu daarii va nah man
jigar-i-garmii-i-saHraa nah tu daarii va nah man
(havas-i-manzil-i-Lailaa nah tujhe hai nah mujhe
taab-i-sargarmii-i-saHraa nah tujhe hai nah mujhe)
من جوان ساقی و تو پیر کہن میکدہ ئی
بزم ما تشنہ و صہبا نہ تو داری و نہ من
man javaaN saaqii va tu piir-i-kuhan-i-maikadah-ii
bazm-i-maa tishnah, sahbaa nah tu daarii va nah man
دل و دین در گرو زھرہ وشان عجمی
آتش شوق سلیمی نہ تو داری و نہ من
dil-o-diiN dar girv-i-zuhrah-vashaan-i-'ajamii
aatash-i-shauq-i-Saliimaa nah tu daarii va nah man
خزفی بود کہ از ساحل دریا چیدیم
دانۂ گوہر یکتا نہ تو داری و نہ من
Khazafe buud kih az saaHil-i-daryaa chiidem
daanah-i-gauhar-yaktaa nah tu daarii va nah man
(maiN bhii saaHil se Khazaf chuntaa rahaa huuN tum bhii
Haasil ik gauhar-i-yaktaa nah tujhe hai nah mujhe)
دگر از یوسف گمگشتہ سخن نتوان گفت
تپش خون زلیخا نہ تو داری و نہ من
digar az Yusuf-i-gum-gashtah suKhan natavaaN guft
tapish-i-Khuun-i-ZulaiKhaa nah tu daarii va nah man
(chhoRiye Yusuf-i-gum-gashtah kii kyaa baat kareN
shiddat-i-shauq-i-ZulaiKhaa nah tujhe hai nah mujhe)
بہ کہ با نور چراغ تہ دامان سازیم
طاقت جلوۂ سینا نہ تو داری و نہ من
bih kih baa nuur-i-charaaGh-i-tah-i-daamaaN saazem
taaqat-i-jalvah-i-Siinaa nah tu daarii va nah man
yih charaaGh-i-tah-i-daamaaN hii bahut hai ham ko
taaqat-i-jalvah-i-Siinaa nah tujhe hai nah mujhe
Iqbal (Payaam-i-Mashriq)
Any corrections to the transliteration (Jamil Sahib) are welcome. I am
not sure if I ought to have written "piir-i-kuhan-maikadah-ii" The
Urdu translation, according to Minai Sahib is Faiz's.
................................................................................................
Nagesh Sahib, there are those who seek and then there are those who
find!:-)
Naseer
Naseer
On Nov 20, 11:59 am, Naseer <qures...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Any corrections to the transliteration (Jamil Sahib) are welcome. I am
> not sure if I ought to have written "piir-i-kuhan-maikadah-ii"
You will all no doubt be aware of the famous incident of Archimedes in
his bath, suddenly being struck with a flash of genius concerning how
he was going to work out the amount of base metal in the king's gold
crown. It was all to do with the volume of water being displaced by a
submerging body being equal to its own volume or something like that.
Any way, no such moment of "Eureka" has visited me since, just now, I
was not taking a bath as such but was under a shower! During this
period it occurred to me that I had made at least one transcription
error. No doubt ALUPers will point to more.
The word "Saliimaa" ought to have been transcribed as " Sulaimaa", I
believe. For the benefit of Anil and Ravi Sahibaan and indeed other
"seekers of (useless?) knowledge", a short elucidation.
In Arabic there is a pattern to form diminutives or words of
endearment. For example, you will all have come across the name
"Hassan". Well, the diminutive of this is "Hussain" meaning " Little
Hassan" or " The younger Hassan". [ Hassanain, by the way means " the
two Hassans"]. So, Sulaimaa means "Little Salmaa" or "pyaarii Salmaa".
And who is Salmaa? I shall leave Jamil Sahib to shed some light on her
identity ...
Jamil Sahib, I would n't make such mistakes agar mujhe vazn kaa Hisaab-
kitaab ma'luum hotaa. aap mere haaN kab aa'eN ge kih maiN aap se is
mauzuu' par ek do sabaq le luuN?;-) merii suurat-i-Haal, "niim-Hakiim
Khatrah-i-jaaN" jaisii hai janaab!
Naseer
srinage...@gmail.com
>
> Khazafe buud kih az saaHil-i-daryaa chiidem
> daanah-i-gauhar-yaktaa nah tu daarii va nah man
>
> (maiN bhii saaHil se Khazaf chuntaa rahaa huuN tum bhii
> Haasil ik gauhar-i-yaktaa nah tujhe hai nah mujhe)
>
> دگر از یوسف گمگشتہ سخن نتوان گفت
> تپش خون زلیخا نہ تو داری و نہ من
>
> digar az Yusuf-i-gum-gashtah suKhan natavaaN guft
> tapish-i-Khuun-i-ZulaiKhaa nah tu daarii va nah man
>
> (chhoRiye Yusuf-i-gum-gashtah kii kyaa baat kareN
> shiddat-i-shauq-i-ZulaiKhaa nah tujhe hai nah mujhe)
>
> بہ کہ با نور چراغ تہ دامان سازیم
>
> bih kih baa nuur-i-charaaGh-i-tah-i-daamaaN saazem
> taaqat-i-jalvah-i-Siinaa nah tu daarii va nah man
>
> yih charaaGh-i-tah-i-daamaaN hii bahut hai ham ko
> taaqat-i-jalvah-i-Siinaa nah tujhe hai nah mujhe
>
> Iqbal (Payaam-i-Mashriq)
>
> Any corrections to the transliteration (Jamil Sahib) are welcome. I am
> not sure if I ought to have written "piir-i-kuhan-maikadah-ii" The
> Urdu translation, according to Minai Sahib is Faiz's.
> ........................................................................... .....................
>
> Nagesh Sahib, there are those who seek and then there are those who
> find!:-)
>
> Naseer
Naseer Sahib:
You are awesome! I would say there are those who give and those who
take. The latter are forever grateful to the former. Many, many
thanks, indeed.
Nagesh
Jamil
Naseer Sahib
In Iqbal's poetry Sulaimaa is a symbol of the beloved, much as Laila
is generally. Iqbal has mentioned sulaimaa many times in his Urdu and
Farsi poetry, and even wrote a full poem with the title "sulaimaa".
The poem lists various manifestations of the divine beauty, with the
punch line to the effect that notwithstanding all other manifestations
of the divine beauty, the one reaching perfection (kamaal) is in
sulaimaa's eyes:
jis kii namuud dekhii chashm-e-sitaara biiN ne
Khurshiid meN qamar meN taaroN kii anjuman meN
suufi ne jis ko dil ke zulmat kade meN paayaa
shaa'ir ne jis ko dekhaa qudrat ke baaNkpan meN
jis kii chamak hai paidaa jis kii mehek huvaidaa
shabnam ke motioN meN phuuloN ke pairahan meN
sehraa ko hai basaayaa jis ne sukuut ban kar
haNgaamah jis ke dam se kaashaanah-e-chaman meN
har shai meN hai numaayaan yuuN to jamaal us kaa
aaNkhoN meN hai sulaimaa! tairii kamaal us kaa
There may be a legend about sulaimaa, possibly originating from Muslim-
ruled Spain. This is my guess since a variation of the name, Zulaima,
is even today a common feminine name in Spanish-speaking countries.
Searching the Internet, I also read a mention of an old Syrian love
poem with the title Sulaimaa. In another instance a poet named 'Amr
bin Qami'ah mentions two women Sulaimaa and Taktum, in the same poem,
and the translator says that the way these names appear in the poem
shows that both refer to the same woman. Please see
http://goo.gl/oJAws
The explanation could be that the poet mentions sulaimaa as a general
symbol of the beloved, while Taktum is the particular beloved.
Naseer sahib, as for vazn, you don't need any lessons, at least not
from me. All that I know on the subject can be summarized in one
sentence: Try singing the line; if you can sing it, it has vazn,
otherwise not. Even a practitioner of the art admitted:
she'r goyam behtar az qaNd-o-nabaat
man na-daanam faa'ilaatun faa'ilaat
Jamil
Naseer
> The explanation could be that the poet mentions sulaimaa as a general
> symbol of the beloved, while Taktum is the particular beloved.
>
> Naseer sahib, as for vazn, you don't need any lessons, at least not
> from me. All that I know on the subject can be summarized in one
> sentence: Try singing the line; if you can sing it, it has vazn,
> otherwise not. Even a practitioner of the art admitted:
> she'r goyam behtar az qaNd-o-nabaat
> man na-daanam faa'ilaatun faa'ilaat
>
> Jamil
Jamil Sahib, aadaab.
Thank you very much indeed for your detailed elucidation of the
"Salmaa/Sulaimaa" persona.
I am aware that Akhtar Shiirani has sung melodies in the name of a
certain "Salmaa". In his case it might have been a real person whose
identity was kept hidden by this symbolic character. Or was his love
(or one of his loves) actually called Salmaa? He also wrote about a
"RaiHaanah" too. There are more "symbolic" names such as "Sultaanah"
used by poets, I believe.
As for singing a line out aloud Jamil Sahib, it is obvious you have
n't heard my singing!! jaise har roz 'iid nahiiN hotii, vaise hii har
ko'ii Rafi nahiiN ban saktaa!
Naseer
Naseer
Farah Sahiba, aadaab.
Thank you for the nazm. Faiz has written so much fine poetry that it
is not easy to pick out a favorite nazm or Ghazal. Amongst my choice,
I will always include "mujh se pahlii sii muHabbat", which, our Zafar
Sahib has described "a little too mawkish" in one of his posts. I
would disagree on this viewpoint.
A few days back I found a nice English translation and thought of
including it in this post. Would you believe it ? After much toil, I
could n't find it again!
...............................................................................................................
mujh se pahlii sii muHabbat mirii maHbuub nah maaNg
maiN ne samjaa thaa kih tuu hai to daraKHshaaN hai Hayaat
teraa Gham hai to Gham-i-dahr kaa jhagRaa kyaa hai
teirii suurat se hai 'aalam meN bahaaroN ko sabaat
terii aaNkhoN ke sivaa dunyaa meN rakkhaa kyaa hai
tuu jo mil jaa'e to taqdiir niguuN ho jaa'e
yuuN nah thaa maiN ne faqat chaahaa thaa yuuN ho jaa'e
awr bhii dukh haiN zamaane meN muHabbat ke sivaa
raaHateN awr bhii haiN vasl kii raaHat ke sivaa
an-ginat sadiyoN ke taariik bahiimaanah tilism
resham-o-atlas-o-kamKHaab meN bunvaa'e hu'e
jaa ba-jaa bikte hu'e kuuchah-o-baazaar meN jism
KHaak meN lithRe hu'e KHuun meN nahlaa'e hu'e
jism nikle hu'e amraaz ke tannuuroN se
piip bahtii hu'ii galte hu'e naasuuroN se
lauT jaatii hai udhar ko bhii nazar kyaa kiije
ab bhii dil-kash hai teraa Husn magar kyaa kiije
awr bhii dukh haiN zamaane meN muHabbat ke sivaa
raaHateN awr bhii haiN vasl kii raaHat ke sivaa
mujh se pahlii sii muHabbat mirii maHbuub nah maaNg
Here is a link to Faiz's own recitation.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/mbrs/master/salrp/08203.mp3
And here is Noor Jahan singing it in a private gathering.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn9R1MdPoAU
An observation...
Faiz seems to have had a change of mind regarding the following
shi'r..
jism nikle hu'e amraaz ke tannuuroN se
piip bahtii hu'ii galte hu'e naasuuroN se
It is not included in his recitation nor in any of Noor Jahan's songs.
More important, as far as I can remember, it is missing from Faiz's
collected works, " NusKhahhaa-i-vafaa". I wonder why?
Naseer
nagesh
Naseer Sahib:
Were you looking for Victor Kiernan's translation? He has two
translations for each poem: a literal translation and a poetic one.
Here are the first few lines of the literal translation.
Do not ask from me, my beloved love like that former one.
I had believed that you are, therefore life is shining;
There is anguish over you, so what wrangle is there over the sorrow of
the age?
And the poetic version:
Love, do not ask me for that love again.
Once I thought life, because you lived, a prize -
The time's pain nothing, you alone were pain;
Let me know if this is what you were looking for and I will post the
entire translation.
Other translators include Agha Shahid Ali, Sarvat Rehman, and Shiv
Kumar. If you don't find what you want on the net (and your skill is
remarkable), I'll post snippets from these versions to help you
identify what you were looking for.
Regards,
Nagesh
Naseer
The translation that I saw was not by any well known personality. I
don't think it was Kiernan/Ali/Rehman or Kumar. Why don't you post the
one you think is best?
I am not sure if I have seen Sarvat Rehman or Shiv Kumar's
translations.
Naseer
nagesh
Here you go: Sarvat Rehman's translation
Don't ask me now, Beloved, for that love of other days
When I thought since you were, life would always scintillate
That love's pain being mine, the worlds' pain I could despise.
That your beauty lastingness to the spring would donate,
That nothing in the word was worth but your eyes;
Were you to be mine, fate would bow low before me.
________
It is not a great translation ("lastingness" instead of "eternity"?)
so I won't post the rest. Ms. Rehman was a graduate of Lady Harding
Medical College in Delhi, an institution I passed frequently during my
5 years in Delhi. It was on Panchkuian rd, near Connaught Place,
AFAIR. OTOH, she has some nice pieces in her book. You can easily
see the original in this excerpt:
Come to mind those whose folly would command
The day to have no clouds, nor the night a moon.
The East Wind, once again, knocks at my prison door
Heart, be reassured, it will be daybreak soon.
Regards,
Nagesh
gshresth
One possible translation may be seen at
http://urdustuff.blogspot.com/2007/05/faiz-mujh-se-pehlii-sii-mohabbat.html
Gaurav