Twin ghazals by Momin
Padmanabhan Srinagesh
Here are two ghazals by Momin. Both have the same structure, at least to my
eyes. But they are listed as two separate ghazals in "Ghazalnama", by Dr.
Raj Nigam.
Nitaji: I had wrongly submitted some couplets from one ghazal as additions
to your version of the other ghazal. I was misled by a cassette from a film
in which an actor presented verses from both ghazals. If you have not
already sone so, you may want to update your website in light of the
following.
The transcription is from Devnagri, and may have typos in addition to any
that existed in the original. Corrections welcome.
Nagesh
PS. The "ghazalnama" consists of 7 volumes, the last of which is a useful
tri-lingual dictionary. I believe the set can be ordered in the US for
about $150. I find it useful, though each volume is too bulky to be read
comfortably in bed.
______________________________
ulTe vo shikve karte hain aur kis adA ke sAth
betAkati ke tAne hain uzr-e-jafA ke sAth
behr-e-ayAdat Aye voh lekin qazA ke sAth
dam hi nikal gayA merA AvAz-e-pA ke sAth
be-pardA ghair pAs use baiThA na dekhte
uTh jAte kAsh ham bhi jahAN se hayA ke sAth
uski gali kahAN? yeh to kuch baGh-e-khuld hai
kis jAe mujhko chhoD gayi maut lA ke sAth
Ati hai bU-e-dAg shab-e-tAr-e-hijr meiN
sInA bhI chAk ho na gayA ho, qabA ke sAth
the vAde se phir Ane ke khush , yeh khabar na thi
hai apni zindagAni bhi usI bevafA ke sAth
allAh re gumrahi, but-o-butkhAna chhoDkar
momin balA hai kAbe ko ik pArsA ke sAth
__________________________________________________________________________-
dilbastagi si hai kisI zulf-e-dU-tA ke sAth
pAlA paDa hai ham ko khudA kis balA ke sAth
yAd-e-hava-e-yAr ne kyA kya na gul khilAye
AyI chaman mein nikhat-e-gul jab havA ke sAth
mAnga kareNge ab se duA hijr-e-yAr ki
Akhir to dushmani hai asar ko duA ke sAth
hai kiska intezAr ki khwAb-e-adam se bhi
har bAr chauNk paDte hain AvAz-e-pA ke sAth
yArab visAl-e-yAr meiN kyoNkar ho zindagi
nikli hi jAn jAti hai har har adA ke sAth
allAh re soz-e-Atish-e-Gam bAd-e-marg bhi
uThte haiN mere khAk se shole havA ke sAth
sau zindagi nisAr karUN aisI maut par
yUN roye zAR zAr to ahl-e-azA ke sAth
dast-e-junUN ne mera garebAn samajh liya
uljhA hai un se shokh ke band-e-qabA ke sAth
Jamil Ahmad
> Greetings!
>
> Here are two ghazals by Momin. Both have the same structure, at least to my
> eyes. But they are listed as two separate ghazals in "Ghazalnama", by Dr.
> Raj Nigam.
> Nagesh
>
...
Nagesh sahib, thanks for posting these exceptionally beautiful
ghazals. I have a collection which has these two ghazals, but without
some of the couplets that you have included. On the other hand that
collection has some ash'aar that are not in your posting. I am
posting those.
>
> ulTe vo shikve karte hain aur kis adA ke sAth
> betAkati ke tAne hain uzr-e-jafA ke sAth
>
In this ghazal, only one she'r is missing.
vuh laalah-roo gaya na ho gul-gasht-e-baagh ko
kuchh rang boo-e-gul ke 'evaz hai sabaa ke saath
>
> __________________________________________________________________________-
In the second ghazal, four ash'aar are missing:
> dilbastagi si hai kisI zulf-e-dU-tA ke sAth
> pAlA paDa hai ham ko khudA kis balA ke sAth
har dam araq araq nig'h-e-be-hijaab hai
kis ne nigaah-e-karm se dekha hayaa ke saath
marne ke ba'd bhi vuhi aavaaragi rahi
afsos jaaN gai nafs-e-naa-rasaa ke saath
aate hi tere chal diye sab varna yaas ka
kaisa hujoom tha dil-e-hasrat-fazaa ke saath
Momin vuhi ghazal paRho shab jis se bazm meN
aati thi lab peh jaan zeh-o-habbazaa ke saath
[zeh-o-habbazaa = vaah vaah, shaabaash]
------------------
iraadatmand
Jamil
Padmanabhan Srinagesh
Thanks for the extra couplets. If you could, at your leisure, post any
other ghazals by Momin, I would be very grateful. I have heard very few
artists sing Momin's compositions. "asar usko", "naavak andaaz" and "voh jo
ham mein tum mein qaraar tha" are the only ones I recall. My books have
very small sections by Momin. I am not sure why he is not better
represented.
Are there any other examples (perhaps from other poets) of ghazals written
in the same metre and with the same rhyme scheme, as was the case with these
two?
Many thanks!
Nagesh
"Jamil Ahmad" <jamil...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:9d8ed87c.01102...@posting.google.com...
Vijay
> Are there any other examples (perhaps from other poets) of ghazals written
> in the same metre and with the same rhyme scheme, as was the case with
these
> two?
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Nagesh
Nagesh Sahib, 'bohat der kii mehrbaaN aate aate'!! Welcome back. There is
another example of what you ask above, by Sahir, and I reproduce both
ghazals below:
taNg aa chuke haiN kash-m-kash-e-ziNdgi se ham
thukra na deN jahaaN ko kahiiN be dilii se ham
mayuusii-e-ma'al-e-muhabbat na puuchhie
apnoN se pesh aae haiN begaangii se ham
lo aaj ham ne toR diia rishta-e-umiid
lo ab kabhii gilaa na kareN ge kisii se ham
ubhareNge aik baar abhii dil ke valvale
go dab gae haiN baar-e-gham-e-ziNdgii se ham
gar ziNdgii meN mil gae phir aitefaaq se
puuchheNge apna haal tirii be basii se ham
allah re fareb-e-mashiiat keh aaj tak
duniia ke zul'm sehte rahe Khamushii se ham
And now the second ghazal:
bhaRka rahe haiN aag lab-e-naghma gar se ham
Khaamosh kia raheNge zamaane ke dar se ham
kuchh aur baRh gae jo aNdhere to kyaa huaa
mayuus to nahiiN haiN t'luu-e-sehar se ham
le de ke apne paas faqat ik naz'r to hai
kyoN dekheN ziNdgi ko kisii kii naz'r se ham
mana keh is zamiiN ko na gulzaar kar sake
kuchh Khaar kam to kar gae guzre jidhar se ham
Regards,
Vijay Kumar
Padmanabhan Srinagesh
It is indeed a pleasure to hear from you after such a long absence. And it
is a delight to find you as helpful as always!
Thank you very much for posting these very nice ghazals by Sahir. The first
was sung by Rafi in "Pyaasa", one of my favorite films. The second is new
to me. I enjoyed it very much, particularly the last sher.
While both ghazals have the same radeef, they have different kaafiyas. A
sher from one gahazal cannot be mistaken for part of the other ghazal. Does
Sahir have any ghazals that have the same radeef, kaafiya and behr? The
following two ghazals of Ghalib (only the matla reproduced) have the same
radeef and kafiya, but not the same behr. I imagine that "true twins" are
rare, but I could be wrong.
jab tak dahAn-e-zakhm na paidA kare koi
mushkil ke tujhse rAh-e-sukhan vA kare koi
and
ibn-e-mariam hua kare koi
mere dukh ki dawa kare koi
Regards,
Nagesh
"Vijay" <guz...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:RPHD7.393518$j65.10...@news4.rdc1.on.home.com...
Jamil Ahmad
> Jamil Sahib:
>
> Thanks for the extra couplets. If you could, at your leisure, post any
> other ghazals by Momin, I would be very grateful. I have heard very few
> artists sing Momin's compositions. "asar usko", "naavak andaaz" and "voh jo
> ham mein tum mein qaraar tha" are the only ones I recall. My books have
> very small sections by Momin. I am not sure why he is not better
> represented.
>
> Are there any other examples (perhaps from other poets) of ghazals written
> in the same metre and with the same rhyme scheme, as was the case with these
> two?
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Nagesh
>
Nagesh sahib
Indeed there are a couple of examples that I know of, where the poet
has used the same zameen for ghazals. Firaq has written seh-ghazlas
(triple ghazals) using the same behr, radeef and qaafia. Jigar has
written a couple of ghazals like that:
dil men kisi ke raah kiye jaa raha hooN maiN
kitna haseeN gunaah kiye jaa raha hooN maiN
and:
be-kaif hai dil aur jiye jaa raha hooN maiN
khaali hai shisha aur piye jaa raha hooN maiN
One other familiar example is Iqbal's nazms:
saare jahaaN se achha hindostaaN hamaara
ham bulbulen haiN iski yeh gulsitaaN hamaara
and the other one:
cheen-o-arab hamaara hindostaaN hamaara
muslim haiN ham, vatan hai saara jahaan hamaara
----------------------
Coming to Momin: Momin should have got much more recognition than he
in fact received. The reasons could be his relative short life: 52
years versus 73 years of Ghalib and 67 of Zauq. Or it could be the
fact that Momin did not have as articulate students as Zauq (Azad) or
Ghalib (Hali)had.
In the first edition of Aab-e-hayaat, Azad did not even mention Momin.
After the book was published, it drew great criticism and Azad was
forced to include an article written by Hali in the second edition,
with the apologeic note that he could not gather enough material in
time for the first edition. In other words: "uzr-e-gunaah bad-tar az
gunaah".
This treatment for a poet for one of whose couplets Ghalib was ready
to exchange his whole divan!! According to Hali, when Ghalib heard
this she'r of Momin:
tum mere paas hote ho goyaa
jab koi doosaraa nahiN hotaa,
he remarked: "kaash Momin Khan mera saara divan le letaa aur sirf yeh
she'r mujhey de detaa." Ghalib has quoted this she'r in many of his
letters. When Momin died, Ghalib expressed his grief with this Farsi
she'r:
kaafir baasham agar ba-marg-e-Momin
choon ka'ba siah-posh na baashim taa-umr
[agar maiN Momin ki maut ke gham meN tamaam umr ka'ba ki tarah
siaah kapRe na pehnooN, to kaafir ho jaa'ooN].
(Note: ka'ba is covered in a black cloth).
Finally, here is a ghazal by Momin:
mujh ko tere 'ataab ne maara
yaa mere iztaraab ne maara
tashna-kaami visaal ki mat poochh
shokh taigh-e-khush-aab ne maara
yaad-e-ayyaam-e-vasl-e-yaar afsos!
dehr ke inqilaab ne maara
lab-e-mai-gooN peh jaan dete haiN
ham ko shauq-e-sharaab ne maara
kis peh marte ho aap poochhte haiN
mujhey fikr-e-javaab ne maara
yooN kabhi nau-javaaN na marta maiN
taire 'ehd-e-shabaab ne maara
Momin az-bas haiN be-shumaar gunaah
gham-e-roz-e-hisaab ne maara
________________
iraadatmand
Jamil
Padmanabhan Srinagesh
Thanks again! I appreciate your effort, and I have saved the post in my
collection.
Coincidentally, I was leafing through a copy of the book "The Last Mushaira
of Delhhi", a translation of "Dehli ki aakhri sham'a" by Farahtullah Baig,
translated by Akhtar Qamber (who used to teach at Miranda House). The book
is interesting - it details all the arrangements that must be made in order
to ensure a successful gathering, and then provides a detailed and realistic
description of the way in which various famous poets recited their ghazals,
and the way in which the audience responded. There are also descriptions of
the poets' features and the clothes they wore.
Here is an excerpt relevant to our exchange, Dagh has just finished
reciting his ghazal.
"Only when the shama' had arrived in fromt of Hakeem Momin Khan Sahib did
the ardour of the audience subside. Then everyone was all eyes and ears for
the words of the great master of the Urdu language. Ustad Momin picked up
the shama', advanced a little and seated himself upright. Then he combed
his hair with his fingers as was his custom, set his cap a little jauntily
at an angle, smoothed the creases in his sleeve and in the most pleasing and
rhythmic accents, he read the following ghazal:
He upbraids me, being himself at fault, and with what airs and charm!
He taunts me with weakness as a pretext for his own cruelty of heart
He came to ask after my health, but brought death in his wake
I passed out because of happiness and suspense the moment I heard the sound
of his footsteps
I shall now pray to be parted from my beloved
Prayers and answers to prayers are deadly enemies
In whose expectation do you keep this vigil, that even in death's shadow
world
You start at the sound of every footstep?
I could sacrifice a thousand lives for such a death
At which he wept his heart out in the company of professional mourners
Would that I had been spared the dishonor of seeing my beloved sitting
without modesty in the mahfil of my rivals
O, that I had died before suffering such dishonor and insult
Is this the lane of my beloved? No! it is the garden of Eden
Oh, whose death brought and abandoned me at this last hour?
Good gracious! What apostasy Momin has relinquished his idol and her temple
And is setting out in the company of the devout on a pilgrimage to Mecca!
Was this poetry or was it some witchcraft/ The whole mahfil was lost in a
state of enchantment. Momin too, was charmed by his own lines. When
reading a couplet that delighted him most, his fingers ran with greater
speed through his hair. WHen he was realy excited, he twisted and twirled
his sidelocks around his fingers. If someone applauded, he nodded slightly
and smiled in recongnition. His style of reading was also quite distinct
from that of others. He rarely used his hands ot make gestures. How could
he? When were his fingers free from his locks? Of course, by the
modulation of his voice and the expression in his eyes, he succeeded in
casting a spell on all present. At the conclusion of his ghazal, all the
poets unanimously extolled and exclaimed his work. He smiled and said: "In
your kindness and approval lies the fullest reward for my labor. As I have
already observed elsewhere in a couplet:
"I seek no gold nor wealth but fair play.
O Momin, your recompese is in the approbation of the masters."
I believe the film Bahadur Shah Zafar reproduces the mushaira described in
this book. The cassette of the movie had Momin recite the first four verses
listed above. As I have since found out, these do not belong to the twin
ghazal I posted last week.
Regards,
Nagesh