The Taste of Words: An Introduction to Urdu Poetry (12 page)

Hayaat le ke chalo, kaayenaat le ke chalo

Chalo to saare zamaane ko saath le ke chalo

Carry life as you walk, and carry the firmament too

Walk so, that the entire world should choose to walk with you

Abu Sayeed Mohammad Makhdoom Mohiuddin Huzri (1908–69)
lived in the city of the famous Charminar, and is lovingly known as the fifth minar of Hyderabad. Born into poverty, he grew up sweeping mosque courtyards, but soon became a trade union leader. He was a member of the Communist Party of India, and even represented it in the state assembly. He was one of the architects of the 1946–47 Telangana Rebellion against the government of the nizam of Hyderabad. His poem ‘
Telangana
’ was an anthem for the movement, and continued to be deployed during the struggle for statehood by Telangana in independent India. Much in the fashion of Vladimir Mayakovsky, the Russian poet who had influenced him, Makhdoom struggled against his tendencies to wax metaphysical, choosing to eschew finer verbal constructions in the service of anthems and group songs, which unthinking literary critics often interpret as simplistic.

I have translated three poems below, the latter two of which are to be read as a series. The first, ‘
Intezaar
’ (‘The Wait’) is an exposition of Makhdoom’s gentle lyricism.
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The other two poems are much more strident, programmatic, with simple rhythms, reflecting their status as chants and songs. The first, an anti-war piece, was composed by Makhdoom in the early 1930s, when Indians were being forcibly conscripted by the British to fight in the Second World War. It was sung by Kumar Sanu for Ali Sardar Jafri’s TV serial on progressive poets,
Kahkashan
, and was also featured in the 1960 film
Usne Kaha Thha.
However, Makhdoom’s attitude to the war became much more positive once the Soviet Union joined it following Hitler’s infamous Operation Barbarossa in 1941. Like many leftists of that time, he saw the war now as a part of a broader struggle against imperialism, rather than a fight between two foreign powers. His song ‘
Jang-e Aazadi
’ reflected his new sentiments.

Raat bhar deeda-e namnaak mein lehraate rahe 

Saans ki tarah se aap aate rahe, jaate rahe

Khush thhe ham apni tamannaon ka khwaab aayegaa 

Apna armaan bar-afganda naqaab aayegaa

Nazarein neechee kiye sharmaaye huwe aayegaa 

Kaakulein chehre pe bikhraaye huwe aayegaa

Aa gayi thi dil-e muztar mein shakeebaai si 

Baj rahi thi mere gham-khaane mein shehnaai si

Shab ke jaage huwe taaron ko bhi neend aane lagi 

Aap ke aane ki ik aas thi, ab jaane lagi

Subah ne sej se uth-te huwe li angdaai 

Ai sabaa, tu bhi jo aayi to akele aayi

Mere mehboob meri neend udaane vaale 

Mere masjood meri rooh pe chhaane vaale

Aa bhi jaataa, ke mere sajdon ka armaan nikle 

Aa bhi jaataa, tere qadmon pe meri jaan nikle

All night, in my moist eyes you continued to sway

Like my breath, you kept coming and going away

I was happy, that the dream of my desires would come

My shy lover, encased in a veil, eyes downcast, would come

Inciting my passion with hair strewn over face, would come

My impatient heart had achieved contentment and belief

A
shehnai
struck up, and sadness gave way to relief

But soon, the stars, which had stayed awake all night, nodded off

The hope of your arrival gave way to a cynic’s scoff

The morning eventually woke up; a new sun shone

O morning breeze, you did come, but alas, you came alone

Enchanted lover mine, who stole the sleep from my sad eyes

I bowed to you, you ruled my dreams, now I’m shamed by those lies

Would that my prayers would bear fruit, and we would meet

Would that you’d come and I’d breathe my last at your feet.

Jaane vaale sipahi se poochho

Vo kahaan ja raha hai?

Ishq hai haasil-e zindagaani

Khoon se tar hai uski javaani

Hai maasoom bachpan ki yaaden

Hai do roz ki nau-javaani

Jaane vaale sipahi se poochho

Vo kahaan ja raha hai?

Kaun dukhiya hai jo gaa rahi hai?

Bhookhe bachhon ko behla rahi hai

Lash jalne ki bu aa rahi hai

Zindagi hai ke chilla rahi hai

Jaane vaale sipahi se poochho

Vo kahaan ja raha hai?

Kitne sehme hue hain nazaare

Kaisa dar dar ke chalte hain taare

Kya javaani ka khoon ho raha hai?

Surkh hai aanchalon ke kinaare

Jaane vaale sipahi se poochho

Vo kahaan ja raha hai?

Hil raha hai siyaahi ka dera

Ho raha hai meri jaan savera

O vatan chhod ke jaane waale

Khul gaya inquilaabi pharera

Jaane vaale sipahi se poochho

Vo kahaan ja raha hai?

Ask that departing soldier

Where he is headed

A well-spent life leads to love eternal

But this story’s fate is to be writ in blood

He harbours memories of an innocent childhood

But his youth is destined to be ephemeral.

Ask that departing soldier

Where he is headed

Who is that sad woman who is singing?

She is comforting her hungry children

The air stings and reeks as a corpse burns

And what of life? It is screaming

Ask that departing soldier

Where he is headed

Why are these vistas so fearful?

Why do the stars move with such dread?

Is youth being murdered here?

The borders of clothing are blood red

But look now, the darkness is lifting

My dear, see the colour of dawn

O departing soldier, hang on

The revolutionary banner’s unfurling

Ask that departing soldier

Where he is headed.

Ye jang hai jang-e aazadi

Aazadi ke parcham ke tale

Hum Hind ke rehne waalon ki

Mazdooron ka dehqaanon ki

Aazadi ke matwaalon ki

Dehqanon ki, mazdooron ki

Ye jang hai jang-e aazadi

Aazadi ke parcham ke tale

Saara sansaar hamaara hai

Poorab, Pachhim, Uttar Dakshin

Hum Afrangi, hum Amreeki

Hum Cheeni jaanbaazaan-e watan

Hum surkh sipaahi, zulm-shikan

Aahan paikar, faulaad badan

Ye jang hai jang-e aazadi

Aazadi ke parcham ke tale

Lo surkh savera aata hai

Aazadi ka, aazadi ka

Gulnaar taraana gaata hai

Aazadi ka, aazadi ka

Dekho parcham lehraata hai

Aazadi ka, aazadi ka

Ye jang hai jang-e aazadi

Aazadi ke parcham ke tale

This war is the war for freedom

Fought under the banner of freedom

The war for all Indians

The labourers and the farmers

The lovers of freedom

The farmers and the labourers

This war is the war for freedom

Under the banner of freedom

The whole world is ours

The East and the West, the North and the South

We Europeans, we Americans

We Chinese soldiers of our homeland

We, the red soldiers, the crushers of tyranny

Torsos like the furnace, bodies like steel

This war is the war for freedom

Under the banner of freedom

Behold, the red dawn arrives

Of freedom, of freedom

It sings the flower-red song

Of freedom, of freedom

Look, the banner waves in the sky

Of freedom, of freedom

This war is the war for freedom

Fought under the banner of freedom.

Is mehfil-e kaif-o-masti mein, is anjuman-e irfani mein

Sab jaam-bakaf baithe hi rahe, hum pi bhi gaye, chhalka bhi gaye

In this celebratory gathering, in the company of wisdom

Everyone kept holding his glass; I drank my fill, even spilled some.

Asrar-ul Haq Majaz (1909–55) emerged in the heady academic atmosphere of Aligarh in the 1930s, and was quite the rock star in university circles. Flamboyantly dedicating his poetry to social change, he never could renounce his innate romanticism. The resultant output was truly an exemplar of the best offerings of progressive Urdu poetry. Majaz’s spirited critique of patriarchy made him quite the cynosure of rebel Muslim female eyes. His poems critiquing the institution of purdah (for instance, ‘
koi aur shai hai, ye ismat nahin hai
’; ‘whatever it is, this is not virtue’) are a very significant part of his poetry, as are his existential verses, presaging the anomie and loneliness that emerge from the hegemony of industrial capital. Majaz’s early death has also added a layer of youthfulness to his mystique.

I have translated three poems here. The first is an excerpt from a lyrical tribute to a train, hardly the most romantic of subjects until it fell into Majaz’s deft hands.
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To Majaz, a train was the ultimate symbol of progressive modernity, all steel and straight lines, cutting purposively through nature. The second is Majaz’s despairing depiction of urban alienation, which is perhaps his best-known poem and also appeared as a song in the 1948 film
Thokar
. The third, ‘
Khwab-e Sahar
’(‘Dream of Dawn’), is a remarkable repudiation of religiosity that showcases the emerging rejection of spirituality by progressive poets and casts religion as a barrier to human progress and emancipation. It was written in 1936; one can only estimate the reception it would have garnered in present times.

Phir chali hai rail, istayshan se lehraati hui

Neem shab ki khamushi mein zer-e lab gaati hui

Daalti behis chattaanon par hiqaarat ki nazar

Koh par hansti, falak ko aankh dikhlaati hui

Daaman-e taariki-e shab ki udaati dhajjiyaan

Qasr-e zulmat par musalsal teer barsaati hui

Zad mein koi cheez aa jaaye to us ko pees kar

Irteqaa-e zindagi ke raaz batlaati hui

Al-gharaz, badhti chali jaati hai, be khauf-o-khatar

Shaayar-e aatish-nafas ka khoon khaulaati hui

Once again, the train jauntily leaves the station

Breaking the silence of the night with its whispered song.

Casting scornful glances on the placid cliffs

Laughing at mountains, making eyes at the sky.

Tearing the black fabric of the night into smithereens

Shooting constant arrows of sparks at the palace of darkness.

Crushing anything that comes in its way

Revealing the secrets of the evolution of life.

Ultimately it flies, fearlessly,

Roiling the blood of the fire-souled poet.

Shahr ki raat aur main naashaad-o-naakaara phirun

Jagmagaati jaagti sadkon pe aawara phirun

Ghair ki basti hai, kab tak darbadar maraa phirun

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Jhilmilaate qumqumon ki raah mein zanjeer si

Raat ke hathon mein din ki mohini tasveer si

Mere seene par magar dahki hui shamsheer si

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Ye roopahli chhaon, ye aakash par taaron ka jaal

Jaise Sufi ka tasavvur, jaise aashiq ka khayaal

Aah lekin kaun jaane, kaun samjhe ji ka haal

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Phir vo toota ek sitara, phir vo chhooti phuljhadi

Jaane kiski god mein aayi hai moti ki ladi

Hook si seene mein uthi, chot si dil par padi

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Raat hans hans kar ye kehti hai ke maikhaane mein chal

Phir kisi Shahnaz-e la’ala rukh ke kaashaane mein chal

Ye nahin mumkin to phir ai dost, veerane mein chal

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Har taraf bikhri hui rangeeniyan ra’anaaiyan

Har qadam par ishraten leti hui angdaaiyan

Badh rahi hai god phailaye hue rusvaaiyan

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Raaste mein ruk ke dam le loon meri aadat nahin

Laut kar vaapas chalaa jaoon, meri fitrat nahin

Aur koi ham-navaa mil jaaye ye qismat nahin

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Muntazir hai ek toofan-e balaa mere liye

Ab bhi jaane kitne darwaaze hain vaa mere liye

Par museebat hai mera ahd-e vafaa mere liye

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Jee mein aata hai ke ab ahd-e vafaa bhi tod doon

Un ko paa sakta hoon main, ye aasra bhi tod doon

Haan, munaasib hai ke zanjeer-e vafaa bhi tod doon

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Ek mahal ki aad se niklaa vo peela maahtab

Jaise mulla ka amaama, jaise baniye ki kitab

Jaise muflis ki javaani, jaise bevaa ka shabab

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Dil mein ek shola bhadak utha hai, aakhir kya karoon

Mera paimana chhalak utha hai, aakhir kya karoon

Zakhm seene ka mehak utha hai, aakhir kya karoon

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Jee mein aata hai, ye murda chand taare noch loon

Is kinaare noch loon, aur us kinaare noch loon

Ek do ka zikr kya, saare ke saare noch loon

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Muflisi, aur ye manaazir hain nazar ke saamne

Saikdon sultan-o-jaabir hain nazar ke samne

Saikdon Changez-o-Nadir hain nazar ke saamne

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Le ke ek Changez ke haathon se khanjar tod doon

Taj par us ke damakta hai jo patthar tod doon

Koi tode ya na tode, main hi badh kar tod doon

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Badh ke is Indarsabha ka saaz-o-saaman phoonk doon

Is ka gulshan phoonk doon, us ka shabistan phoonk doon

Takht-e sultan kya, main saara qasr-e sultan phoonk doon

Ai gham-e dil kya karun, ai vahshat-e dil, kya karun

Night has fallen in the city, and I, unhappy and defeated

Roam, a vagabond on dazzling, awake streets

It is not my neighbourhood, how long can I loiter thus?

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

In the glittering sky, the streetlights seem linked in a chain

The bosom of the night holds the image of a beautiful day

But the lights fall on my heart like the flash of a scimitar

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

These beautiful shadows, this net of stars on the sky

Like a Sufi’s contemplation, a poet’s thought

But ah, who is to know, to understand, a soul’s plight?

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

There falls a shooting star, like a sparkler

A string of pearls fell in somebody’s lap, perhaps?

Desolation rises in my chest, hitting the heart like a blow

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

The night laughs gaily, and invites me to a tavern

‘Or come then, to the boudoir of a rose-cheeked beauty

If not, then join me, my friend, among the ruins’

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

Bright colours and lovely images lie scattered

At every step, joys beckon languorously

But look here, sorrows and defeats also proffer their laps

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

To stop and rest on the way is not my habit

To admit defeat and return is not in my nature

But to find a companion, alas, is not my fate

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

A storm of misfortune lies, ready to waylay me

And though several open doors still beckon me

An old promise of fealty holds me back, like a curse

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

Sometimes I wonder: should I break those foolish vows?

Should I even surrender the hope that love will be rewarded?

It is possible, is it not, that I could break this feeble chain?

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

From behind a palace, emerges the yellow moon

Like a mullah’s turban, like a moneylender’s ledger

Like a poor man’s youth, a widow’s beauty

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

My heart burns like a flame, what should I do?

The cup of my patience brims over, what should I do?

The wound in my chest is fragrant, what should I do?

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

I want to pluck this dead moon, these dead stars from the sky

Pluck them from this end of the horizon and from that corner

What is one or two, I want to pluck them all out

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

These beautiful sights mock my helpless poverty

Hundreds of wealthy kings profane my gaze

Hundreds of Chengizes, hundreds of Nadirs to behold
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Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

Ah that I could break every sword in the hands of every Chengiz

Pull out the diadem from his crown and break it too

Why wait for anyone else, let me break it myself

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

Walk into the Indrasabha
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and burn it to the ground,

Burn down their garden, and burn down their bedchamber!

Not just the crown, I should burn the entire palace!

Anguished heart, desperate heart, what should I do?

Mahr sadiyon se chamakta hi raha aflaak par

Raat hi taari rahi insaan ke idraak par

Aql ke maidaan mein zulmat ka dera hi raha

Dil mein taareeki, dimaghon mein andhera hi raha

Ik na ik mazhab ki sai khaam bhi hoti rahi

Ahl-e dil par barish-e ilhaam bhi hoti rahi

Masjidon mein maulvi khutbe sunaate hi rahe

Mandiron mein barahman ashlok gaate hi rahe

Aadmi minnat kash-e arbaab-e irfaan hi raha

Dard-e insani magar mahroom-e darmaan hi raha

Ik na ik dar par jabeen-e shauq ghisti hi rahi

Aadmiyat zulm ki chakki mein pisti hi rahi

Rahbari jaari rahi, paighambari jaari rahi

Deen ke parde mein jang-o-zargari jaari rahi

Ye musalsal aafaten, ye yoorishen, ye qatl-e aam

Aadmi kab tak rahe auham-e batil ka ghulam

Zahn-e insani ne ab auhaam ke zulmaat mein

Zindagi ki sakht toofani andheri raat mein

Kuchh nahin to kam se kam khwab-e sahar dekha to hai

Jis taraf dekha na tha ab tak, udhar dekha to hai

The sun did shine as bright as always in the firmament

Yet over the human mind the dark did not relent

Darkness pitched its opaque camp amid the fields of mind

Lightlessness now ruled the hearts, intellect was rendered blind

By turns, a different religion established its reign

And its wisdom fell upon believers just like rain

Maulvis made fiery speeches in mosques at all times

While in temples, the Brahmins chanted their holy rhymes

Humanity continued its leaders to beseech

A cure for its angst, alas, remained out of its reach

Foreheads bent at holy thresholds, supplicants stayed prone

Yet humans remained crushed by tyrannical grindstones

Pious leaders preached and the prophetic game prospered

War and accumulation, in religion’s name prospered

These continuous calamities, massacres, assaults

Should humans remain enslaved in superstition’s vaults?

In these black and stormy days of false faith and belief

In this dark night of life, humanity craves relief