I have often lamented the fact on my blog that I had started learning Urdu from my late father sometime in late sixties (while in school) but soon gave it up as I did not have the patience…Alas ! Today , I certainly miss enjoying chaste Urdu poetry when I chance to read it or hear it but fail to understand the meaning of some really difficult words in Urdu.
Recently, a friend of mine, named Safiyyah Patel, from UK, had posted a lovely Urdu Ghazal on Your Space of Muse India e-magazine on 21/12/10 alongwith its equally good English translation.
Dear Readers,I liked the ghazal and its translation so much that I decided to give it some prominent place on my blog.
So,here it is…….
tere baare mein jab sochaa nahin thaa,
main tanhaa thaa magar itnaa nahin thaa
teri tasveer se kartaa thaa baatein,
mere kamre mein aainaa nahin thaa
samandar ne mujhe pyasaa hi rakhaa,
mein jab sehraa mein thaa, pyasaa nahin thaa
manaane roothne ke khel mein hum,
bichchad jaayenge ye sochaa nahin thaa
sunaa hai bandh karli usne aankhen,
kaiee raton se woh soyaa nahin thaa
It is also available on the net and if interested,go to the following link :
http://www.urdupoetry.com/meraj08.html
Translation :
when I hadn’t thought about you,
I was lonely but not quite so much.
I used to talk to your image,
my room didn’t have a mirror as such
the ocean left me high and dry
in the desert, I did not feel thirst’s touch
playing the coy game of love
didn’t think we’d be separated as such
heard, he has shut his eyes for good
for nights on end he hadn’t slept much
tum nein yeh dil lekar mera mujh sey
kyon iss ko sambhal key rakha nahin thaa !
Very little personal information on the poet Meraj Faizabadi is available on the net.If readers have some information about him please send it to me.I shall be thankful.
However,here is a picture downloaded from Google Images :
Meraj Faizabadi
As a bonus for my readers,here is another equally good ghazal of this poet :
hum ghazal mein teraa charchaa nahin honey detey,
teri yaadon ko bhi rusvaa nahin honey detey.
kuchch to hum khud bhi nahin chaahatey shohrat apni,
aur kuchch log bhi aisa nahin honey detey.
azmattein apnein charaagon ki bachaaney ke liyey,
hum kisi ghar mein ujaalaa nahin honey detey.
mujh ko thakney nahin detaa yeh zaroorat ka pahaad,
merey bachhey mujhey boodha nahin honey detey.
Yes,you can see the poet reciting this ghazal at some mushaira,on Youtube,by going to the following link :
Happy viewing…
Before, signing off, here is Safiyyah Patel’s photo :
Hello uncleji,
I wanted to email this to you earlier but I missed the chance to do so. So I shall say it here. The translation to this Urdu ghazal was edited by Shernaz Aunty. I made no changes to it at all and posted it on Muse.
Secondly, I want to thank you for appreciating and enjoying this ghazal and its translation so much to give it some space on your blog. I am really grateful for this. Thanks again.
Regards, duaas and best wishes.
Safiyyah