Poems | Sahir Ludhianvi (Translated by Maaz Bin Bilal)

Photo Credits: Lee La

A Gift of Love*

(Translated for Maitrayee and Dipankar, on their 7th wedding anniversary:

Written by Sahir on the occasion of his dear friend Yash Chopra’s wedding.)

The counsel of dear ones has been effected this time,

The fool on his own asked to be fettered this time.

He who refused to be imprisoned by any,

Has been taken in by the knots of that braid this time.

That which resides at the pinnacle of beauty,

That picture, in his heart, is embedded this time.

Dreams, only dreams were the fate of that youth,

A meaning better than dreams realized this time.

Even strangers were happy, friends gave blessings,

With such care was your destiny graced this time.

On celebrating friends, these verses are a gift of love,

A wish turned into writing engraved this time.

pyār ka tohfa

kārgar ho gayī ehbāb ki tadbīr ab ke

māñg lī āp hī dīwane ne zanjīr ab ke

jisne har dām meñ āne me takalluf barta

le uRi hai use zulf-e-girahgīr ab ke

jo sadā husn ki aqlīm mein mumtāz rahe

dil ke āīne mein utrī hai wo tasvīr abke

ķhwāb hi ķhwāb jawānī kā muqaddar the kabhi

ķhwāb se baRhke gale mil gayī ta’bīr abke

ajnabi ķhush hue apnoñ ne duāeñ māñgīn

is salīqe se sañwārī gayī taqdīir abke

yār ka jashn hai aur pyār ka tohfā haiñ ye sher

ķhud ba ķkhud ek duā ban gayī tehrīr abke

Hope^

(Translated for Anwesha)

That morning will come someday…

When the veil of dark ages will come off,

When the clouds of grief will melt,

When the ocean of joy will be glimpsed,

When the sky will dance in full sway,

When the earth will sing songs freely,

That morning will come someday…

That morning for which we’ve died over eons, each day,

That morning for whose elixir’s sake,

we’ve drunk chalices of poison,

On these hungry, thirsty souls,

it will show mercy one day,

That morning will come someday…

Agreed now there’s no value, for your hopes and mine,

Even dirt has a worth,

but humans none find,

When the value of men

won’t be measured by a few coins,

That morning will come someday…

When, for money, a woman’s honour will not be sold,

When desire will not get trampled,

when virtue will not be sold,

When the world will feel

embarrassed for its dark deeds,

That morning will come someday…

They too will be spent—these days of hunger and futility,

The idols of the monopoly of wealth

will be shattered one day,                           

When the foundations of

a unique world will be raised,

That morning will come someday…

When helpless decrepitude will not sift through

the dust of lonely streets,

When innocent youth will not go hungry

in dirty, filthy lanes,

When those who ask for justice,

will not be shown to the noose,

That morning will come someday…

On the day when at the funeral pyres

of hunger and dearth, men will not be burnt,

In the seething infernos of breasts,

wishes will not be burnt,

When this world, worse than hell,

will be made heavenly,

That morning will come someday…

Ummīd

wo subah kabhī to āyegi

in kāli sadiyon ke sar sey jab rāt kā ānchal dhalkegā
jab dukh ke bādal pighlengey jab sukh kā sāgar jhalkegā
jab ambar jhūm ke nāchegā jab dharti naġme gāyegī

wo subah kabhī to āyegi...

jis subah ki khātir jug jug sey hum sab mar mar ke jeeten haiñ
jis subah ke amrit ki dhun mein hum zahar ke pyāle pīte haiñ
in bhūki pyāsi rūhon par ik din to karam farmāyegi

woh subah kabhī to āyegi...

māna ke abhī tere mere armānoñ ki qīmat kuchh bhī nahīñ
mitti kā bhi hai kuchh mol magar insānoñ ki qīmat kuchh bhī nahīñ
Iinsānoñ ki izzat jab jhute sikkoñ mein na toli jāyegī

Wwo subah kabhī to āyegī...

daulat ke liye jab aurat ki ismat ko na bechā jāyegā
chāhat ko na kuchala jayega, izzat ko na becha jayega
apney kaaley kartuton par jab yeh duniya sharmaayegi

wo subah kabhī to āyegi...

Bīteñgey kabhī to din āķhir ye bhūk ke aur bekāri ke
TūTeñge kabhī to but āķhir daulat kī ijarahdāri ke
jab ek anokhī duniyā ki buniyād uThāi jāyegī

woh subah kabhī to āyegi...

majbūr buŗhāpa jab sūni rāhoñ ki dhūl na phāñkegā
māsūm laŗakpan jab gandī galiyoñ mein bhūk na māñgegā
haq māñgne wāloñ ko jis din sūli na dikhāī jāyegī

woh subah kabhī to āyegi...

fāqoñ kī chitāoñ par jis din insāñ na jalāye jayeñge
sīne ke dahaktī dozakh mein armāñ na jalāye jayeñge
ye narak sey bhi gandī duniyā, jab swarg banaī jāyegi

woh subah kabhī to āyegi...