I was going through my old posts and found a transliteration of this nizam, that my dad had recited to me during the last semi-difficult period of my life, five years ago. It's by Faiz, and I've had some difficulty finding the provenance or English translation of it online. So, rather than show some humility and ask my father for help, I have made an attempt at translation below:
It seems, at this moment, that there is nothing
No moon nor sun, no darkness nor morning
A curtain of beauty on the windows of the eyes
A repose of pain in the havens of the heart
Perhaps there was an illusion, perhaps it was heard
In the streets the sound of footsteps doing one last turn
Branches of ideas in a dense tree, perhaps
No one will arrive now to make any dream come true
No hostility nor affection, no connection nor relationship
No one is yours, no one is mine
Admittedly, this desolate time is difficult
But, dead heart, this is only one hour
Dare to live, there is an age coming
---
All I have been able to find online (on English-source websites) is that this poem was written on his deathbed. I'm not sure what this says about the helpfulness of this poem, then. Of course, it depends on what your idea of death, morality, and what comes afterwards is... but I think many wouldn't see death as a desired end to their problems.
Some words/phrases I am not sure about:
حسن کی چلمن - "curtain of beauty"... I can't really understand its relevance. Does this mean a curtain on the eyes is blocking beautiful things? No idea...
کوئی وہم تھا - "illusion" but is that what this really translates to here?
گلیوں میں کسی چاپ کا اک آخری پھیرا - "the sound of footsteps during one last turn in the streets"; Literally, this is "in the streets someone's footsteps' last circumambulation"
شاخوں میں خیالوں کے گھنے پیڑ کی شاید - "branches of ideas in a dense tree, perhaps" I don't really understand the relevance of this line
مانا کہ is more like "granted" rather than "admittedly." I considered "bear in mind" as an alternate translation
سنسان گھڑی is more like "lonely period of time" than "desolate time"
عمر is "age" but with a much more positive connotation in this context in Urdu, I think
اس وقت تو یوں لگتا ہے اب کچھ بھی نہیں ہے
مہتاب نہ سورج، نہ اندھیرا نہ سویرا
آنکھوں کے دریچوں پہ کسی حسن کی چلمن
اور دل کی پناہوں میں کسی درد کا ڈیرا
ممکن ہے کوئی وہم تھا، ممکن ہے سنا ہو
گلیوں میں کسی چاپ کا اک آخری پھیرا
شاخوں میں خیالوں کے گھنے پیڑ کی شاید
اب آ کے کرے گا نہ کوئی خواب بسیرا
اک بَیر، نہ اک مہر، نہ اک ربط نہ رشتہ
تیرا کوئی اپنا، نہ پرایا کوئی میرا
مانا کہ یہ سنسان گھڑی سخت کڑی ہے
لیکن مرے دل یہ تو فقط اک ہی گھڑی ہے
ہمت کرو جینے کو تو اک عمر پڑی ہے
مہتاب نہ سورج، نہ اندھیرا نہ سویرا
آنکھوں کے دریچوں پہ کسی حسن کی چلمن
اور دل کی پناہوں میں کسی درد کا ڈیرا
ممکن ہے کوئی وہم تھا، ممکن ہے سنا ہو
گلیوں میں کسی چاپ کا اک آخری پھیرا
شاخوں میں خیالوں کے گھنے پیڑ کی شاید
اب آ کے کرے گا نہ کوئی خواب بسیرا
اک بَیر، نہ اک مہر، نہ اک ربط نہ رشتہ
تیرا کوئی اپنا، نہ پرایا کوئی میرا
مانا کہ یہ سنسان گھڑی سخت کڑی ہے
لیکن مرے دل یہ تو فقط اک ہی گھڑی ہے
ہمت کرو جینے کو تو اک عمر پڑی ہے
It seems, at this moment, that there is nothing
No moon nor sun, no darkness nor morning
A curtain of beauty on the windows of the eyes
A repose of pain in the havens of the heart
Perhaps there was an illusion, perhaps it was heard
In the streets the sound of footsteps doing one last turn
Branches of ideas in a dense tree, perhaps
No one will arrive now to make any dream come true
No hostility nor affection, no connection nor relationship
No one is yours, no one is mine
Admittedly, this desolate time is difficult
But, dead heart, this is only one hour
Dare to live, there is an age coming
---
All I have been able to find online (on English-source websites) is that this poem was written on his deathbed. I'm not sure what this says about the helpfulness of this poem, then. Of course, it depends on what your idea of death, morality, and what comes afterwards is... but I think many wouldn't see death as a desired end to their problems.
Some words/phrases I am not sure about:
حسن کی چلمن - "curtain of beauty"... I can't really understand its relevance. Does this mean a curtain on the eyes is blocking beautiful things? No idea...
کوئی وہم تھا - "illusion" but is that what this really translates to here?
گلیوں میں کسی چاپ کا اک آخری پھیرا - "the sound of footsteps during one last turn in the streets"; Literally, this is "in the streets someone's footsteps' last circumambulation"
شاخوں میں خیالوں کے گھنے پیڑ کی شاید - "branches of ideas in a dense tree, perhaps" I don't really understand the relevance of this line
مانا کہ is more like "granted" rather than "admittedly." I considered "bear in mind" as an alternate translation
سنسان گھڑی is more like "lonely period of time" than "desolate time"
عمر is "age" but with a much more positive connotation in this context in Urdu, I think
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