Meg Index | August 2001 Index

Date: 27-Aug-2001
Poet: Sahir Ludhianvi

A nazm by Sahir Ludhianvi, titled 'Intazaar' (very apt! :-)
is today's poem of the day:


chaa.Nd maddham hai aasmaa.N chup hai
niind kii god me.n jahaa.N chup hai

[god = lap]

duur vaadii me.n dudhiyaa baadal
jhuk ke parbat ko pyaar karate hai.n
dil me.n naakaam hasarate.n lekar
ham teraa intazaar karate hai.n

[vaadii = valley] dudhiyaa = milky (white)]
[naakaam  unfulfilled; hasarat = desire]

in bahaaro.n ke saaye me.n aajaa
phir mohabbat javaa.N rahe na rahe 
zindagii tere naamuraado.n par 
kal talak mahar_baa.N rahe na rahe 

[naamuraad = unfortunate (those with unfulfilled wishes)]
[talak = till; mahar_baa.N = benevolent]

roz kii tarah aaj bhii taare 
subah kii gard me.n na kho jaaye.N 
aa tere Gam me.n jaagatii aa.Nkhe.n 
kam se kam ek raat so jaaye.N 


Here is an English translation of Sahir's nazm by 
Khwaja Tariq Mahmood. I shall leave it upto you to 
decide whether he has been able to do justice to 
the poem.


Heaven is quiescent, moon is a blur
The world is in slumber, without a stir

Milky white clouds in the distant valley
Bowing low, mountain top they caress
With unrequited longings in the heart
We wait to gain your cradled access

Come to me, in the shadow of spring
As love again may lose its sting
The fortune may have its last fling
your lovers may then be on their brink

As usual, stars even today
May be lost in the mist of morn
Come, so the eyes in wakeful anguish
At least may rest in a night's sojourn