Eternal Expressions

I came across this one on a friend's blog. The last two lines mesmerize me completely.

Na ganvao navak-e-neem kash, dil-e-reza reza ganva dia
Jo bachay hain sang samet lo, tan-e-dagh dagh luta dia

navak-e-neem kash = half drawn arrow (another usage is in 'ye na thi hamari kismet' by Ghalib - "koi mere dil se poochhe tere teer-e-neem kash ko...")
dil-e-reza = torn pieces of heart
Do not waste your half-drawn arrow(ready to be released) on me, I have already lost the torn pieces of my heart. (Do not waste and) save the left over stones because I have wasted my body already in wounds.

Mere charagar ko naveed ho, saf-e-dushmana ko khabar karo
Woh jo qarz rakhtay thay jaan par, woh hisab aaj chuka dia

naved = good news
saf-e-dushmana = group of my enemies
Inform my foes and let my well-wishers know that the debt which bore on my(our) life and soul has been paid for.

Karo kaj jabeen pe sar-e-kafan, mere qatilon ko guman na ho
Ke ghuroor-e-ishq ka baankpan, pas-e-marg hum ne bhula dia

Keep my kafan tilted at my forehead as a sign of defiance and pride. Let not my assassins have the misapprehension that they could crush the honor and self-pride of my love at my death (by killing me). That is to say that even if they have taken life out of me and I have sacrificed myself, my soul and honor is immortal.

Udhar aik harf ki kushtni, yahan laakh uzr thaa guftni
Jo kaha toh sun ke ura dia, jo likha toh parh ke mita dia

kusht = kill (unconfirmed)
harf = syllable
uzr = excuse, apology
There was just one syllable on that side - "kill" ie the oppressors knew only how to oppress/kill. We had lakhs of reasons for what we did. But whatever we said, they did not heed to, whatever we wrote, they erased. This is a soulful description of how the independence-fighters tried every means to persuade the tyrants but they knew nothing except violence.

Jo rukay toh koh-e-garan the hum, jo chalay to jaan se guzar gaye
Rah-e-yaar hum ne qadam qadam, tujhay yadgaar bana dia

koh-e-garaan = difficult mountain (koh=mountain; garaan=tough)
These lines summarise the journey of the one who is fighting for a cause and his people. A journey consists of the 'travelling' part and the 'non-travelling' or resting part. Faiz says that when we stopped, we were as firm and unyielding as a difficult mountain; when we walked, we became larger than life, we gave the momentum to the cause ie we gave it the activity which signifies life. And with every step we progressed, we made this whole journey a testament of our struggle and sacrifices. It is an interesting viewpoint: its not the hard journey that gave us a recognition but the other way round.


Afterword: Faiz is known to have written some beautiful poems on political theme depicting the struggle for independence, the best known one being 'hum dekhenge'. This poem is in very much those lines. Faiz starts with a desolate note by saying that 'we are already wasted' and then slowly builds the strong theme. He masterfully etches the various emotions and perspectives of freedom struggles - sometimes disappointed, sometimes defiant, sometimes crushed etc. Its an extensive topic and would need more than few lines, so may be some other time in a new post :)


Bas jaane se pehle, let me thank Sohaib and Moz for posting this poem and giving me the opportunity to read it. Aur ab, khuda haafiz!