Halat-e Hazra
Nisaar Mai.n Terii Galiyo.n Ke ae Watan, Ki Jahaa.N
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
From " An Anthology of Faiz" by Dr. Nazir Khaja
(Under publication)
nisaar mai.n terii galiyo.n ke ae watan, ki jahaa.N
chalii hai rasm ki koii na sar uThaa ke chale
jo koii chaahanewaalaa tawaaf ko nikale
nazar churaa ke chale, jism-o-jaa.N bachaa ke chale
hai ahl-e-dil ke liye ab ye nazm-e-bast-o-kushaad
ki sang-o-Khisht muqayyad hai.n aur sag aazaad
bahot hai.n zulm ke dast-e-bahaanaa-juu ke liye
jo cha.nd ahl-e-junuu.N tere naam levaa hai.n
bane hai.n ahl-e-hawas muddaii bhii, mu.nsif bhii
kise wakiil kare.n, kis se mu.nsifii chaahe.n
magar guzaranewaalo.n ke din guzarate hai.n
tere firaaq me.n yuu.N subh-o-shaam karate hai.n
bujhaa jo rauzan-e-zi.ndaa.N to dil ye samajhaa hai
ki terii maa.ng sitaaro.n se bhar gaii hogii
chamak uThe hai.n salaasil to hamane jaanaa hai
ki ab sahar tere ruKh par bikhar gaii hogii
Garaz tasavvur-e-shaam-o-sahar me.n jiite hai.n
giraft-e-saayaa-e-diwaar-o-dar me.n jiite hai.n
yuu.N hii hameshaa ulajhatii rahii hai zulm se Khalq
na unakii rasm naii hai, na apanii riit naii
yuu.N hii hameshaa khilaaye hai.n hamane aag me.n phuul
na unakii haar naii hai na apanii jiit naii
isii sabab se falak kaa gilaa nahii.n karate
tere firaaq men ham dil buraa nahii.n karate
Gar aaj tujhase judaa hai.n to kal baham ho.nge
ye raat bhar kii judaaii to koii baat nahii.n
Gar aaj auj pe hai taala-e-raqiib to kyaa
ye chaar din kii Khudaaii to koii baat nahii.n
jo tujhase ahd-e-wafaa ustavaar rakhate hai.n
ilaaj-e-gardish-e-lail-o-nihaar rakhate hai.n
MY BELOVED COUNTRY
Behold my beloved country,
To the dust of thy narrow pathways
I bequeath my life.
Where now a strange new way is decreed
That none should walk with his head held high
And for any reckless wanderer,
Of your love possessed,
Must now lower his gaze and be mindful of his safety.
Alas, that those of courage
Now bound by the new laws
Of freedom and bondage,
Are bewildered, that bricks and stones
Are locked away,
Allowing mad dogs to roam.
Unrestrained are the tyrants hands,
Abundance there is of oppression
To unleash on the faithful ones.
Who then do we go for our protection?
To whom do we turn for justice?
When those of lustful ambition
Are themselves the accusers, the jury, and the judge.
Yet with longing and yearning,
We languish in the monotony of these days and nights.
The ray of light
That peaked through the cracked wall
Of the dark cell - is gone.
Beyond the prison walls though
Hope lives on of a night sky
Shimmering with stars.
As light bounces off the prison bars,
My heart knows that dawn
Is scattered across your continence.
Thus we live, hoping,
Thinking of the dawns and dusks,
Yet captive of the shadows of the walls and doors.
Always though with tyranny has mankind dealt thus.
Neither are the tyrants’ ways new, nor ours.
Always has faith through passion wrought miracles,
Blooming flowers in fire bed.
Neither is the tyrant's defeat new,
Nor our victory in the end.
And therefore, we will not cry out to heaven.
Separated from you, we will not lose heart.
For today if we are apart,
Tomorrow we will be together.
This dark night that is between us,
Will only last for a while.
And if today, the tyrants’ star is shining
Certainly, it is not for long.
A few days only that will not matter.
Surely, those bound to you in love have the remedy-
For these cycles of change, these ups and downs!
(Translated by Dr. Nazir Khaja)
