Faiz - Mere Dil mere musaafir

And this one is brilliant too! Another astounding tribute to Ghalib by Faiz, where he manages, with admirable innovativeness, to incorporate an entire sher from the Ghalib ghazal "yeh naa thii hamaarii kismat", which we've looked at earlier, towards the end of this nazm.

This particular nazm is among the last few works of Faiz. It appeared under the title 'dil-e-man, musaafir-e-man' [which is Farsi for 'heart of mine, traveller of mine'], as part of a compilation whose name was identical to the first line of the nazm i.e. 'mere dil, mere musaafir' and which was published in 1981, while Faiz was in semi-voluntary exile (following Zia's coup) in Beirut and London, editing the Afro-Asian Writers' magazine Lotus. The poem is a touching account of the pangs of exile from one's homeland.

Mere dil, mere musaafir

huaa phir se huqm saadir

ke watan-badar ho.n ham tum

de.n galii galii sadaaye.n

kare.n rukh nagar nagar kaa

ke suraag koii paaye.n

kisii yaar-e-naamaabar kaa

har ek ajnabi se puunchhe.n

jo pataa thaa apne ghar kaa

sar-e-kuu-e-aashnaayaa.n

hamei.n din se raat karnaa

kabhii is se baat karnaa

kabhii us se baat karnaa

tumhe kyaa kahuu.n ke kyaa hai

shab-e-gham burii balaa hai

hamei.n ye bhii thaa ganiimat

jo koii shumaar hotaa

hamei.n kyaa buraa thaa marnaa

agar ek baar hotaa


मेरे दिल, मेरे मुसाफिर
हुआ फिर से हुक्म सादिर
की वतन-बदर हों हम तुम
दें गली गली सदायें
करें रुख नगर-नगर का
कि सुराग कोई पायें
किसी यार-ए-नामाबर का
हर एक अजनबी से पूँछें
जो पता था अपने घर का
सर-ए-कू-ए-ना-आशनायाँ
हमें दिन से रात करना
कभी इस से बात करना
कभी उस से बात करना
तुम्हें क्या कहूं की क्या है
शब-ए-गम बुरी बला है
हमें ये भी था गनीमत
जो कोई शुमार होता
हमें क्या बुरा था मरना
अगर एक बार होता


My heart, my traveller
the order is again passed
that you and I be exiled
(that we) may call out from street to street
(that we) may turn from town to town
(in the hope ) that (we) can find some clue
of a Beloved messenger
(that we) may ask every stranger
the address that used to be our home

In the middle of alien streets
we (must) turn our days to nights
sometimes talking to this one
sometimes making conversation to that one

what shall I tell you (about) how it is
the night of pain is (truly) a trial
(but) even this would be welcome to me
if there was some count to it
(for) when did I object to dying
if it were to happen (only) once?


watan badar is literally 'outdoor from the country' [badar is a conjunct: ba+ dar]. A sadaa is a cry or call, often used for the street-calls of a mendicant (which is the sense meant in the poem). Ganeemat is literally something that one obtains by good fortune (the exact meaning is 'booty' from war) used here to denote something regarded as fortuitous or as a blessing.