Faiz - Do Ishq

An ever-vigilant reader has shaken me awake to the shameful realisation that I missed the centenary of Faiz' birth, on 13 February, with nary a comment!  

Inexcusable in itself, the crime is compounded by the fact that I had been quite conscious of the momentous occasion ever since a kind soul directed me, a few weeks back, to a special commemorative edition of the Himal magazine, which celebrates the cementing of Faiz's status, in the century since his birth, as the 'poet of the sub-continent' (http://himalmag.com/component/magazine/tblcontent/2011/1.html. Scroll down to the section titled 'cover'). 

In belated tribute, therefore, the following nazm, which appeared in Faiz's 1952 work dast-e-sabaa, is offered as a salute to the man and his memory.  While it is a tough ask to choose just one of his poems as a symbol of his genius, I settled on this one because it presents, in an exceptionally 'de-constructed' manner, the characteristic feature that defines, for a lot of people, Faiz's oeuvre  - namely his transposition of the classical ghazal's worship of the Beloved (whether earthly or astral) to a deification of a social/political motherland.  As we have seen in the past, this is a recurrent theme in Faiz's poetry, but is usually couched in allusions and hints.  This particular poem, however, makes explicit this equation, right from the title.

Do Ishq

taazaa hai.n abhi yaad mei.n, ai saaqi-e-gulfaam
vo aks-e-rukh-e-yaar se lahke hue aiyaam
vo phuul si khiltii huii diidaar kii saa'at
vo dil saa dhaRaktaa huaa ummiid kaa ha.ngaam

ummiid ki lo jaagaa gham-e-dil kaa nasiibaa
lo shauq kii tarsii huii shab ho gayii aakhir
lo duub gaye dard ke be-khwaab sitaare
ab chamkegaa be-sabr nigaaho.n kaa muqaddar
is baam se niklegaa tere husn kaa khurshiid
us kunj se phutegii kiran rang-e-hinaa kii
is dar se bahegaa teri raftaar kaa siimaab
us raah pe phuulegii shafaq terii qabaa kii


phir dekhe.n hai.n vo hijr ke tapte hue din bhii
jab fikr-e-dil-o-jaa.n mei.n fughaa.n bhuul gayii hai
har shab vo siyaa bojh ki dil baith gayaa hai
har subh kii lau tiir sii siine mei.n lagii hai
tanhaii mei.n kyaa kyaa na tujhe yaad kiyaa hai
kyaa kyaa na dil-e-zaar ne DhunDii hai.n panaahe.n
aankho.n se lagaayaa hai kabhii dast-e-sabaa ko
Dalii hai.n kabhii gardan-e-mehtaab mei.n baahe.n

----

chaahaa hai isii rang mei.n lailaa-e-watan ko

taRpaa hai isii taur se dil uskii lagan mei.n

DhunDii hai yuu.n hii shauq ne aasaa'ish-e-manzil

rukhsaar ke kham mei.n, kabhii kaakul kii shikan mei.n

us jaan-e-jahaa.n ko bhii yuu.n hii qalb-o-nazar ne

ha.ns-ha.ns  ke sadaa dii, kabhii ro ro ke pukaaraa

pure kiye sab harf-e-tamannaa ke taqaaze

har dard ko ujyaalaa, har ek gham ko sa.nwaaraa

wapas nahi.n pheraa koii farmaan junuu.n kaa

tanhaa nahi.n lauTii kabhii aawaaz jaras kii

khairiyat-e-jaa.n, raahat-e-tan, sehhat-e-daaman

sab bhuul gayii.n maslahate.n ahl-e-hawas kii

is raah mei.n jo sab pe guzartii hai vo guzrii

tanhaa pas-e-zindaa.n, kabhii ruswaa sar-e-baazaar

garze hai.n bahut sheikh sar-e-goshaa-e-minbar

kaRke hai.n bahut ahl-e-hukm bar sar-e-darbaar

chhoRaa nahi.n ghairo.n ne koii naavak-e-dushnaam

chhuTii nahi.n apno.n se koii tarz-e-malaamat

is ishq na us ishq se naadim hai magar dil

har daagh hai is dil mei.n ba-juz daagh-e-nadaamat

दो इश्क़

ताज़ा हैं अभी याद में, ऐ साकी-ए-गुलफाम
वो अक्स-ए-रुख-ए-यार से लहके हुए अय्याम
वो फूल सी खिलती हुई दीदार की सा'अत
वो दिल सा धड़कता हुआ उम्मीद का हंगाम
उम्मीद कि लो जागा ग़म-ए-दिल का नसीबा
लो शौक़ की तरसी हुई शब् हो गई आखिर
लो डूब गए दर्द के बे-ख्वाब सितारे
अब चमकेगा बे-सब्र निगाहों का मुक़द्दर
इस बाम से निकलेगा तेरे हुस्न का खुर्शीद
उस कुंज से फूटेगी किरन रंग-ए-हिना की
इस दर से बहेगा तेरी रफ़्तार का सीमाब
उस राह पे फूलेगी शफ़क़ तेरी क़बा की

फिर देखें हैं वो हिज्र के तपते हुए दिन भी
जब फ़िक्र-ए-दिल-ओ-जान में फुगाँ भूल गई है
हर शब् वो सिया बोझ कि दिल बैठ गया है
हर सुब्ह की लौ तीर सी सीने में लगी है
तन्हाई में क्या क्या न तुझे याद किया है
क्या क्या न दिल-ए-ज़ार ने ढूंडी हैं पनाहें
आँखों से लगाया है कभी दस्त-ए-सबा को
डाली हैं कभी गरदन-ए-महताब में बाहें 

----

चाहा हैं इसी रंग में लैला-ए-वतन को
तड़पा है इसी तौर से दिल उसकी लगन में
ढूंडी है यूं ही शौक़ ने आसा'इश-ए-मंज़िल
रुखसार के ख़म में, कभी काकुल की शिकन में
उस जान-ए-जहां को भी यूंही क़ल्ब-ओ-नज़र ने
हंस हंस के सदा दी, कभी रो रो के पुकारा
पूरे किये सब हर्फ़-ए-तमन्ना के तकाज़े
हर दर्द को उज्याला, हर एक ग़म को संवारा
वापस नहीं फेरा कोई फरमान जुनूं का
तनहा नहीं लौटी कभी आवाज़ जरस की
खैरियत-ए-जान, राहत-ए-तन, सेहत-ए-दामन
सब भूल गयीं मसलहतें अहल-ए-हवस की 

इस राह में जो सब पे गुज़रती है वो गुज़री
तनहा पस-ए-ज़िन्दां, कभी रुसवा सर-ए-बाज़ार
गरजे हैं बहुत शेख सर-ए-गोशा-ए-मिन्बर
कड़के हैं बहुत अहल-ए-हुक्म बर सर-ए-दरबार  
 
छोड़ा नहीं ग़ैरों ने कोई नावक-ए-दुशनाम
छूटी नहीं अपनों से कोई तर्ज़-ए-मलामत
इस इश्क़ न उस इश्क़ पे नादिम है मगर दिल
हर दाग़ है इस दिल में ब-जुज़ दाग़-ए-नदामत

دو عشق

تازہ ہےں ابہی یاد میں اے ساقی گلفام
وہ عکس رخ یار سے لحکے ہوے ایام
وہ پہول سی کہلتی ہوی دیدار کی ساعت
وہ دل سا دہڑکتا ہوا امید کا ہنگام
امید کہ لو جاگا غم دل کا نصیبہ
لو شوق کی ترسی ہوی شب ہو گی آخر
لو ڈوب گے درد کے بےخواب ستارے
اب چمکےگا بے صبر نگاہوں کا مقددر
اس بام سے نکلےگا ترے حسن کا خورشید
اس کنج سے پہوٹےگی کرن رنگ حنا کی
اس در سے بحےگا تری رفتار کا سیماب
اس راہ پہ پہولےگی شفق تری قبا کی 

پہر دیکہے ہیں وہ ہجر کے تپتے ہوے دن بہی
جب فکر دل و جاں میں فغاں بہول گی ہے
ہر شب وہ سیہ بوجہ کہ دل بیٹہ گیا ہے
ہر صبح کی لو تیر سی سینے میں لگی ہے
تنہای میں کیا کیا نہ تجہے یاد کیا ہے
کیا کیا نہ دل زار  نے ڈہونڑی ہیں پناہیں
 آنکہوں سے لگایا ہے کبہی دست صبا کو
 ڈالی ہیں کبہی گردن مہتاب میں باہیں
 

----

چاہا ہے اسی رنگ میں لیلا ے وطن کو
تڑپا ہے اسی طور سے دل اس کی لگن میں
ڈہونڈی ہے یوں ہی شوق نے آسائش منزل
رخسار کے خم میں کبہی کاکل کی شکن میں
اس جان جہاں کو بہی یوں ہی قلب و نظر نے
ہنس ہنس کے صدا دی کبہی رو رو کے پکارا
پورے کیے سب حرف تمننا کے تقاضے
ہر درد کو اجیالا ہر اک غم کو سنوارا
واپس نہیں پہیرا کوی فرمان جنوں کا
 تنہا نہیں لوٹی کبہی آواز جرس کی
خیریت جاں راحت تن صحت داماں
سب بہول گییں مصلہتیں اہل ہوس کی
اس راہ میں جو سب پہ گزرتی ہے وہ گزری
تنہا پس زنداں کبہی رسوا سر بازار
گرجے ہےں بہت شیخ سر گوشہ منبر
کڑکے ہیں بہت اہل حکم بر سر دربار
چہوڑا نہیں غیروں نےکوی ناوک دشنام
چہوٹی نہیں اپنوں سے کوی طرز ملامت
اس عشق نہ اس عشق پہ نادم ہے مگر دل
ہر داغ ہے اس دل میں بہجز داغ ندامت

Two loves

(they) are still fresh in (my) memory, o rose-like saaqii
those days (that) glowed with the reflection of the Beloved's face
that hour of meeting, that (would) bloom like a flower
that moment of hope, that throbbed like a heart

a hope, which (said), 'behold! the destiny of heart's pain has awakened'
(which said), 'behold! love's parched night is finally done'
(which said), 'there, pain's sleep-less stars have (finally) dimmed'
'(and) now the destiny of impatient eyes will take shine'

(that promised that) from this roof would rise the sun of your beauty
from that corner would break forth a ray of henna's colour
through this door would flow your quicksilver gait
(and) on that path would bloom the sunset-glow of your robe

then again, (i have) seen also those scorching days of separation
when (even) cries were forgotten in worries of heart and life
(when) every night was so dark-laden that the heart would sink (under them)
(and) the flame of every morn would pierce the breast like an arrow


In how many ways did (I) remember you, in solitude
How many refuges did the weakened heart seek
at times, i touched the zephyr's hand to (my) eyes
at times, clasped my arms around the moon's neck

----

(and) in the same way have (I also) loved the Beloved (that is my) country
in the same fashion has (my) heart yearned in her ardour (also)
in like manner has (my) passion searched for the peace of a journey's end
(sometime) in the curve of (her) cheek, sometime in the bend of (her) curl

To that sweetheart also, (my) heart and eye have
at times laughingly called out, at times weepingly summoned

(I) fulfilled the demand of every word of desire (of hers)
(I) lightened every pain, embellished every sorrow

never (did i) turn away any dictat of passion
no toll of the bell ever returned unaccompanied
the well-being of life, the comfort of flesh, the soundness of dress
all (these) counsels of sensible people were forgotten


(and) what befalls everyone on this path, also befell (me)
(at times) lonely behind a prison (wall), at times dishonoured in public.
The holies thundered a lot from the corners of (their) pulpits
men of power boomed often in (their) courtrooms
no arrow of blame was spared by strangers
(nor did) intimates let any manner of rebuke pass

but (my) heart is shamed neither by this love, nor by that (one)
there is every stain on this heart, save the stain of regret

Since this nazm is so 'explicit' in what it says, it doesn't need much by way of additional explication.  Faiz airs out the 'love of his life' openly - personifying his love for an idealised motherland in a heart-achingly haunting fashion.  The first part of the poem, which sublimely chronicles the elation that is felt in the possibility of a Beloved's coming, or the despair that accompanies the certainty of separation from  her, forms, in the latter half, the context for the 'personification' of the country Faiz yearns for.  

I absolutely adore the bit that goes, "kyaa kyaa na dil-e-zaar ne DhuunDii hai.n panaahe.n; aankho.n se lagaayaa hai kabhii dast-e-sabaa ko; Daalii hai.n kabhii gardan-e-mehtaab mei.n baahe.n".  It conjures up such an endearing picture of a desperately lonely lover, seeking messianic comfort or friendly companionship from just about anything or anybody he encounters.   Another totally haunting line is "DhuunDii hai yuu.n hii shauq ne aasaa'ish-e-manzil; rukhsaar ke kham mei.n, kabhii kaakul kii shikan mei.n".  Such a typically Faiz 'sound' to it, isn't it?

And what a totally haunting line the poem signs off with, too...!

Some interesting words:  gulfaam uses the common persian suffix 'faam', which denotes resemblance or verisimilitude, most often used to denote similarity in colour. Ayyaam is arabic for 'days', 'times' or 'season'.  Aasaa'ish is from the same word root at aasaan and means 'repose' 'comfort' or 'tranquillity'.  Ahl-e-hawas is actually ahl-e-hawaas, here shortened for metrical reasons.  hawaas, which we are used to seeing in compound expressions like bad-hawaas or hosh-o-hawaas, means 'sense', (literally, as in 'the five senses').  Tarz is arabic for 'form' or 'style of conduct'.  Malaamat is farsi for reproach, accusation or opprobrium.  Naadim and nadaamat are both from a common farsi root signifying repentance or shame.