Speaking of outstanding questions of humanity, defining art has haunted us since its inception. Are those red smudges without a title by Mark Rothko art? Or whatever was Jackson Pollock doing? Even a banana taped to a wall? What of the music of Pierre Boulez and John Cage? Here again, our trusted lens solves the problem, which arises when you are looking for a definition of art in the object of art. Art is not in the object but in the experience of art. A two-year-old child staring at the Mona Lisa will have no experience of the intended art in the moments of observation. The more you understand from a piece, the more art is experienced in those moments. Understanding is the key word here. The more I understand the play of light in Rembrandt, the more I experience his art. If one gets the imagery of a heart bursting spontaneously while gazing at a Seagram mural and it makes them sob; will they not say, "Yes! Rothko yes! I get it! I get what you were doing." In those moments Rothko would have achieved his goal of producing a comparable effect from painting as from music. There is experience of art and in those moments the mural has become art. Someone sitting next to this person could be blankly staring at red paint thinking, "Huh! What passes for art these days." Here we find no experience of art. In all moments to every eye even the statue of David is not art. It can only have a meaningful definition in brackets of time. Now a Warhol is art, now it is not.
It would be improper to speak of art and not present any. The following section of my thoughts has poetry in it, after a few of some other notions. In keeping with the above idea, the medium is bilingual. One of the languages is in two scripts. For those who understand both the languages and scripts, along with the poetry of course, will have the greatest experience of art. It would be significantly less for those who are not familiar with Nastaliq but can understand Urdu through Roman script. Least would be for those who understand English only and they would have to do with just the translations. Point being, only the moments of understanding would be the moments of experience of art.
Khirad ko ashna e mustafa kar day
Mujahid ko ghareebi se riha kar dy
Let intellect be aware of Mustafa (PBUH)
Let mujahid return from his exile
Exile: From the true home to this life. This return where on one hand can be realized in death, on another maybe realized in consciousness of the illusory nature of this world. In the attainment of enlightenment. Which too, as earlier said, is a function of time. There are moments in which you get enlightened and soon enough the illusion pulls you back into its arm. The mist turns solid. What ought to give way gives none. The dream becomes real.
Since I can only write in little bursts on the phone mostly, this is how I must write. How? How can I spend time on standardization? Really. Spend....it would rather be the highest intensity of the word "throw" or "waste" or "squander" or whatever. Don't judge by the adjective, judge by how much time I am spending, reader, in trying to make you understand the intensity of wastage of time in standardization. So; Can I throw time in standardization? I can't, I won't...Oh the much I already am. But there, there, Mr. writer. Let us not be ungrateful. There is an untasteful lament in these words. You lament that you have the luxury of being able to write anywhere? Is this a point of complaint? Yes, I may not have the solitude I like, a computer, carefree hash and one to roll it, but I should always like more than I have and did not a wise one say something to the effect of a sage having the ability to draft his solitude in company. Standardization would be hard in thumbing on the phone, no doubt, but the reader will spare me that….. Wait…….. Whose voice was that? Hear harder, ear.
"Here with a loaf of bread beneath the bough
A flask of wine, a book of verse and thou
Beside me singing, in the wilderness
And wilderness is paradise enow"
Khayyam?….Oh.… I am asking for paradise, no less.
Getting respect is not a matter of free will because He clearly says it is in His hands. Some seniors at work may respect you for no apparent reason and some may hate you for the same. The gross generalization that money or power commands respect can heavily be filtered through the Theory of Moment lens. In many moments of a president his daughter may not respect him rather many of his moments pass in getting disrespect. A poor man in his hut may be immensely respected by his children and people around him so by temporal metrics he got more respect than the president of Russia, perhaps. In His hands is respect. Wa tu'izzu man tasha'a... Wa tu'zhillu man tasha'a... Your lenses are twisted, reader.
"Thoughts can be lofty without being elegant, but the more inelegant the less influential. Force without finesse is mere matter" - Pessoa
Excuse the lack of glitter on language for this one. The thought is fleeting and must be worded before it does. It refreshed, while listening to a radio drama presentation of "Leave it to Psmith" during the scene when the poet McTodd (the real one) is indignant at Lord Emsworth for abruptly leaving him to look at some flowers. For those who are not familiar with the scene, the point is, when two people of equally high social standing are meeting each other for the first time and the first of them leaves their conversation abruptly for some minor distraction, the one behind (the second one) is fully justified in getting mad. He is reasonably angry and in his anger he suffers because he has not been given the due respect accorded to him by his social status. Now consider if the servant of the second guy is meeting the first one and he acts the same and leaves the conversation abruptly, the servant would not really mind much, anger may not arise in him at all and he would not suffer while waiting. So, in the same situation for two people, one with the higher social standing suffers more. Generalize this and understand how God finely manages suffering. It is not necessary that the poor must suffer more. These things are finely tuned. The poor and the downtrodden might not even take the slightest notice of a situation while the rich and powerful would get a heart attack. The problem in understanding the situation arises when the observer considers suffering to be objective. My hunger and your hunger are not the same. I could happily go to bed even if a meal were not fixed. If you have had the fortune to read A Christmas Carol, you will recall that a drink in a custard cup, without a handle, may be better than one in a golden goblet.
Will it not be to this work's merit that despite its chaotic character the message is simple enough to be absorbed by every reader. Complexity isn't always the valuing criteria for philosophy, simplicity is as well or better by the virtue that it speaks to many.
Phenomenology deals with the contents of consciousness. It is related to other branches through temporal contextualization. In moments dealing with appropriate behavior, phenomenology becomes ethics, while valuing a piece of artwork it morphs into aesthetics and similarly becomes ontology or epistemology or any other branch.
The illusion is this - In every supernatural event there is a natural explanation. Ordinary in extraordinary.
Maujain saba ki chust thien aur sard junoon tha
Hum say chaman mein raqs ka qisa hua nahi
Tight were the zephyr's waves and cold my frenzy
I could not act the story of dancing on the green
A poet is bubble-like, his movement is sensitive even to the closeness among the layers of air. In a more tasteful sense this couplet is the condition in depression, where dancing on the green is metaphorically used for moving through life.
Jam apna kbhi bazm mein khali nahi raha
Jo arsh ko na ho saki apni dua nahi
Never in the feast (life) my cup remained unfilled
Which did not reach The Throne was not my prayer
Jis say ho meri jan ba lab wohi zehr la tabib
Kar e shifa ko hal mein zauk e dawa nahi
Which forces my life to the tip of lip, bring that venom
Relief right now has no taste for medicine
Koi shokh meri had e nazar rah mein rakhay
Muztar jigar e dasht taba'aa mein khala nahi
Let the path of a tease be in the limits of my sight
No void yet worries in the waste natured heart
Ghazal: Saman e Tundi e Lahoo
سامانِ تُندئ لہو کی آس جگر کو تشنہ جنوں کے در پے مآلِ ہوش ہے
Saman e tundi e lahoo ki aas jigar ko / Tashna junoon kay dar pay maa'al e hosh hai
Matter to make the blood rush is required The setting of senses is seeking at the foot of frenzy
راہِ دمِ بسمل سے شناسا ہے حُسن بھی کوئی نفس گلو میں میرے خانہ بدوش ہے
Rah e dum e bismil say shanasa hai husn bhi / Koi nafs gulo mein meray khana badosh hai
Beauty knows the betrayed's way of breath Some soul in my throat is a rover
آسائشِ ویرانہ کو رخ کدھر کریں دل میں زمانے میں خوِ خروش ہے
Asaish e weerana ko rukh kidhar karain / Dil mein zamany mein khu e kharosh hai
Where to for the leisure of loneliness? Babel is beyond and within the heart
کِتْنوں نے راہِ عشق کو منزل سمجھ لیا بیٹھا رہِ جانا میں کوئی سنگ فروش ہے
Kitnon nay rah e ishq ko manzil samajh liya / Baitha rah e jana mein koi sang farosh hai
Many took the path of love as goal Some idol seller sits on the way to Beloved
حرکت میں پھر آباد کوئی طرزِ شرر ہو خاموش انتظار میں اک بزمِ جوش ہے
Harkat in phr abad koi tarz e sharar ho / Khamosh intezar mein ik bazm e josh hai
Let movement know the move of spark Silently awaits a host of flow
پاتا ہوں تصوّر کو کبھی بزم میں وہاں جاں رشک میں پرواز پہ بالِ سروش ہے
Paata hun tasawur ko kbhi bazm mein wahan / Jan rashk mein parwaz pay bal e sarosh hai
At times I find my thoughts at a place Where angelic wings stand in awe
کیا اُسکے تحمّل کا قصہ تمہیں سنائیں اُٹھی جو ندا دل سے لب پر خموش ہے
Kya uskay tahamul ka qissa tumhain sunaen / Uthi jo nida dil say lab par khamosh hai
What to tell of his restraint Each cry of the heart was silent at lips
اک جنبشِ زبان پر ہے میکدہ کھُلا یاقوت لب ہر حال میں سو مدہوش ہے
Ik junbish e zuban par hai mae kadah khula / Yaqoot lab har hal mein so madhosh hai
On a lick lies a tavern The ruby lipped is always drunk
شیرینیِ گفتار کہ آشفتہ سری ہے کیوں مے کدے کا ہر اک پتھر نیوش ہے
Shireni e guftar keh ashufta sari hai / Kyn mae kaday ka har ik pathar nayosh hai
Is their speech too sweet or my mind too lost Why is every stone of the bar an ear?
بھٹکے ہے کھنڈروں میں لپٹے ہے پتھروں سے کس بت کی جستجو میں تیری آغوش ہے
Bhatke hai khandaron mein lipte hai patharon say / Kis but ki justaju mein teri aghosh hai
Wanders in ruins, throws arms around stones In want of what idol is your embrace?
خواہش کرے نہ آئینِ عالم کو معطل میرے مزار پر یہ دھرے کون گوش ہے
Khwahish karay na aen e dehar ko muatal / Meray mizar par yeh dharay kon gosh hai
Let not desire suspend the mortal laws Who has pressed their ear to my grave?
Everything is everywhere. A thing is a place too. When I put my finger on top of a notebook, I have my finger on a thing but also on a place. This idea opens up another explanation for the concept of Wahdat-ul-Wujood - Unity of Being. Through the idea of omnipresence of God we are essentially saying that everything is God.
Ghazal: Ho Jaye Kalam Aina Khana e Tasawur
ہو جائے قلم آئینہ خانہِ تصَوّر جوئے سُخن میں گوہرِ بے تاب بہت ہیں
Ho jaye kalam aina khana e tasawur / Ju e sukhan mein gohar e bay tab bohat hain
May the pen become a mirror house to thought Many impatient pearls hide in diction's stream
رکھو بشر کی غربتِ دیدار سے پرے کوکب کہ چشمِ خاک کے کم یاب بہت ہیں
Rakho bashar ki ghurbat e dedar say paray / Kaukab keh chasm e khak kay kam yab bohat hain
Keep them away from exile to human sight Rare are the stars of the eye of mud
کر پرورشِ ذوقِ زہرِ ہجر اِن میں تو انجان شِیرِ وصل سے جو خواب بہت ہیں
Kar parwarish e zauq e zehr e hijr in mein tu / Anjan sheer e wasl say jo khawb bohat hain
Grow a taste for the venom of parting In the dreams which are too unaware of union's delight
قیدِ قوائد ِ زباں سے دل ہوا بےزار بزمِ ہنر میں تنگئ آداب بہت ہیں
Qaid e qawaid e zuban say dil hua bay zar / Bazm e hunar mein tangi e adab bohat hain
The imprisonment in rules of language has saddened the heart Too tight are manners in the manor of skill
جانا جو رُکا بانِ گفت وسطِ جگر میں حرفِ حَذَر میں چاہ کے بھی باب بہت ہیں
Jana jo ruka ban e guft wast e jigar mein / Harf e hazar mein cha kay bhi baab bohat hain
I realized, when the arrow of speech settled in the core of my heart Chapters of want crafted the word of denial
ہو چکا قصۂ حشر تمام تیرے مرے باقی مگر حساب بہت ہیں
Ho chuka qisa e hashr tamam / Teray meray baqi magar hisab bohat hain
The day of doom is done Yet, we have much to settle
بس کہ کُھلتی نہیں ہے یہ گرہ زبان کی لب پر گلو کے مضطرب جواب بہت ہیں
Bus keh khulti nahi yeh girah zuban ki / Lub pay gulo kay muztarib jawab bohat hain
Oh! But this tongue will not unwind Many retorts are restless at the lip of throat
آنے لگا ہے ہمکو تیرگی میں سب نظر مشکل نہیں حالات پر خراب بہت ہیں
Anay laga hai humko teergi mein sub nazar / Mushkil nahi halaat par kharab bohat hain
Darkness now betrays sight Though not difficult, the times are bad
افسانہِ شیرینیِ پہلوِ ناز میں مستور نسخہ ہائے عذاب بہت ہیں
Afsana e sheereni e pehlu e naaz mein / Mastoor nuskhahaye azab bohat hain
In the honey of the tale of her company Concealed are many pages of anguish
ہے خصلتِ شرر بھی خوِ نور بھی مگر شیشہِ بشر میں پرزہائے تراب بہت ہیں
Hai khaslat e sharar bhi khu e noor bhi magar / Shisha e bashr mein purzahaye turab bohat hain
In a moment on earthen idols in another on the Lord of worlds Too much like a bubble are the states of mind
Ghazal: Deewangi Mein Mein Ne Apna Khoon Nahi Kiya
دیوانگی میں میں نے اپنا خوں نہیں کیا آشفتہ سری سنگ کو تھی میرے سر ہوا
Diwanigi mein mein ne apna khun nahi kiya / Ashfuta sari sang ko thi mere sar hua
I did not kill myself in lunacy Madness was in stone, it came to my head
ویرانہ طبعی سے در و بام لٹ گئے قصہ تھا دشت کا سو ختم میرے گھر ہوا
Weerana taba'ie say dar o baam lut gaye / Qissa tha dasht ka so khatam mere ghar hua
Door and deck took a deserted demeanour Story was of wilderness so ended at my home
کوئی حالِ نظر تیغ تھا یا ظلف کا خم طوق رُخ کونسا الفت کا دیکھو رُوِ شر ہوا
Koi haal e nazar tegh tha ya zulf ka kham touq / Rukh kaunsa ulfat ka dekho ru e shar hua
Some look was sword or a lock snare Find out what face of amity broke out to be calamity
اک معملہ تیر و جگر کی تلاش ہے سینے میں جو ہوا تھا میرے اب کدھر ہوا
Ik mamla teer o jigar ki talash hai / Seene mein jo hua tha mere ab kidhar hua
Search for a clash of heart and dart What played in my breast is now where at play?
صحرا کو خوئے گرد ہوئی اپنی فغاں سے پھوٹی جو کبھی آنکھ تو دریا بھی تر ہوا
Sehra ko khuye gard hui apni faghan say / Phooti jo kabhi aankh to darya bhi tar hua
My wail gave dust to desert If the eye started the river went wet
محفل میں تیری ساتھ نہ تھا چشم و زباں کا اپنا نہ کوئی بزم میں پھر نامہ بر ہوا
Mehfil mein teri saath na tha chashm o zuban ka / Apna na koi bazm mein phir nama bar hua
No help was eye or tongue gave at your meet None hence at the knot was a nuncio
کیوں طائر زریں بال کو فکرِ معاش ہو کیوں مجمعِ سخن میں ذکرِ حالِ ذر ہوا
Kyun tair e zarrin baal ko fikr e ma'ash ho / Kyun majma e sukhan mein zikr e haal e zar hua
Why should the golden feathered care for fare Why plenty was probed in a literary place
Contextual Note: Because it may pluck its feathers and buy what it will.
تھا چاہنے والوں کو ترے سنگ سیاہ فام دل آرزو میں دید کی جو سنگِ در ہوا
Tha chahne walon ko tere sang e siyah faam / Dil aarzu mein deed ki jo sang e dar hua
To Your lovers it was the black stone When heart in sight's desire became a gate rock
محفل رہے گی تند شوقِ حسن کیلئے شمشیر کو پھر خون سے مطلب اگر ہوا
Mehfil rahegi tund shauq e husn ke liye / Shamsheer ko phir khoon say matlab agar hua
Revelry shall bloom for belle's delight If sword again wants to parley with blood
غازه رخِ فلک پے ابھر آیا ہوس میں تشنہ مزاج شب کو جو رمزِ فجر ہوا
Ghaza rukh e falak pe ubhar aaya hawas mein / Tashna mizaj shab ko jo ramz e fajr hua
The face of sky was rouged in desire When the arduous night was clued by morn
مر مر میں نہ قیمت رہی وہ نہ زمرد میں اِک سنگ راہِ حسن کا سوئے نظر ہوا
Marmar mein na qimat rahi wo na zamurrud mein / Ik sang e raah e husn ka suye nazar hua
Marble could not hold that worth nor emerald A stone of her path happened in my sight
نیل اسکی راہ کو ہو لیا نار اسکو آب ہے نُطق الخرد کا کب کوئی دل پے اثر ہوا
Neel uski raah ko ho liya naar usko aab hai / Nutq ul khirad ka kab koi dil pe asar hua
Nile takes its way and fire goes away When could nous' reason sway heart
Referring to the miracles of Moses and Abraham (peace and blessings be upon them).
اُنکے گماں کا یوں گزر رہتا ہے جگر پے گویا یہ اپنا دل کوئے راہِ خضر ہوا
Unkay guman ka yun guzar rehta hai jigar pe / Goya yeh apna dil kuye raah e khidhr hua
Their reveries travel on it As if my heart is a town on Khidhr's path
Prophet Khidhr has taken the elixir of life and roams the earth indefinitely in his immortality. Since he has infinite time in a finite place, a town on his path is bound to come again and again. Such are their reveries, they travel through the heart again and again. In all likelihood, Prophet Khidhr is also the legendary Green Knight of the Arthurian tale of Sir Gawain.
نہ ظرفِ سائباں کسی شجر میں پھر رہا وہ زلف کی پناہ سے خانہ بدر ہوا
Na zarf e sayaban kisi shajar mein phir raha / Wo zulf ki panah say khana badar hua
No tree then had the mind to shade He was exiled from the house of locks
ہو دورِ طف کشی میں ذکرِ حالتِ بسمل پھر حالِ چشم دیکھنا فامِ جگر ہوا
Ho dour e tuf kashi mein zikr e halat e bismil / Phir haal e chashm dekhna faam e jigar ہوا
Tell tale of the tortured in a round of pot Then see the eyes shaded in the shade of heart
جس کیف میں لے کر آنا تھا ہم اُسی میں تھے ساحِر کے حق میں نہ کوئی کارِ سحِر ہوا
Jis kaif mein le kar aana tha hum usi mein thay / Sahir kay haq mein na koi kaar e sihr hua
I was already in the wanted state For mage the magic stood aloof
گردن کو تیغ آ تو گئی پار نہ ہوئی کیا جنبشِ خوں ریز کو ذوقِ مہر ہوا
Gardan ko tegh aa to gayi paar na hui / Kya jumbish e khoon reez ko zauq e mihr hua
The blade did not slice through Did the killer's move grow a taste for grace?
گو خوں نہ جگر میں رہا ابلیس بہہ گیا ہم پاک ہوئے دوش سے اچھا قہر ہوا
Go khoon na jigar mein raha iblees bah gaya / Hum paak huay dosh say accha qahr hua
Though heart was swept of blood, the devil drained out I got cleansed of sin, their rage turned right
"Verily, Satan flows through the human being like blood" — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
رکھنا گماں کہ نالہ دل کا گزر رہا جو دیکھنا کہ دشت سا حالِ دہر ہوا
Rakhna guman keh nala e dil ka guzar raha / Jo dekhna keh dasht sa haal e dahr hua
Consider a passage of heart's heritage If wasteland the world seems
حلقہ نور و تار سے ہے پار اپنی زیست کُل ہوا دمِ اِتصال غم کا پہر ہوا
Halqa e noor o taar say hai paar apni zeest / Kull hua dam e ittisal gham ka pahar hua
I live beyond the cycle of night and day There sets the phase of fun here rises of burn
خونِ رواں نے شوخئ دل کو کیا نہ کم مشتاق جگر پختہ تر سنگِ نہر ہوا
Khoon e rawan nay shokhi e dil ko kiya na kam / Mushtaq jigar pukhta tar sang e nahr hua
The flow of blood did not dull its edge Desirous heart turned harder than a rock in stream
Contrast: The mechanical flow of water smooths the edges of physical stones; our temporal context sharpens internal resolve.
تھا کوہ کو خمیرِ گراں میرے ضبط سے جو موجِ اشک میں آ گیا جزوِ لہر ہوا
Tha koh ko khameer e giran mere zabt say / Jo mauj e ashk mein aa gaya juzw e lahr hua
Restraint which was the grain of ben Got caught in the tear flow and turned to wave
صدہائے جوہرِ فکر گُلِ گفت نہ ہوئے بے باقی قلم کو کیوں بیمِ بحر ہوا
Sad-haye jauhar e fikr gul e guft na huay / Be-baqi e qalam ko kyun beem e bahr hua
Hundreds of pearls of thought did not bloom into words Why boldness of pen feared metre
Bam e sukhan say dur larazta hai ik khayal
Kis murat e guftar say lalchaen isay hum
Beyond the deck of diction sways a thought
With what way of tongue would it be seduced
Dars e junoon mein aql ka ik bab ulajh gya
Kiss qudrat e danai say suljhaen isay hum
A chapter of reason got tangled in the lesson of passion
With what sagacity could it be resolved
Jub kafila chalay ga dil khud he uth paryga
Kya mani e jaras ko samjhaen isay hum
The heart itself will start when the company does
What to explain to it the call of marching bell
Kisi taak e bay khabar mein kisi dil lagi k soz
Ka khabt jal raha hai so usay bujhaen hum
In a latent nook of mind the craze of a flirt
Is burning, so we are putting it out
Takay hai nigah har wazah e khak k andar
Ik ehmareen libas jo pehnaen isay hum
The eye sees inside every mould of mud (human)
When it is dressed in red
When the eye is dressed in red — under hashish induction.
Har paikar e majaz ki shehwat uthay dil ko
Yeh barq mukhtasar si hai behlaen isay hum
The heart is covetous of every worldly form
"The flash of life is brief", I pacify it
A discrepancy large enough to be called "the", between reality and language is that languages are constructed in binary. In the form of "is" or "is not" while reality is spectral.
Ghazal: Uth'tay Hain Phr Falaq Talaq
اٹھتے ہیں پھر فلک تک میری آہ کے شرارے تم دور ہی سے کہہ دو تم پاس ہو ہمارے
Uth'tay hain phr falaq talaq meri ah kay sharary / Tum dur he say keh do tum pass ho hamary
The sparks of my cry fly to the sky Say, even from away, "I am here"
لے آئے نظر کے سامنے اب بھی تجھے گمان لرزاں ابھی بھی وہم میں کچھ عکس ہیں تمہارے
Lay ae nazar kay samnay ab bhi tujhe guman / Larzan abhi bhi weham mein kuch aqs hain tumharay
Fancy forges you before my eyes Your shades yet linger in thought
پہلو میں بھٹکتے ہیں کس کی طلب کے سائے دیتا نہیں صدا کوئی پھر بھی مجھے پکارے
Pehlu mein bhatak rahay hain kiss ki talab k sa'ae / Daita nahi sadaa koi phr bhi mujhe pukaray
The shadows of whose desires are astray Who calls me without a sound
تازہ ہے لمس کیسے انگشت پہ ہماری ان گیسووُں کے خم کا جو کبھی نہیں سنوارے
Taza hai lams kaise angusht pay hamari / Un gaiso'on kay kham ka jo kbhi nahi sanwaray
How is the brush fresh on my fingers Of the locks I have never touched
چارہ تھا جن کی دید کا نورِ وجود تیرا تاریکیوں کو گھوریں دیکھیں کیوں کچھ بےچارے
Charah tha jinki deed ka noor e wajood tera / Tareekyon ko ghurain daikhain kyn kuch baycharay
Those who could see by the light of your countenance Now stare at the dark
اے میری زندگی کدھر جا رہی ہو تم نَفَس بامِ لب سے پار ہے دھڑکن ہے گلو میں
Oh my life! Where to? Breath has leapt the lap of lip, heart beats in throat
Rah ka apni nishan chora nahi khayal nay
Kom guman ki zad ko tora kub nazar mein agya
A thought left no track
When did it leave the matter of mind? When did it materialize? (On synchronicity)
Ghazal: Noor e Nazar Ki Had Say Paray
Noor e nazar ki had say paray aur ankh hai / Koi daikhta hai mujh ko kahen daikhtay hue
Beyond the light of sight there is an Eye My seeing is being seen
Karwat pay gulo kay nafa's ka muda'ii hai kon / Khinchta hai ju e sheer keh dum khenchtay hue
Who makes a claim on the turn of throat / To draw a breath is to carve a river (of milk)
This is an instance of translation obliterating linguistic beauty. "Ju e sheer" is the river of milk carved by Farhad for his beloved Shereen, acting as an engineering baseline for a grueling, impossible task.
Dil, haq mein teray hai woh zehan mein nahi / Koi rokta hai mujh ko tujhe roktay hue
Heart, what is in your favor is not in the mind Someone stops me from stopping you
Teri himayat mein hun apna mukhalif / Mein khud ko tokta hun tujhe toktay hue
I am against myself in your favor I hinder myself from hindering you
Tu mujh say ashna hua toh mein hua khud say / Mein dhundta hun khud ko tujhe phunktay hue
I began to know me when you began I search for myself while smoking you (hashish)
Ata nahi jo aql mein gumrah hogya / Bahir hun had e khauz say kuch sochtay hue
What does not come to mind has lost its way While thinking I passed thought
Jo us say suna tunay mujh say nahi kaha / Kuch mur gai hai bat bhi rukh mortay hue
You did not say what you were told The tale was turned with the turn of face (Applied to revelation matrices)
Jigar e khugar e kharab ko hai sang taba'ii / Tutay na tera hosla dil tortay hue
Frequent fractures have folded it firm Let not your spirit break while breaking my heart
Kuch aur dair meray samnay kharay raho / Gham e tar e nazar tund hai rukh chortay hue
Stand a little while more before me Sharp is the sting to sight on setting from your face
Pehlay si rawani rahi na gardish e khun mein / Purzay nahi puray hue dil jortay hue
Blood has lost its old flow All pieces were not found while piecing the heart
Ghazal: Kub Dil Ki Bat Aql Ko Hojae Sayyaban
کب دل کی بات عقل کو ہو جائے سائباں ہو صورتِ خِرد سے رِہا عشق کا غبار
Kub dil ki bat aql ko hojae sayyaban / Ho surat e khirad say riha ishq ka ghubar
When might the heart carry shade to wit Let face of nous lose some fume of love
قصۂ زیست میں کرنے کو رقم کچھ بھی نہیں ہے کچھ قابلِ بیاں ہے سو ہے سخن سے پار
Kissa e zeest mein karny ko raqm kuch bhi nahi hai / Kuch kabil e bayan hai so hai sukhan say paar
Nothing in the tale of life rates telling What is worth is beyond words (Wittgenstein: Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent)
تیر کو تلوار کو زحمت نہیں ہوگی دل خُد ہی نکل آئے گا سینے سے اس بار
Teer ko talwar ko zehmat nahi hogi / Dil khud he nikal aega seenay say is bar
Sword or arrow will not be troubled Heart itself will come out the breast this time
آنکھوں میں لہو اور رگوں میں اشک قید ہیں اُسکو کہیں ملال کیوں جس کا کریں اظہار
Ankhon mein lahu aur ragon mein ashk qaid hain / Usko kahain malal kyn jiska karain izhar
Blood in eyes and tears in veins are entrapped Why should it be titled pain, that does not refrain
خامُوش ہیں مگر مجھ سے ہم کلام ہیں آنکھوں میں اتر آئی ہے قوتِ گفتار
Khamosh hain magar mujh say hum kalam hain / Ankhon mein utar ai hai kuwat e guftar
Silent, but in converse with me Power of speech has descended in eyes
مایوس ہی گیا ناصح اور طبیب بھی اک تازہ غم ہی ٹھہرا میرے دل کا غم گسار
Mayoos he gaya naseh اور tabib bhi / Ik taza gham he teh'rah meray dil ka gham gusar
Healer and preacher both left despondent A new pain so settled to allay my heart ache
افسردہ دھڑکنیں جگر ڈھونڈ رہی ہیں سائے کو میرے ہے سائبان کا انتظار
Afsurdah dharkanain jigar dhund rahen hain / Sae ko meray hai sae ban ka intezar
Disheartened beats look for a heart My shadow awaits its object
کاندھوں سے لُڑھک کے ہاتھوں میں آگیا ہے اب بھی ہے مگر تیرا، سر مِنّت گزار
Kaandhon say lurakh kay hathon mein agya hai / Ab bhi hai magar tera sir minat guzaar
Has rolled down from shoulders to hands Still, head is grateful to you
آغوش میں ہے تو میری یا تیرا خیال اپنے حواس پے ہو کیوں مجھ کو اعتبار
Aghosh mein hai tu meri ya tera khayal / Apny hawas pay ho kyn mujh ko aitbar
Are you in my arms or your thoughts Why should my senses be trusted
ویراں نہ ہوئی ہوتیں تو پھوٹ گئی ہوتیں ہوتی نہیں ہیں آنکھیں وحشت میں اشک بار
Weeran na hui hoten toh phut gai hoten / Hoti nahi hain ankhain wehshat mein ashk bar
Had they not gone blank, they would have burst Eyes do not tear up in desolation
گو گردِشِ افلاق تو پابندِ خو رہی ہم تھم گئے وہیں جو آئی ساعتِ دیدار
Go gardish e aflaq toh paband e khu rahi / Hum tham gae wahen jo ai sa'aat e dedar
Though circuit of skies stayed bound to their nature I froze in the moment in which your were seen
ممکن ہے پسِ پرداہ تھا حُسن بےحجاب وائے ناکامی نگاہِ مست تھی ناخُردہ کار
Mumkin hai pas e pardah tha husn bay hijab / Wae nakami nigah e mast thi na khurda kar
Perhaps beauty was bare behind the shade Oh loss! The dull eye was not discerning
بیٹھے رہے یونہی تو کاٹیں گی یہ دیواریں بھٹکیں کسی گلی میں جا کے دیوانہ وار
Baithay rahay yunhi toh kataingi yeh diwarain / Bhatkain kisi gali mein ja kay dewana war
These walls will start biting if we stay here Let us wander in some street like a maniac
گفتار کی لذت سے چھُپی سنگ طبعی کیوں دل کو ہو دماغ سمّ الفار ہے دُر بار
Guftar ki lazat say chupi sang taba'ie / Kyn dil ko ho dimagh sam alfar hai dur bar
Savor of speech hid nature of stone That poisonous stone talks too sweet (the heart falls for it)
"نہ تن میں خون فراہم نہ اشک آنکھوں میں" آخر کریں سیاہی سے حالِ دل اظہار؟
"Na tan mein khun faraham na askh ankhon mein" / Akhir karain siyahi say hal e dil izhar?
"No blood in body no tears in eyes" Must I disgrace the state of heart with ink?
گزری ہے صدا گوش سے یا شکل آنکھ سے جوشِ شعور میں کہیں اپنا بھی ہے شمار
Guzri hai sada gosh say ya shakl ankh say / Josh e shaoor mein kahen apna bhi hai shumar
My voice must have passed their ears or face, sight I too am counted somewhere in their stream of consciousness
اک بار تو بھڑکیں گے پر پھر نہ دِکھیں گے تری کثرتِ عشّاق میں ہے خصلتِ شرار
Ik bar toh bharkaingay par phr na dikhaingay / Teri kasrat e ushaq mein hai khaslat e sharar
Once they will rise but then disappear Your excessive lovers are like sparks
خاکسٹرِ بسمل پہ کیوں برسا رہا ہے آگ کھُلتے نہیں شعلہ نفس کے ہم پہ کچھ اسرار
Khakistar e bismil pay kyn barsa raha hai aag / Khultay nahi shola nafas kay hum pay kuch asrar
Why are they raining fire on my ashes The fire breather's secrets are unknown
شوخی میں راہِ جاں کے سب سنگ ہیں عدو قدموں کو راستے سے ہونے لگا ہے پیار
Shokhi mein rah e jan kay sab sang hain adu / Kadmon ko rastay say honay laga hai pyar
All stones are competing in sharpness My feet are falling for the way
یوں طبیعت کے اّفق پے چھا گئی خاموشیاں چاند سے پھوٹ آئی جیسے ظلمتِ بے اختیار
Yun tabiyat kay ufaq pay cha gai khamoshian / Chand say phoot ai jaise zulmat e bay ikhtiyar
Sadness has set on the horizon of temper As wild darkness gushed out from the moon
ہے خلا گردوں میں پیہم کس کی آہِ سرد سے گردشِ کواکب ہے وہم کوئی بےقرار
Hai khala gardon mein paihum kiski ah e sard say / Gardish e kavakib hai weham koi bay qarar
Whose sigh is causing the continuous space The motion of stars is a thought perturbed
ہیچ مقداری پہ صہبا کی نہ ساقی غم کرو وہ جو جُرعَہ نوش ہونگے چھائے گا سب پہ خمار
Haich miqdari pay sehba ki na saqi gham karo / Woh jo juranosh hongay chae ga sub pay khumar
Do not grieve the paucity of wine, oh bearer! All will get drunk when they will take a sip
ہے پیراہن کسی کا شفق، روِ خمِ یار وہ ہی ہے کبھی نورِ قمر، نکہتِ گلزار
Hai pairahan kisi ka shafaq, ro e kham e yar / Woh he hai kbhi noor e kamar, nikhat e gulzar
Twilight, the image of beloved's curls, are drapes of someone The same who is the light of moon, the scent of garden
دیوانگی جگر کی اتر آی بدن میں حرکت نہیں ہے کوئی مگر صورتِ پرکار
Dewangi jigar ki utar ai badan mein / Harkat nahi hai koi magar surat e parkar
Madness of heart has seeped into the body It does not move but like a compass
جس قدر سینے میں جاتا جا رہا ہے تیر دل پکڑتا جا رہا ہے حالتِ جرّار
Jis kadar seenay mein jata ja raha hai teer / Dil pakarta ja raha hai halat e jarat
The deeper the arrow goes The bolder the heart gets
ظلمتِ عالم کو رکھتی تھی ہمارے دل سے دور صورتِ بیضا کی خوبی پر نہ ٹھہری استوار
Zulmat e alam ko rakhti thi humaray dil say dur / Soorat e baiza ki khoobi par na theri ustawar
It would keep darkness of the world away from my heart Alas the quality of bright face was not lasting
دوڑے کسی کے خوف سے ہے خون رگوں میں سایہ سا کوئی رکھتا ہے دل پہ اقتدار
Doray kisi kay khauf say hai khoon ragon mein / Saya sa koi rakhhta hai dil pay iktedar
Blood runs through the veins in fear of someone A spectre rules over my heart
Wehshat meray jigar ki liye phir raha hai aqs
Jis aenay mein utra raiza usay kiya
My reflection carries the ruin of my heart
Breaks every mirror it enters
Na chak hai zameen na asman phata
Phr yafat e junoon nay ruswa kisay kiya
Neither the earth is split nor the sky
Whom has fervor, again, left forlorn
Jaise keh uski yad bhi baqi nahi rahi
Bazm e nigah say tunay rukhsat jisay kiya
As if even his memory was gone
He who lost the ball of your sight
Ak cx e shams ghul raha hai aasman mein / Chaspan karunga rooh ko tere nafas pe mein
An image of sun has a fusing with sky I'll show it the gluing of my soul on your breath
Kar e firaq mein hai kahkeshan khuye wasl hai sayyaron mein / Hai ishq gardon mein nihan jis ko thaqal likhe dimagh
In act of estrangement are galaxies the tact of union is in satellites Love is hidden in the skies which wit writes gravity
Ghazal: Alam e Imkan Mein Kuch Apni Bhi Kawish Hai Ayan
Alam e imkan mein kuch apni bhi kawish hai ayan / Wo hamare dil se nikla aur pareshan ho gaya
In the contingent realm I too have a play played They came out my heart and became anxious
Khush bu o deeda o mas ho gya sara chaman / Wo kabhi pairahan e gul mein jo pinhan ho gya
Pleasant to sight, smell and touch became the lawn They when hid in the dress of bloom
Ab talak aaya bashar ko hoga na aisa khayal / Jo hamare zehn se ab juzw e nisyan ho gya
None as yet has thought of it Which my mind just lost to oblivion
Hai lahu ke rang se goya qafas ki surkhiyan / Is qadar phoota ke sar deewar e zindan ho gya
The prison is painted with blood Head smashed enough to be its wall
Kah raha hai qissa e khwahish nafas ka irtiaash / Larzish e mizhgan se haal e dil bhi uryan ho gya
The excitement in breath is a telltale of desire The sway of lashes is betraying the state of heart
Deed ki chahat lahu ko khinch lai dil se mere / Chhor kar gardish ragon mein daagh e gareeban ho gya
The yearn to gaze has brought the blood out my heart It left coursing the veins and stained the shirt
Aaye ga unke tasawwur mein na kuch mere siwa / Ek pal ko bhi agar yeh haal e dil wan ho gya
They will never imagine but me For a moment if my state of heart is theirs
Chashni tere labon ki hi kare to kuch kare / Har murakkab ka asar ke qatil e jaan ho gya
Sweetness of your lips will do if at all All potions have turned poison
Shiddat e talab ne saman e wasl kar diya / Munjamid aaghosh mein unka guman ho gya
Intensity of want made stuff of union Their thought materialized in my arms
Dekh kar aankhon mein meri bahr parnam ho gya / Dasht ne dekha jo mera dil to weeran ho gya
Looking into my eyes the ocean welled up A glance at my heart deserted the desert
Aql ke pardon pe roshan ishq ki shama hui / Mulhidon ki baat se saman e eeman ho gya
Light of love was shed on blinds of mind Words of heathens became arguments for faith (For Nietzsche)
The mundane motion of day and night is a semblance of semblance. To a penetrative perception each frame has a new frock.
Ghazal: Naqoosh e Ranj e Bayan
Naqush e ranj e bayan aks e dard e hast nahi / Saman e zauq hain ye khogar e qissa e gham ko
The wisps of woe in verse are not of life They are food for the taste of de Sade natured
Taza faghan maqsod hai darya ke nawah mein / Koi surat e bukhar karain halat e nam ko
Fresh wails are wanted by the marge of creek Let us cloud water
Meaning Context: i.e., evaporating water and making clouds by wailing on it, not clouding the water with wails.
Rehne nahi deti hai zehr dil mein hamare / Hai khoon ki gardish raqeeb quwat e sam ko
It lets not venom will in the heart My blood flow is a foe to woe
Na mere nafas e paras ka imtihan lena / Mat khinchna pehlu mein mere nawak e dam ko
Do not strain my stone of a restraint Do not draw your dagger of breath beside me
Guzar e angusht hal kar de zara masala e kakul ka / Wagarna khinch de dast e saba is parda e kham ko
A finger might solve her troubled lock Or Zephyrus may draw this twisted drape
Saman bohat kuye dil mein be-khudi ko hai / Bazm e nigah se door karo surat e khum ko
There is much in the heart to intoxicate Fling away the flask from the rave of sight
Kaise hain wo kahan hain kya dil ka haal hai / Jo ham ko khabar hai na hui saghar e jam ko
How are they, where are they, what goes in their heart What we know Jamshid's bowl did not know (He could see the whole world in a bowl but I snapchat)
Aseer hai saa'at ka falsafa e man o tu / Sani ka hai sani kabhi muti ul arabi
The ideas of me and you are time bound Now in the camp of Sani now in (Ibn) Arabi
Their philosophies were apparently opposing, i.e., of Unity of Being and Unity of Apparent.
Dedicated: For Rameen (Nov 8, 2022)
Ak surat e gul rashk ne aaj bazm e nazar mein / Dera jo lagaya tha uska qissa arz hai
A face to make the rose envy camped in my sight. Tis its tale.
Wo lab chura ke baithe the subh ki lali / Wo shokh rukh jis pe noor e shams qardh hai
Those lips had stolen the red from morn And sun had lent to the brightly made
Un gaison ki chaon jo ho jaye muyassar / To senkron sehraon ka bhi safar fardh hai
To travel a hundred deserts would be due If those locks would agree to give shade
Rukhsar ki narmi pe wo chusti e chaam / Mere shikasta dil ke liye taza maradh hai
The tightness of skin on the smoothness of cheek (dimple) To my tortured heart is the new grey
Teer e tabassum se seena chak kare hai / Phir dil ko nigah cheer de so uska tarz hai
With the arrow of smile she tears the breast Then the sight pierces heart, such is her way
Hum aashna ho jayen maqsad e hayat se / Keh de wo samne ho hamen tum se gharadh hai
I shall know the purpose of life Come, I have matter with you, if she'd say.
Creation is The Unlimited Creator enjoying a limited mode of existence.
Door tujh se hua nahi jata / Tu nahi bazuon in hai agar khayal mein hai
Distance from you is impossible If nestled not in embrace you are in thought
Zindagi ghurbat e hijran mein bhi kat jaye gi / Khush teri yaad ka partaw mere badhaal mein hai
Life in the exile of separation may pass Stately stays your memory's shade, in my bad state
Utar na jaye kisi khana e jigar mein kahin / Rag e khitabat e zakhm e rawan sawal mein hai
May it not enter any chamber of heart A wound addressing vein runs through the question
Utre hai kab zahoor ka libas chah se / Lutf e aah bohat kawish e muhal mein hai
When could desire undress the apparent But oh! The savor of trying the undoable
Naar e hasti se panah hai sharar ke markaz mein / Maal e najat dafn seenay e wabal mein hai
Escape from the flames of life is in the bosom of spark Buried in the heart of pain is deliverance
Phir gharq mujh ko koi hawas karne lagi hai / Shahwat uthi hai ranj ko khush dekh ke mujhe
Some ardor is again going to drown me Pain is lusting over my happiness
Teri wusat ko band kab guman karta hai / Josh kis harf ko hai tujh ko utaron jis mein
When could Your vastness be closed in thought What word has the flow to carry You
Ghazal: Qasid Na Phir Zuban
Qasid na phir zuban ghanimat rahi apni / Kuch dil ka haal hai kuch tujh ko khabar hai
Tongue was again a poor messenger Some is the state of heart else is in your mind
Kab lazat e gunah se khinchta hai apna hath / Chalta nahi hai bas mera so mujh ko sabr hai
When could I pull my hand from the savor of sin I have no will so patience is mine
Mujh pe hai ke halqa e firaq band azal se / Tum lakh gino raqs e sharar hum ko umr hai
The chain of separation has closed me since eternity Count you as much the dance of spark for us is life
Ghalib says "garmi e bazm hai ik raqs e sharar honay tk" i.e., length of life is merely a dance of a spark. I, however, have been in this separation, called life, from my Beloved since eternity. What you call a brief dance of a spark is an entire historical bracket to me.
Har shay mein dikh rahe ho har shay mein chupe ho / Gum ho nazar ke samnay yeh kaisa jabr hai
Apparent in everything, hidden in every framework Lost within sight, what torture is this!
Ak kawish e be-kar ka harakat ko amr hai / Dikhta hai mujhe dar koi deewar agar hai
A useless task has been commanded to action Where there is a wall, I see a door
Phir hai kisi ke dar pe apna sar khula hua / Phir hath mein junoon ke jumbish ka qalam hai
Again at a door my head is split Again in the hand of madness is the pen of movement
Har surat e fana mein baqa ka namood hai / Zahir tha qaba jiski wo poshake qaba hai
In every face of transient is an image eternal Apparent was the dress of which is become the dress of it
Ak seena e bismil hai talab gar e jarahat / Ak husn e zakhm e kari hai rashk e dawa hai
The heart of the wounded wants a wound The art of wounding is praised by the balm
(i.e., The medicine arrives, states "Wow, what a magnificent wound," and leaves without executing a cure).
Har samt se uthne laga ghubar husn ka / Doure hai phir se qibla numa dil ka ghaib ko
A cloud of beauty is rising from every direction The compass of heart is pointing beyond direction
Ghazal: Aajao Mere Samne Qatil Na Kahon Ga
Aajao mere samne qatil na kahon ga / Kab dil mera chatakhta hai josh e lahu se
Come, I won't call you killer The heart does not rupture by the rush of blood
Saman e tuf kashi karo is dasht mein koi / Khali hai jam e shauq mae e justaju se
Someone roll some stuff to smoke No will revolves in the glass of want
Seerat hashish ki sard hai khum kaif se khali / Bazm e suroor shokh karo bada e hoo se
Natureless is hash, no mindlessness in wine Stir up the levee with the bevvy of "Hoo"
Kab hum nafas hua kare kab fahm se paray / Akhir talak dana na huay shokh ki khoo se
When in one breath, when not even in thought Till the end I was not wise of their way
Mizhgan pe haal e raqs ho ya kunj e lab pe bal / Koi to mujh se baat karo jumbish e roo se
Let a lash be in dance or a corner of lip in curve Say something by a twitch on your face
Chahye hai harf e tashnagi kisi ke gosh par / Uth uth ke dhundta hai lab, khumar e sabu se
A word is wanton of thirst on some ear Intoxication jumps out the vessel in search of lip
Ghazal: Pakray Hashish Zor Ya Khoon Karay Had Paar
Pakrede hashish zor ya khoon kare had paar / Aankhein lahu karon kahon dekhe hain uske lab
Let hashish have force or blood leap its bound Have blood shoot in my eyes, I'll say I have seen her lips.
If hashish gets to have its effect, my eyes will get bloodshot, or they could get so if blood shoots out of the arteries. Either way that happens, a mirage of the rose of your lips forms.
Ak wada e qaza pe atki hui hai jaan / Tadbeer us wafa ki akhir ke hogi kab
Life is stuck on a promise of death When will the arrangement of fulfillment be
Mayoosi o dewanigi o tashnagi o gham / Bazm e kharab jam gayi baithe hain mil ke sab
Disappointment and madness, thirst and pain A bad company has set.
Pheeki padi hai bazm jo dil mein to rang hai / Jab tak ragon mein khoon hai to jura'at e tarab
Let the dance be dull if the heart is sharp Till blood is in flow I will dare to be gay
Tu jalwa numa ho gya qatre mein lahu ke / Teh e tegh bhi suroor ka qaim raha sabab
You were reflected in a drop of blood Even under sword I could stay drunk
De kar wajood aankh ko deedaar na diya / Chah e husn mein jalwa fishan hone ki hai ajab
Upon creating the eye, did not give His sight Strange is the desire in Beauty to be seen
Thamta nahi hai pal ko kasrat e be-taab se / Dhunde sukoon dil hai liye khoo e mudhtarib
Breaks not for a moment its beat With a restless nature heart seeks rest
Deed e waham ke shokh ho tham jaye josh e subh / Baar e nazar ko kam karo charhne do taar e shab
Let thought come in clear, slow down gush of morn Let my sight lose burden oh darkness rise
Raftar lahu ki talash kar rahi hai dil / Hai gardish e qamar ko kisi shaam ki talab
The speed of blood seeks heart The circle of moon some night
Ghazal: Boo e Guft Ne Mehka Diya Hai Chaman Tamam
Bo e guft ne mehka diya hai chaman tamam / Noor e qamar hai shams se tujh se hai rang e gul
The garden owes its scent to speech Sun lights the moon, you color the flowers
Nakhun se zakhm ka hai yaara laga hua / Khoon e rawan se daagh lahu ke gaye hain dhul
A fingernail has made friends with cut The flow of blood has wiped its marks
Koi uthi sada to aah mein dab gayi / Wehshat mein aankh ki nami bhi gayi ghul
Sigh suppressed any surge of sound Desolation of the eye has dissolved every hint of tear
Kab tak kitab e zeest ne kuch bhi nahi kaha / Karwat jo ik safhe ne li har baat gayi khul
Till long the book of life was silent A page turned and gave it all away
Baitha hai dasht e dil liye kon chaman mein / Kyun pher liya rukh saba ne chup hui bulbul
Who sits in the garden with a desolate heart Why has the zephyr changed course and philomel is silent
Ghazal: Phir Huay Jate Hain Hum Markaz e Dasht
Phir huay jate hain hum markaz e dasht / Phir wohi gard ke sayyare hain
Again I am the centre of desert Again the same satellites of dust
Bazm mein koi apna hai hi nahi / Hum hain par wo bhi to tumhare hain
No one in the crowd is mine I am, but he too is yours
Teri khushbo mein kuch kisi ki hai / Tum ne kuch din کہیں guzare hain
In your scent there is someone's context You have spent some days somewhere
Aatish e ishq phir bhadakti hai / Taza gham phir hamen pukare hain
Again, the flames of love fire New burns are calling me
Qafile kyun saba ke tund huay / Uljhan e shokh ko sanware hain
Why did the caravans of wind sharpen? To resolve her locks
Chashm e jana mein nami kya umdi / Muntasher raat ke sitare hain
What of her eyes' dew The night's pearls are astray
Khul gaye yun ke ab nahi bharte / Sang khoo zakhm sab hamare hain
Once gashed they do not aggregate Stone natured are my wounds
Ab nazar kyun kis ko aayen ge / Masnad e deed se utare hain
Why would anyone see me now They are removing me from the seat of sight
Tere bazu tarash lete hain / Tu nahi, waham ke sahare hain
They carve up your arms If not you, I have my thoughts
Kis taraf rukh karain ge kashti ka / Door qulzum ke sab kinare hain
Where to turn the boat? Afar are all the shores
Jata nahi khayal se jana tera jana / Shab e hijr ki nahi hai shab haye hijr hain
Your going does not go from thought There is no single night of separation but continuous nights
Mera wajood kya hai? Teri khayal hai / Sab surtain nazar mein tera husn e zikr hain
What am I? Your thoughts And all that I see? Your words
Taish mein aa gayi junoon ki hawas / Aankh mein phir lahu bhadakta hai
The lust of madness is enraged Blood is inflamed in my eyes again
Rag e ragon ki had mein ab nahi hai lahu / Be-aql dil abas dhadakta hai
Blood is beyond the veins now Pointless beats the mindless heart
Ho kisi khak ko umeed e gohar / Abr e ishq fard fard tadapta hai
Let some dirt long to be pearl The cloud of love writhes man to man
Ghazal: Kaif e Dil Kashi Ne Aql e Chashm Cheen Li
Kaif e dil kashi ne aql e chashm cheen li / Rang e husn hai qaba pe ya wo be-hijab hain
Mind of sight is lost to the high of beauty Is her shade on the dress or is she without one?
Bazm e hisab mein kaha gaya hamen "tum kon ho"? / Qaid ak sawal mein so yun sare jawab hain
In their court I was asked, "Who are you?" So in one question are all the answers
Mahshar ko zara taal do dam ko rawan rakho / Wajib kuch abhi husn o nigah ke hisab hain
Delay the day of doom, keep the breath running Some matters between the eye and beauty are unsettled
Kyun kijiye haqeeqat e majaz par shubha / Hum bhi isi manzar ke hain hum bhi sarab hain
Why should I doubt the reality of apparent I am from this scene, I too am a mirage (To an illusion, illusion is real)
Deedaar ne tare lahu ko tegh kar diya / Doure hai jin ragon mein unhein chaak kare hai
Your sight has turned blood into blade Cuts the very veins it runs in
Le ja tu apni hasratin uski gali se door / Kyun mera guzar naqsh e naaz khak kare hai
Take your zeal away from her street Why should my passing mar her print
Ek aagah ka zauq e na-aagahi hun mein / Har shay se shanasa hun apna pata nahi
I am the taste of not knowing of One who knows it all Familiar with everything but myself
Kis araq se phoota hai yeh paikar e dil aara / Khush roo hai gar is intiha ka khoo kya hogi
From what essence did this heart enticing form burst / If face is full of such delight what would the temper be
Wherever life is, it bursts into appearance around it (Emerson framework alignment).
Ak khana e bismil se pareshan hain sab hawas / Aur tere ghar mein gardish e rang o boo kya hogi
There is my bad abode to bother every sense And what would be the flow of scent and colour at your address
Ashk e nishaat bhi hain rawan aab e ranj mein / Hasrat shanas aur tujhe kis tarah karain
Tears of bliss and agony are in accord How else do I divulge my desire
The poet, while communicating to God his desire, is in a state of which Nietzsche says: "The genuine aboriginal Dionysiac experience would be most intense pleasure and most intense pain at the same time and in the same person". He cannot express his wishes more clearly.
P.S. If you must judge my expression, do so from the poetry. Spare the notes which try to snare fleeting thoughts with whatever arsenal of words is at their instantaneous disposal. They care not for grammar let alone beauty, the sole aim is to capture thought before it is lost forever.
Kaliyan baddid chaman mein hain zahir nahi hotin / Kar e bahar ho chuka ab aap hi guzrin
The buds are adamant to stay unbloomed Spring has tried its work, now you must pass
Lagta hai ke din bujh gya aur raat ho gayi / Kis dhaj se teri zulf ru e shams pe bikhrein
As if the day is done and night has come With what way your locks lay upon the sun
What is Junoon? Ecstacy? Madness? Burn much of your work. No one but your own mind is worth receiving it. Lament later. That is a doing of it. Alas! I have experienced this too. Agreement in ToM framework mapping.
Bat tarashte huay hum sar ujaad baithe hain / Qaid mein junoon ki ek sang tha khula hua
While carving a head I have split mine In the bounds of madness a stone was free
Kya rang tujhe chahiye ae dil mujhe bata / Raqs e bahar bhi hai chaman zaar zaar bhi
What color do you want oh dear heart The spring is in dance, the garden is in mourn
Wo hasrat e dam de ke chala aaye tuf kada / Ahl e suroor mein ho so apna shumar bhi
Give that greed to gasp, the smoke house comes floating So among the sot we too would be sought
Ghazal: Ehsas e Ziyan Se Qaza Qabl Az Qaza Hui
Ehsas e ziyan se qaza qabl az qaza hui / Karwat pe zindagi ki zauq e wajood tha
The sense of loss rushed the time of death At the turn of life was the taste for it
Prince Myshkin (Dostoevsky) tells of a man who was so overwhelmed at the loss of life just before his execution that he wanted death sooner. His man wanted to die; mine did.
Daagh e tan aasan ne khola na gohar mera / Chand badalon ki qaid mein din ka namood tha
My skill was veiled by lethargy A few clouds had imprisoned the sun
Har surat e gul mein thi teri shakl numayan / Kar e bahar o baghban be-sood tha
Every face of flower was your face The work of spring and gardener was for naught
Ak shauq e intihae ishq le ke chal pada / Dil ko kahan koi dimagh e hudood tha
An intense passion led me away The heart had no capacity for boundaries
Mahshar ne sada di mein uski yaad mein gum tha / Haibat mein soor ki mujhe kaif e sarood tha
When the judgment day called, I was in Their thoughts The dread of trumpet had the magic of lute
Ae dil ki khilish kis tarah uski nazar mein aa / Dashna e deed tez ho rahe hain taish se
Oh itch of heart get in their sight The dagger of eyes is getting sharpened by anger
Har rah guzar pe khoon ki nadiyan hain rawana / Maqtal hua hai shahr kisi zauq e aish se
Every road has become a beck of blood Some taste of mirth has turned the town red
Khamoshion ki bazm jami khana e dil mein / Surat teri khayal mein bhi kuch nahi kahti
A crowd of silences has gathered in my heart You won't speak even in the thoughts
Paband kisi zill e shokh ki hui hogi / Dharkan mere dil ki mere dil mein nahi rahti
Some beauty's shade must have caught it The beat of my heart doesn't beat in it
Ak halat e tazabzub hun ae ru e mihr / Dekhein na tujhe dil gaya dekhein nazar gayi
I am confused, oh sun faced To look is the loss of sight, to not is of heart
How beautifully the common phrase, "I am confused," projects a time-bound sense. It is automatically understood that I am being confused right now. Consider this in light of the idea of human being in time. I am a man, I am a poet, I am a psychologist, I am confused. As if to say, in these moments I have become confusion itself. The same but clearer sense is produced when saying I am asleep, that is, I am a sleep. I am sleep right now. Sleep is not only what I am doing but what I am, for what I do is what I am.
Wehshat ne chupaya mera nang e wajood / Ras ras ke gham badan se poshake gham ho gya
Desolation hid my bare body Enough pain seeped to become a dress
Imagine a pain overflowing so from the countenance, the onlooker does not notice the body naked but only that it is in pain. Traces of stones were found from my hands; the healing hand discovered the disease. These notes function as undeveloped verses.
Har sang se uljhe hai har aag mein jale / Apne he waste nahi hai mujh ko kuch dimagh
Scuffles with every stone, burns in every fire My mind has none for itself
Doure ragon mein gard hai seene mein dasht hai / Wehshat ka dhundta hai dil kyun shahr mein suragh
Dirt runs through the veins, a desert in the breast For clues of desolation why the heart searches the city
Phoote gi kisi khana e tareek se shafaq / Zulmat ka tang hoga kuch daman e faragh
From some dark chamber twilight will burst The vastness of darkness will somewhat shrink
Mat dhund tu apni pehli si waza dil / Roshan kare hai ak naya ghulte huay har daagh
Forget about finding your old face, heart Each wound upon dissolving resolves a new one
Taban karain ge teergi mein teri yaad ko / Dil ko jalaiye ke muyassar nahi chiragh
I shall enlighten your memory in darkness Let me kindle my heart for there is no lamp
Ghazal: Baar e Garan Hai Sahar Ka Uthna
Baar e garan hai sahar ka uthna mere oopar / Goya ke shams kandon pe mere dhara hai
The rise of dawn weighs heavy on me As if the sun is perched upon my shoulders
Fernando Pessoa: "Why does the day have to dawn? Knowing that it will dawn wearies me, as if it required some enormous effort on my part." Relate this directly to our design paradigm of using giants as jumping grounds.
Sheeshe ne mujhe kis ke roo-baroo hai kar diya / Odhe huay yeh khaal meri kon khada hai
In front of whom has the mirror brought me Wearing my skin, who stands?
Ae dil na khinch mujh ko is rah guzar pe tu / Azad wahan pe ak sang pada hai
Oh heart, don't drag me on that road A stone is laying there unbounded
Hain tez bohat bazm mein karne ko tujhe chaak / Kyun ek he talwar pe ae dil tu ada hai
Many are sharp to cleave you, oh heart Why are you adamant on a single sword
Na chain hai junoon ko na tujh ko rahm hai / Teri talab ka khabt tere dil se bada hai
No peace to my madness, no mercy in you The mania to have you is bigger than your heart
Mujh pe mera he aks band kar diya gya / Aina mujh se pochta hai wo kidhar gayi
I am denied my reflection The mirror asks, "where is she?"
Kab khud se juda husn ne kiya hai ishq ko / Jis shay ko banaye hai usay ghar bhi kare hai
When did Beauty ever leave Love Whatever They made was made Their home
Love is defined strictly by its yearning. It yearns for beauty. All that is made is love as it yearns for its Maker, though unbeknownst to it, the Maker lives natively within the system container.
Ak jazba e do dil hai ragon mein meri rawan / Sulgaye kabhi aankh kabhi tar bhi kare hai
A Janus-faced passion courses my veins Now it burns the eye, now it turns it wet
Ghazal: Mizhgan Pe Haal e Raqs Ho Ya Kunj e Lab Pe Bal
Mizhgan pe haal e raqs ho ya kunj e lab pe bal / Ae husn kis shakl mein aaj roo-baroo ho tum
Are you a dance on lash or a curve on the corner of lip Oh Beauty, in what face are you in front today
Teri qurbat mein haal e raqs ka parda raha mujh par / Ho kar nazar ke samnay bhi justaju ho tum
The veil of my whirl hid You from me I longed for You even in Your Presence
Ho ghaib mein ayan kabhi majaz mein ho gum / Ho dil kashi chaman ki kabhi husn e boo ho tum
Now clear in beyond, now hidden in apparent You are the lure of flowers and beauty of their scent
Har jazba e dil ka hai rukh teri taraf / Ho noor ki surat bhi paikar e adu ho tum
To You my every passion turns You are my love and whom she loves
Ho dhoop mein shajar kabhi ho dasht e serab / Kis kis shakl mein noor meri aarzo ho tum
Shade in the sun, mirage in the desert Noor, you are many masks of my desire
Oh foolish sight undo your linking
Nothing but loss will ensue this drinking
The heart will renew its losing art
From heedless home it will depart
And I will have none again
For love, my loss, would be a gain
For greater good then heart away
On the bridge of vision go find a way
To one who would steal go willingly
But plot a design for filling me
Exile from your new home its old dweller
To your old home, do impel her
Hence, I shall anew be loved
Be counted amongst beloved
I have felt the most
I have lived the most
Love makes you lose nous and maybe that is the point. To absurdly follow in an absurd world.
Tujh se aziz tar hai furqat ka teri gham / Teri khala ko tu bhi ab bhar na sake gi
Dearer than you is the pain of losing you Even you can't fill your void
The Confrontation with Noor: Now you're calling me Noor, telling me that this book is fanning the unconscious embers of our forgotten love to a flame which is consuming you entirely. You're telling me that you're burning with a desire to have me. Let me show you the shallow face of your feelings with which you are soiling the sacred name of love. It is not the book that is arousing these feelings, but the fact that it is famous. Had I written twenty times the volume of this for you, just for your eyes, you would not have bothered to read the only handwritten copy. You want to know what love is? I will tell you. Even after realizing that love is temporal and constructing an entire philosophical system from that single thought, my heart is betraying my own mind and refusing to love another. It shackles me to the word I gave years ago that there will be none after you. That is love. Now even you cannot take your place. The magnetic feelings of that precious month, which were in another me and another you, are lost forever. There is nothing to redeem now. You are not her. I am not him. That love will not happen again. The love whose loss is dearer than loving whoever you are now. Even you cannot fill your void.
Jo tu nahi nazar mein to kuch bhi nahi hai / Zahir mujhe subh ab kuch kar na sake gi
If you are not in sight then nothing is The morning will not reveal a thing now
Ghazal: Jo Beh Gaya Aankhon Se
Jo beh gaya ankho say us gham ko kyn daikho / Jo zabt mein machal raha hai uska dard hai
Why pity the pain that escaped the eyes Which writhes within restraint, hurts
Kya dhundhtay ho gardish e alam mein khizan ko / Hai dil ka koi rang keh har shakh zard hai
Why search for autumn in the wheel of world Some colour of the heart is turning the leaves yellow
Kya janiye khushi hai hamain ya hain ranj mein / Ik bay hisi hai josh mein dil e naar sard hai
What to say if I am gay or glum Numb are all the senses, nub of flame is snow
Kya halat e lahu kahun jo beh gaya hai sab / Kya dil ki dastan likhun jo gard gard hai
What to say of blood that has all drained What to tale the heart that is all dust
Woh apny naqsh gharh raha hai dur kahen say / Dhundo gay kis gali mein jo khala navard hai
From afar he is setting his impressions Where on earth will you find the space wanderer
Ak kashmakash rawan hai tere aab e deeda mein / Chhori thi aankh dard in rukhsar pe khush hain
A confusion is flowing in your tears Sad to leave the eyes, happy to slide on cheeks
Hum say paray karo ye aql o fahm ki zanjeer / Dil kay ghulam hain so dimagh kush hain
Keep these chains of reason away I am a slave of heart, a murderer of mind
Apni tarap say junbish e aflaq hai mumkin / Taron ka jhilmilana hai dil ka dharakna
My disquiet moves the skies The beat of heart is the twinkle of stars
Noor e nihan phoote keh haal e gard ho gohar / "Phir wadi e faran kay har zarray ko chamka day"
May the hidden glow break and dust be diamond "Let each speck of Faran gleam bright" (Iqbal alignment)
For Iqbal it was the macro-desert. For me, it is localized. I am the wilderness, I am the dirt of Faran. Mine are the sighs which long to carry out the hidden light on their vague shoulders. His are the words, mine is the active passion. Break then, oh barren heart! Shed your bloody cloak! Bare the vital mirror within that I may gleam His Noor, for my noor is gone. Break and let all who see me wandering the streets at night whisper, "Look where goes the white hand of Moses."
For the entire day I am tied to the rock. The eagle of anxiety, stress, headache, people and mediocrity - my own mediocrity, eats the liver of my emotions and then a line or two is illuminated. I hope some publisher, some agent, somewhere will recognize this Promethean effort of my consciousness to steal the fire, spark by spark, from the Olympian depths of unconsciousness and cry out, "Genius! I will champion you." Pessoa feared the life of literature to be more real than the human life which authors it and that our purpose was only to create that higher life. I have no doubt the life of this work is far greater than the trivialities I live, the best of me is the totality of this, and that it will outlive me. I fear though that its dawn would rise after my dusk has set. How I pray for my obscure trivialities to shine in the light of Noor, to be known as the barrel in which this whiskey aged.
But wait in patience, heart. The wisest of men advised: "And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” — Muhammad ﷺ
The poetry of the Quran speaks to the higher intellects, the message to all. In every verse there is matter for the whole spectrum of intellects. The so-called high books are only accessible to the high. The masses may not penetrate Heidegger's Being and Time or Bergson's Time and Free Will. Spinoza pointed out the same quality in Divine scriptures which is their ability to speak to all. Nietzsche attempted the same with his Buch für Alle und Keinen. It missed the "all" part. That is the best from humans regarding this particular quality.
A wise child. To be like a child but full of wisdom. To be not corrupted by life.
The Tool in Daily Operation:
You can simply take random sentences and apply the temporal lens to them. Consider this text by Dr. Michael Sugrue: "A stoic philosopher is like a man who has liberated himself from fear. He is not afraid of death. He is not afraid of pain. He is not afraid of other peoples' dismissal as a fool. The only thing he cares about is that he should meet his moral obligations."
Observe the structural adjustment through our lens: A stoic philosopher is like a man who has liberated himself from fear (At times he has, at times he has not; fear acts on a variable spectrum within bounded brackets of time). He is not afraid of death (Context-dependent). He is not afraid of pain (Context-dependent). He is not afraid of other peoples' dismissal as a fool (Context-dependent). The only thing he cares about is that he should meet his moral obligations (Context-dependent).
This is what I mean by it being a direct operational lens. Once established in your mind, it automatically invokes whenever an idea falls under it. Like right now, I was scrolling through the discover section of Snapchat and there was a title "These features attract men most" and I instantly thought: well, not always; at times they would, at times they won't. You have to check if they attracted a particular person in a particular bracket of time or not. You start seeing daily life interactions precisely as they stand: functions of continuous time. This is why it is pragmatic and existential.
In great works of writing, greatness in the words is secondary. Primarily it lies in the thought. To a Divine thought, sublime words are drawn as moths to flame. Do not say, "she writes so well." She thinks so well.
Humanity's effort to search for extraterrestrial life by looking for waves such as we disturb reeks of laughable hubris. What we generate is a result of our technological development which in turn is a result of the evolution of our consciousness. Even a slight change in this evolution would have changed the course of our development, it might not even have been technological per se. Consider the evolution of a state of consciousness such as being high on hashish, over millennia. If everyone were high, we would have developed differently. Even more so if the high was from psychedelics and different for each psychedelic. It can be assumed to a certainty that wherever, whatever has evolved, has not done so to broadcast electromagnetic waves.
Gham e furqat e majaz ki dil pay thi yehi chap
Koi rah chalta saya kisi sang pay ho k guzra
The impression of pain of worldly separation was this much on heart
Some stray shadow drifted over some stone
Chahat uthi hai dasht ko darya ka guzar ho
Koi rang zindagi ka meray rang pay ho k guzra
Wilderness has desired the passage of water
A colour of life has passed over my shade
Kuch teergi ko josh tha kuch bojh deed pay
Guzri jo kahen roshni humko dikhi nahi
Some flow was in darkness, some weight on the sight
If light had passed somewhere, I could not see
Kyn kisi diwar mein rozan kay honay ki cha ho
Hum raheen e soz rakhain gay musarat ko kahan
Why should any wall hold desire for a way
We dwell in pain, where will joy be kept
Halka e gulshan mein aa pohnchay hain lay k rang e ashk
Har kali py oos likhaingay ibarat ko kahan
Reached the garden's range with tear coloured ink
Dew is on every petal, where will I write?
This repository is copied from the manuscript of Noor.