No Allegiance

Hum ne yazeed-e-waqt se baeyat nahi kari:
Har morh par zamaane ko hum yaad aayenge...
[Manzar Bhopali]

Translation (rough):
No allegiance did we pay to the tyrant of the time:
At every turn will we be remembered by the world...

Manzar invokes the history of a specific period in time with reference to the challenge to a powerful tyrant, but I think his intent is clearly general - tyrants have changed forms from individual despotic rulers to governments to military-industrial complexes, yet their negative impact on human life and the associated desire of a few to challenge hegemony remains part of life...

Did my concurrent reading of Chris Hedge's "Empire of Illusion" have something to do with remembering this verse...

[Siyaah]

Bachaana Hai

Sawaalon ko jawaabon se bachaana hai-
Khudaaon ko kitaabon se bachaana hai...

by Siyaah [work in progress]


Rough translation [with interpretation]:
Questions have to be protected from answers [some mysteries should remain mysteries rather than be attacked by easy answers]
Gods have to be protected from books [the idea of God has to be protected from the distortion that necessarily arises when it is written down in books, in contrast to seeking it through experience...].

Ash'aar-e-Siyaah

Humein to bas ab apne hi ash'aar pasand aate hain Siyaah
Baaqi - auron ka kalaam - sab jhooth sa lagta hai...


Rough translation:
Only my own verses do I like anymore, Siyaah
The rest - the penmanship of others - all seems false...

[Moments of pride confessed in their own verses are fairly common amongst Urdu poets - and somehow loved by their audience...one wonders why. Also, is this is a style unique to Urdu poets...]

Wafaa-e-Siyaah

Aap se nazar milaa lete hum

Zindagi ko bachaa lete hum

Aap taaroof zaraa bhi karte

Kuchh to apna pataa dete hum

Zindagi talkh hui, aakhir kab tak

Ek yaad-e-shirin ka mazaa lete hum

Gham-e-duniya ke liye waqt kahan

Khud se itne pareshaan rehte hum

Aaj shaayar hain to keh lene do

Kal sochenge kya na kehte hum

Rang har ek tha wahaan aakhir

Kab tak wafaa-e-Siyaah sehte hum

-----

Taaroof: introduction (especially formal, polite), formality

Talkh: bitter

Shirin: sweet

A work in progress...[by Siyaah]

Murg-e-Sahar: Bird of Dawn

Murg-e-Sahar


Those of us who find Urdu poetry and its rendition through classical Hindustani music close to our hearts, will immediately relate to the similar effect of "Murg-e-Sahar" in Persian poetry with Persian classical music. I thought I would introduce Urdu fans here to this gem, on the occasion of the Persian new year that started a couple of weeks ago with Naurooz ("new day"). 

The song is traditional, written by Mohammad Taghi 'Bahaar', and the music was originally composed by Morteza Neydavood. Several artists have sung it, but the traditional style of Shajarian (in this video) is considered the pinnacle. 

Perhaps I should attempt a translation...but till then, here is one that helps with the key words.