I first heard this poem more than sixty years ago. Our eldest brother, Air Vice Marshal Manjit Singh used to sing it in parties, and it was always well received. Behzad Lakhnawi (born 1895) composed the lyrics, and he was an acclaimed poet. But after the partition, he migrated to Pakistan, and we heard no more of him.
Recently, someone sent me a link to its rendition and I have played it several times. I was also able to get the lyrics along with the English translation. I am mesmerized by the thoughts they convey. The last verse (called maqta in Urdu adab) does not carry his name, but it is an absolute masterpiece.
For the lovers of Urdu shayari, the words are given below. And at the end I have given a link to the YouTube recording.
ai jazba-e-dil gar main chahun, har cheez muqabil aa jae
by Behzad Lakhnavi
ai jazba-e-dil gar maiñ chāhūñ har chiiz muqābil aa jaa.e
manzil ke liye do gaam chalūñ aur sāmne manzil aa jaa.e
My heart’s resolve if I so wish, all will be so near and clear
I take two steps toward my goal, and straight ahead it would appear
ai dil kī ḳhalish chal yūñhī sahī chaltā to huuñ un kī mahfil meñ
us vaqt mujhe chauñkā denā jab rañg pe mahfil aa jaa.e
O heartache, come, I do agree, to go and join her company
there rouse me from my reverie, when it befits the atmosphere
ai rahbar-e-kāmil chalne ko tayyār to huuñ par yaad rahe
us vaqt mujhe bhaTkā denā jab sāmne manzil aa jaa.e
I’m set to venture forth mine guide, but by this you must abide
from the path turn me aside, when the journey’s end is near
haañ yaad mujhe tum kar lenā āvāz mujhe tum de lenā
is rāh-e-mohabbat meñ koī darpesh jo mushkil aa jaa.e
yes, you may think of me and be, at liberty, call out for me
if in these paths of love you see anything that makes you fear
ab kyuuñ DhūñDūñ vo chashm-e-karam hone de sitam bālā-e-sitam
maiñ chāhtā huuñ ai jazba-e-ġham mushkil pas-e-mushkil aa jaa.e
why should I seek her kindness say, let her tortures pile away
O grief for what I now do pray, is troubles even more severe
is jazba-e-dil ke baare meñ ik mashvara tum se letā huuñ
us vaqt mujhe kyā lāzim hai jab tujh pe mirā dil aa jaa.e
This counsel I do seek from you, about my inner feelings true
What is it that I should do, when I am smitten by you dear
ai barq-e-tajallī kauñdh zarā kyā tū ne mujh ko bhī muusā samjhā hai
maiñ tuur nahīñ jo jal jā.ūñ jo chāhe muqābil aa jaa.e
O brilliant lightning tell me do you think me to be Moses too
no matter what it may come to, I am not Tuur to burn or sear
The Last shayer
aatā hai jo tūfāñ aane do kashtī kā ḳhudā ḳhud hāfiz hai
mumkin to nahīñ in maujoñ meñ bahtā huā sāhil aa jaa.e
Storm does not scare me; because, the Lord Himself is my Protector
I know, that it is not possible for the shore to float on the waves and come !
Link to the Ghazal sung by Nayara Noor
urdu shayari ka mizaajjj
kuch aour hee hai
teachtein hain merey poet
Akhtar Jawad
of Pakistan
eh English poet
tuuu bhee urdu ka shayar poet hai
urdu aatee naheen
par mijaaz toe hai
zaika urdu ka
tere jubaan sey sun kar
humare dimaag se takra kar
hummein hee sharminda kar deta hai
quatil app hee naheen
hummeen hain sabhee
O ENGLISH INDO CANADIAN POET
TERE URDU HEE SUNNLAYNGAY SUBHEE
LIKHTA CHAL URDU MEI HEE SAHEE
MUBARIK hogi ek din tere shayari
not much difference
in HINDI AND URDU
shayar tuu bhee sahee
To surjit sing
Jis ghazal ke bare mien aap ne likhaa hia ye behzad lakhnavi ki shahkar ghazloon mien se aik hia. Iss gazal ki maqbooliyat pakistan se hooi.
Behzad lakhnavi ki Aik ghazal india mien bhi buhat maqbool hia Jise begum akhter ne gaa yaa
Deewana banana hia tu dewaana Bana dye
Warna kahien taqdeer tamasha Na Bana dye.
Aye jazba dil kaa mqtaa hia
Aye daste talab mera Zima aye daste sakhaa mera Zima
Iss dr pe tere gr koi bhi behzad saa saail aa Jaye
very motivating lines.
Resp Dear General, Sir,
What beautiful words ! What a melodious voice !
Bahot khoob !!
Regards;
KP
Cdr. K.P. Jani I.N. (Retd.)
at Ahmedabad
Dear KPJ
Thanks.
To appreciate this ghazal you need a perceptive mind. And every one is not as blessed as you!
Surjit
Thanks Surjit. Thins Gazal has been my favourite too for a long time. Very ‘nafees’ shaaery butifully rendered by the young lady. I was lucky to have learnt enough Urdu before it was banished from our part of divided India. Don’t mind being somewhat older for that.
PPS GILL
Bhai Sahib
Urdu can not die, as long as the poets use it as their favoured language.
No other Indian language has the phonetics.
Surjit
Dear Surjit,
Thanks for the link. It was nice listening to the ghazal once again. It is one of my favourites too.
Regards
Surendra Rishi
Sir jee,
When we were young, we were told to forget Urdu. Then came the likes of Sahir, Kaifi Azmi and Gulzar.
The so called ‘Bollywood’ revived Urdu. Now it is here to stay. And I do not know why, but there is a connection between wine and Urdu verse. It is the universal language of the bars, all over India.
Surjit
Prose in Urdu is said to be as good as poetry in other languages…if that be so then how do we describe poetry in Urdu?
Compare this lyric with what is coming now in songs, be they in Hindi or Punjabi.
Or is it that we are lagging by two generations from the present times?
Thanx for this superb lyric.
Surinder
Surinder,
A lot of research has been done on this subject. Why Urdu poetry is so rich is indeed a question worthy of serious study.
My personal feeling is that the phonetics of Urdu make it suitable for romantic verse. The other factor is the influence of some masters like Mir Taqi Mir, Ghalib, Faiz, Iqbal to name just a few.
Urdu can not die, even if it does not receive any support from the State.
Surjit
Beautiful expressions put in to words and soulfully rendered by d singer. A friend fwdd itvn I thoroughly enjoyed listening. Thanks
Mrs Sarawjeet Jha
Dear Surjit,
Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful Ghazal and for its poetic translation.
It was treat to hear its rendition from Nayara.
Regards
Brig Dr BD Mishra
Course Mate
Thanks, Buddy!
Why don’t you share some of your anecdotes with our readers?
SS
Very beautiful experience. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Cheers
Dear Gen Surjit,
Where do you get such gems from? I am not conversant with urdu to the extent . The beauty of music and the wordings don’t need that that expertise !!!
Thank you so much
Best regards
Ramani k
Ramani,
Gems sparkle…and my eye spots them, because I have readers like you!!!
The beauty of these precious words lies in the ears of the beholders…
SS
This is a GEM . Thank you for sharing,Sir.
Hari,
I am glad that you appreciate Urdu.
Do you remember Capt Rao, who used to sing, “Daka to nahin dala…”
He did not understand the meanings, and yet he could regale us with the ghazal!
SS
Music transcends the boundaries of language sir. The appeal is universal.
Great Ghazal by a great poet and well sung in old old classical Ghazal singing style. Some of Brhzad’s ghazals are also sung by the great late Begum Akhtar. Thanks.
A very nice Ghazal.Heard after a long time.Thanx a lot Surjit
Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful! Will share on soul2soul!
Warm regards
Neena
Thanks.
It was great meeting you and PP Singh ji yesterday.
I am working on Malnutrition theme.
SS
THANKS IT IS BEAUTIFUL. I ENJOYED IT INDEED
Thank you. This is my favourite, though some stanzas are new and the rendition is also different.
Thanks ever so much for sharing.
Very good indeed.
With best regards,
Lt Gen Raj Kadyan
Chairman IESM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51vs6jZMHgU
Susheel,
Great to hear from you!
Do tell us all the news about your family
Surjit
BBG,
Thanks.
What lovely Punjabi!
SS
Thanks General, its embedded in my thoughts too as my eldest brother, Mr Arun Coomar, still renders this gazal which once he did with great flourish when in good company.
Ashok Coomar
What a coincidence!
Surjit
Heard this quite often from Lt Col Sob John(AEC) when we were small kids in the IMA.
The IMA used to have a ‘Hindustani Sabha’, which would organise Hindi dramas/mushaira close to the POP. My parents were associated with this for many years.
Later,heard this gazal from Sudhir Narain, a famous singer in Agra, at the FON Offr’s Mess. His version is on You tube as well.
I remember two lines, which don’t figure here, but Col Sob John used to sing them / I may be wrong:
“Manzil ki taraf do gaam to kya, ek gaam bhi chal kar na jaoon
Jab khwaish e manzil ho jaye to samne manzil aajaye”
Regards sir
Ajay,
Yes. I remember Col Sob John. By a coincidence, he settled down in Hosur, and I used to meet him very often. His son, Mushtaq joined us in Ashok Leyland, and that bonded us further.
No. The couplet you have mentioned is not a part of this ghazal. It appears to have been added by a lesser poet. Its genre appears to be different.
Incidentally, I learnt from Mushtaq, that the original name of Col Sob John was ‘Sahib Jaan’ and a teacher in his English school changed it when he was young. Both his sons joined the army and retired as Lt Cols. The old man passed away in 2003.
It would be great if you could do a piece on your parents and their association with the IMA. I think his length of service in Dehradun would be a record!
Love and regards,
Surjit
Nice one General Surjit Sir !
Saleekey se hawaaoin mein jo khushboo ghol saktey hain,
Abhi kuchh log baki hain jo Urdu bol saktey hain.
Regards,
Vipan Passi
Subhaan Allah!
Your words are music to my ears!
I invite you to write something for the blog.
Surjit
Ghazal has survived through ages, it is this aromatic freshness which keeps people of this part of the world so glued to this Kohinoor of our poetry culture.
PEOPLE have always enjoyed the ‘Lehzaa’ of Ghazal/shaere-O-shayari BEFITTING and pleasing to convey max of human sentiments/sensitivities. BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR-THE KING WROTE THIS..
Baat karnī mujhe mushkil kabhī aisī to na thī
jaisī ab hai tErī mahfil kabhī aisī to na thī
le gayā chhīn ke kaun aaj tirā sabr o Karār
be-Karārī tujhe ai dil kabhī aisī to na thī
us kī āñkhoñ ne ḳhudā jaane kiyā kyā jaadū
ki tabī.at mirī maa.il kabhī aisī to na thī
ab kī jo rāh-e-mohabbat meñ uThā.ī taklīf
saḳht hotī hameñ manzil kabhī aisī to na thī
chashm-e-Kātil mirī dushman thī hamesha lekin
jaisī ab ho ga.ī Kātil kabhī aisī to na thī
Sultan,
Indeed.
I am told that ‘ghazal’ in its present form is more than three hundred years old. Mir Taqi Mir added a great deal, and even Ghalib accepted him as his mentor.
Thanks for the piece sent by you.
Surjit
Dear Surjit Sir,
I am greatly pleased to go through the lyrics & translation thereof. It may be worth mentioning that Urdu has been a very sweet & heart touching language, as highlighted when a ghazal is composed & penned by a learned poet. The last shayer brings out that extreme difficulties should be greeted as our lord(God Almighty) will take care of such difficulties & these will pass of with time.
You may to like visit these two links given below:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jII_D3Uk2a4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jII_D3Uk2a4
Another link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCRvHmqoVZk takes you to another ghazal sung by Nyara Noor -AEY ISHQ HAMEIN BARBAAD NA KAR.
Thanks for all your love for shayree. Hope the number of people patronizing ghazals & classical music increase.I enjoyed this post.
With fond regards,
B B Ghai