Shade of love…
This is my translation of a poem by my homeboy Makhdoom Mohiuddin. I did this last week, and the translation is still a work in progress — so if you know Urdu and English, and have suggestions, please hit me up in the comments (same goes for transliteration).
The poem itself was collected in his 1944 anthology, Surkh Sawera, or Red Dawn.
مخدوم محی الدین
ہم محبت کی چھاؤں میں سوتے تھے جب
خار بھی پُھول معلوم ہوتے تھے جب
ابتدائے جنون کی وہ اک بات تھی!
وہ محبّت کی تاروں بھری رات تھی
دِل کے تاروں سے مِضراب ٹکراگیا
آتشیں لئے اُٹھی کیف ساچھاگیا
حُسن کا وار جو تھا وہ بھر پور تھا
جس کو دیکھا نظر بَھر کے وہ طُور تھا
دِل کو اک بار سَب دھوگئیں بجلیَاں
میری رگ رگ میں حل ہوگئیں بجلیَاں
دردِ دل کا بَہانہ بَنی دِل لگی
آنسوؤں کا فسَانہ بنی دِل لگی
پَل کے پَل میں بدلنے لگی زندگی
غم کے سانچوں میں ڈھلنے لگی زندگی
چاہ کا دِن ڈھلا شام ہونے لگی
دِل دھڑکنے لگا آنکھ رونے لگی
رات اور دن یُوںہی آتے جاتے رہے
حُسن اور عِشق تکمیل پاتے رہے
muhabbat ki chhaoN
makhdoom mohiuddin
hum muhabbat ki chhaoN meiN sote the jab
Khaar bhi phool maloom hote the jab
ibtida-e junooN ki woh ek baat thi
woh muhabbat ki taaroN bhari raat thi
dil ke taaroN se mizrab Takra gaya
aatisheeN lae uThi keif sa chha gaya
husn ka vaar jo tha woh bharpoor tha
jis ko dekha nazar bhar ke woh toor tha
dil ko ek baar sab dho gaeeN bijliyaN
meri rag rag meiN hal ho gaeeN bijliyaN
dard-e dil ka bahaana bani dil lagi
aanso’oN ka fasaana bani dil lagi
pal ke pal meiN badalne lagi zindagi
gham ke saanchoN meiN Dhalne lagi zindagi
chaah ka din Dhala shaam hone lagi
dil dhaRakne laga aankh rone lagi
raat aur din yooNhi aate jaate rahe
husn aur ishq takmeel paate rahe
Shade of Love
Makhdoom Mohiuddin
When I slept in the shade of love
Even thorns seemed to be flowers then
That was a matter of the beginning of passion!
That was a night of love, full of stars
My heart’s strings were struck by the pick
Fires rose up, a kind of intoxication cast over
The one endowed with beauty was endowed abundantly
The one I looked at endlessly was revelation
Once my whole heart was washed over with lightning
Lightning was dissolved in my every vein
My heart’s amusement became the reason for my heart’s pain
My heart’s amusement became the story of my tears
My life began to change in a moment
My life began to be cast in the mould of sorrow
The day of love declined, the evening began
My heart began to throb, my eyes began to cry
Night and day came and went like this
Finding beauty and love finished
Revelation. I’ve translated toor as revelation. toor literally means hill or mountain, but refers to Mount Sinai and to the revelation received by Moses there. On Mount Sinai:
When Moses came to Our appointment and his Lord spoke to him, he said: ‘My Lord, show me Yourself that I may look upon You.’ He said: ‘You shall not see Me, but look instead upon that mountain. If it remains firmly in place you shall see Me.’ When the glory of his Lord appeared upon the mountain, it levelled it to the ground. Moses fell down, unconscious. When he came to, he said: ‘Glory be to You! I have repented before You and I am the first among believers.’ (Qur’an 7:143)