Layout preview. Famous poems are public-domain classics; English translations are drafts to review before publishing. The poem page below uses sample couplets.
ہر ایک لفظ میں اک کائنات رکھی ہے
Every word holds a universe within.
Famous poems, with English translation
ہزاروں خواہشیں ایسی کہ ہر خواہش پہ دم نکلے
بہت نکلے مرے ارمان، لیکن پھر بھی کم نکلے
hazaaroN KHwahisheN aisi ke har KHwahish pe dam nikle
bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle
A thousand desires, each one worth dying for;
many of my longings were fulfilled, and still too few.
بلھیا کی جاناں میں کون
نہ میں مومن وچ مسیت آں، نہ میں وچ کفر دیاں ریتاں
Bulleya ki jaana maiN kaun
na maiN momin vich maseet aaN, na maiN vich kufar dian reetaaN
Bulleh, who knows who I am?
I am no believer inside the mosque, nor in the rites of unbelief.
بشنو از نی چون حکایت میکند
از جداییها شکایت میکند
bishnav az ney chon hekayat mikonad
az jodaa’i-ha shekayat mikonad
Listen to the reed, how it tells its tale,
complaining of separations.
عَلى قَدرِ أَهلِ العَزمِ تَأتي العَزائِمُ
وَتَأتي عَلى قَدرِ الكِرامِ المَكارِمُ
ʿalā qadri ahli l-ʿazmi taʾtī l-ʿazāʾimu
wa taʾtī ʿalā qadri l-kirāmi l-makārimu
Resolve comes in the measure of the resolute;
noble deeds come in the measure of the noble.
बुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोय।
जो दिल खोजा आपना, मुझसे बुरा न कोय॥
bura jo dekhan main chala, bura na miliya koy
jo dil khoja aapna, mujhse bura na koy
I set out to look for the wicked and found none;
when I searched my own heart, no one was worse than I.
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
ریت کے ایک ذرّے میں ایک دنیا دیکھنا،
اور جنگلی پھول میں ایک جنت؛
ہتھیلی پر لامحدود کو تھام لینا،
اور ایک گھڑی میں ابدیت کو۔
Urdu translation shown, since the original is already in English.
Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l’automne
Blessent mon cœur
D’une langueur
Monotone.
The long sobs of autumn’s violins
wound my heart
with a monotonous languor.
Podrá nublarse el sol eternamente;
podrá secarse en un instante el mar;
podrá romperse el eje de la tierra
como un débil cristal.
The sun may be clouded forever;
the sea may dry up in an instant;
the axis of the earth may break
like fragile crystal.
Я помню чудное мгновенье:
Передо мной явилась ты,
Как мимолетное виденье,
Как гений чистой красоты.
Ya pomnyu chudnoye mgnovenye: / Peredo mnoy yavilas’ ty, / Kak mimoletnoye videnye, / Kak geniy chistoy krasoty.
I remember a wondrous moment:
you appeared before me,
like a fleeting vision,
like the spirit of pure beauty.
床前明月光，疑是地上霜。
举头望明月，低头思故乡。
chuáng qián míng yuè guāng, yí shì dì shàng shuāng
jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè, dī tóu sī gù xiāng
Moonlight before my bed,
I took it for frost on the ground.
I raise my head to watch the moon,
lower it, and think of home.
ستاروں سے آگے جہاں اور بھی ہیں
ابھی عشق کے امتحاں اور بھی ہیں
Beyond the stars there are more worlds yet;
the trials of love are not over.
خودی کو کر بلند اتنا کہ ہر تقدیر سے پہلے
خدا بندے سے خود پوچھے بتا تیری رضا کیا ہے
Raise your selfhood so high that, before every decree,
God himself asks you: what is your wish?
پتا پتا بوٹا بوٹا حال ہمارا جانے ہے
جانے نہ جانے گل ہی نہ جانے باغ تو سارا جانے ہے
Every leaf and plant knows my condition;
the rose may not, but the whole garden does.
ابتدائے عشق ہے روتا ہے کیا
آگے آگے دیکھیے ہوتا ہے کیا
This is only the start of love, why weep already?
Wait and see what lies ahead.
عشق پر زور نہیں ہے یہ وہ آتش غالبؔ
کہ لگائے نہ لگے اور بجھائے نہ بنے
Love is beyond control, Ghalib; it is a fire
that cannot be lit at will nor put out at will.
ہم کو معلوم ہے جنت کی حقیقت لیکن
دل کے خوش رکھنے کو غالبؔ یہ خیال اچھا ہے
We know the reality of paradise, yet
to keep the heart happy, Ghalib, the thought is a good one.
اردو ہے جس کا نام ہمیں جانتے ہیں داغؔ
سارے جہاں میں دھوم ہماری زباں کی ہے
Urdu is its name, as we know well, Dagh;
the whole world resounds with the fame of our tongue.
تم مرے پاس ہوتے ہو گویا
جب کوئی دوسرا نہیں ہوتا
You are near me, as it were,
only when no one else is.
لگتا نہیں ہے دل مرا اجڑے دیار میں
کس کی بنی ہے عالم ناپائیدار میں
My heart finds no rest in this ruined land;
who has ever made a home in this fleeting world?
رانجھا رانجھا کردی نی میں آپے رانجھا ہوئی
سدو نی مینوں دھیدو رانجھا ہیر نہ آکھو کوئی
Calling “Ranjha, Ranjha”, I myself became Ranjha;
call me Dhido Ranjha, let none call me Heer.
علموں بس کریں او یار
اکو الف تیرے درکار
Enough of book-learning, friend;
one single Alif is all you need.
مسجد ڈھا دے مندر ڈھا دے ڈھا دے جو کجھ ڈھیندا
پر کسے دا دل نہ ڈھاویں رب دلاں وچ رہندا
Tear down the mosque, tear down the temple, tear down what you will;
but never break a human heart, for God lives in hearts.
اٹھ جاگ گھراڑے مار نہیں
اک روز جہانوں مرنا ای
Wake up, stop snoring;
one day you must leave this world.
بلھے نوں سمجھاون آئیاں بھیناں تے بھرجائیاں
Sisters and sisters-in-law came
to talk sense into Bulleh.
فریدا خاک نہ نندیے خاکو جیڈ نہ کوئے
جیوندیاں پیراں تلے مویاں اُپر ہوئے
Farid, do not scorn the dust; nothing equals dust:
beneath your feet while you live, above you when you die.
اوّل حمد خدا دا ورد کیجے
عشق کیتا سو جگ دا مول میاں
First, repeat the praise of God;
love is the root of the whole world.
الف اللہ چنبے دی بوٹی مرشد من وچ لائی ہو
The master planted in my heart
the jasmine plant of Alif, Allah.
ماۓ نی میں کنوں آکھاں
درد وچھوڑے دا حال نی
Mother, to whom shall I tell
the state of my separation’s pain?
اگر آن ترک شیرازی به دست آرد دل ما را
به خال هندویش بخشم سمرقند و بخارا را
If that Shirazi beauty would take my heart in hand,
for her dark mole I would give Samarkand and Bukhara.
یوسف گمگشته باز آید به کنعان غم مخور
کلبهٔ احزان شود روزی گلستان غم مخور
The lost Joseph will return to Canaan, do not grieve;
the house of sorrows will one day be a rose garden.
بنی آدم اعضای یکدیگرند
که در آفرینش ز یک گوهرند
Human beings are limbs of one body,
created from one essence.
تا مرد سخن نگفته باشد
عیب و هنرش نهفته باشد
Until a man has spoken,
his faults and his skills lie hidden.
توانا بود هر که دانا بود
ز دانش دل پیر برنا بود
Mighty is the one who is wise;
through knowledge an old heart grows young.
بسی رنج بردم در این سال سی
عجم زنده کردم بدین پارسی
I suffered much in these thirty years;
with this Persian I revived the Ajam.
در دایرهای که آمد و شد ماست
آن را نه بدایت نه نهایت پیداست
In this circle of our coming and going,
no beginning and no end can be seen.
از محبت تلخها شیرین شود
از محبت مسها زرین شود
Through love, bitter things turn sweet;
through love, copper turns to gold.
باز آ باز آ هر آنچه هستی باز آ
گر کافر و گبر و بتپرستی باز آ
Come, come again, whatever you may be;
even if an unbeliever or idolater, come.
قِفا نَبكِ مِن ذِكرى حَبيبٍ وَمَنزِلِ
بِسِقطِ اللِوى بَينَ الدَخولِ فَحَومَلِ
Halt, friends, let us weep for the memory of a beloved and her camp,
at the dune’s edge between Dakhul and Haumal.
الخيل والليل والبيداء تعرفني
والسيف والرمح والقرطاس والقلم
The horses, the night and the desert know me,
and the sword, the spear, the paper and the pen.
ما كل ما يتمنى المرء يدركه
تجري الرياح بما لا تشتهي السفن
Not all that a man wishes does he attain;
the winds blow as the ships do not desire.
إذا غامرت في شرف مروم
فلا تقنع بما دون النجوم
If you venture toward an honour you seek,
do not settle for anything less than the stars.
وما نيل المطالب بالتمني
ولكن تؤخذ الدنيا غلابا
Goals are not won by wishing,
but the world is taken by striving.
قم للمعلم وفه التبجيلا
كاد المعلم أن يكون رسولا
Rise for the teacher and give him full honour;
the teacher was almost a messenger.
دع عنك لومي فإن اللوم إغراء
وداوني بالتي كانت هي الداء
Stop blaming me, for blame only tempts;
cure me with that which was the disease.
غير مجد في ملتي واعتقادي
نوح باك ولا ترنم شاد
In my creed, nothing avails:
neither a mourner’s wail nor a singer’s trill.
هل غادر الشعراء من متردم
Have the poets left any patch
still to be mended?
पोथी पढ़ि पढ़ि जग मुआ, पंडित भया न कोय।
ढाई आखर प्रेम का, पढ़े सो पंडित होय॥
Reading book after book the world died, and none became wise;
whoever reads two and a half letters of love becomes wise.
दुख में सुमिरन सब करें, सुख में करे न कोय।
जो सुख में सुमिरन करे, दुख काहे को होय॥
In sorrow everyone remembers God; in joy no one does;
whoever remembers in joy, why would sorrow come?
माला फेरत जुग भया, फिरा न मन का फेर।
कर का मनका डार दे, मन का मनका फेर॥
Telling beads for ages, the mind’s restlessness never turned;
drop the beads in your hand and turn the beads of the mind.
बड़ा हुआ तो क्या हुआ, जैसे पेड़ खजूर।
पंथी को छाया नहीं, फल लागे अति दूर॥
What good is being tall, like a date palm?
It gives the traveller no shade, and its fruit hangs far away.
गुरु गोविंद दोऊ खड़े, काके लागूँ पाँय।
बलिहारी गुरु आपने, गोविंद दियो बताय॥
Guru and God both stand before me; whose feet should I touch?
I bow to my Guru, who showed me God.
रहिमन धागा प्रेम का, मत तोड़ो चटकाय।
टूटे से फिर ना जुड़े, जुड़े गाँठ परि जाय॥
The thread of love, Rahim says, do not snap it;
once broken it will not rejoin, or rejoins with a knot.
रहिमन पानी राखिए, बिन पानी सब सून।
पानी गए न ऊबरे, मोती मानुष चून॥
Keep your water (honour), Rahim says; without water all is barren;
without it, pearl, person and lime cannot be saved.
तुलसी मीठे वचन ते, सुख उपजत चहुँ ओर।
वशीकरण यह मंत्र है, तजिए वचन कठोर॥
Sweet words, Tulsi says, bring happiness on every side;
this is the charm that wins hearts: give up harsh speech.
पायो जी मैंने राम रतन धन पायो
I have found it, I have found
the jewel-wealth of Ram’s name.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Original in English.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
Original in English.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness;
Original in English.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Original in English.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers —
That perches in the soul —
Original in English.
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
Original in English.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
Original in English.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Original in English.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
Original in English.
Souvent, pour s’amuser, les hommes d’équipage
Prennent des albatros, vastes oiseaux des mers,
Often, for sport, the sailors
catch albatrosses, vast birds of the sea,
C’est un trou de verdure où chante une rivière
Accrochant follement aux herbes des haillons
It is a green hollow where a river sings,
wildly snagging shreds of silver on the grass.
Demain, dès l’aube, à l’heure où blanchit la campagne,
Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m’attends.
Tomorrow, at dawn, when the countryside grows pale,
I will set out. You see, I know you are waiting for me.
Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine
Et nos amours
Beneath the Mirabeau Bridge flows the Seine,
and our loves.
Ainsi, toujours poussés vers de nouveaux rivages,
Dans la nuit éternelle emportés sans retour,
So, ever driven toward new shores,
carried without return into eternal night,
Heureux qui, comme Ulysse, a fait un beau voyage,
Ou comme cestuy-là qui conquit la toison,
Happy he who, like Ulysses, made a fine voyage,
or like the one who won the fleece,
Il pleure dans mon cœur
Comme il pleut sur la ville;
Tears fall in my heart
as rain falls on the town;
La chair est triste, hélas ! et j’ai lu tous les livres.
The flesh is sad, alas, and I have read all the books.
Je m’en allais, les poings dans mes poches crevées;
Mon paletot aussi devenait idéal;
I went off, fists in my torn pockets;
my overcoat too was becoming ideal;
¿Qué es poesía?, dices mientras clavas
en mi pupila tu pupila azul.
“What is poetry?” you say, fixing
your blue eyes on mine.
Volverán las oscuras golondrinas
en tu balcón sus nidos a colgar,
The dark swallows will return
to hang their nests on your balcony,
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Traveller, there is no road;
the road is made by walking.
La princesa está triste… ¿Qué tendrá la princesa?
Los suspiros se escapan de su boca de fresa,
The princess is sad… what can be wrong with her?
Sighs escape from her strawberry mouth,
Verde que te quiero verde.
Verde viento. Verdes ramas.
Green, how I love you, green.
Green wind. Green branches.
Recuerde el alma dormida,
avive el seso y despierte
Let the sleeping soul remember,
let the mind awaken and stir,
Hombres necios que acusáis
a la mujer sin razón,
Foolish men who accuse
women without reason,
¿Qué es la vida? Un frenesí.
¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión,
What is life? A frenzy.
What is life? An illusion,
Con diez cañones por banda,
viento en popa a toda vela,
With ten cannons on each side,
wind astern, all sails set,
Я вас любил: любовь ещё, быть может,
В душе моей угасла не совсем;
I loved you; perhaps that love
has not quite died out in my soul;
Белеет парус одинокой
В тумане моря голубом!..
A lone sail gleams white
in the blue mist of the sea!..
Мороз и солнце; день чудесный!
Ещё ты дремлешь, друг прелестный —
Frost and sun; a wonderful day!
Are you still dozing, lovely friend?
Умом Россию не понять,
Аршином общим не измерить:
Russia cannot be understood with the mind,
nor measured with a common yardstick:
Выхожу один я на дорогу;
Сквозь туман кремнистый путь блестит;
I set out alone on the road;
the flinty path gleams through the mist;
Я памятник себе воздвиг нерукотворный,
К нему не зарастёт народная тропа,
I have raised a monument to myself not made by hands;
the people’s path to it will not grow over,
Ночь, улица, фонарь, аптека,
Бессмысленный и тусклый свет.
Night, street, lamp, chemist’s shop,
a meaningless and dim light.
Не жалею, не зову, не плачу,
Всё пройдёт, как с белых яблонь дым.
I do not regret, call or weep;
all will pass like smoke from white apple trees.
Шёпот, робкое дыханье,
Трели соловья,
A whisper, a timid breath,
the trilling of a nightingale,
国破山河在，
城春草木深。
The state is broken, yet mountains and rivers remain;
spring in the city, grass and trees grow deep.
空山不见人，
但闻人语响。
In the empty mountain no one is seen;
only the echo of voices is heard.
春眠不觉晓，
处处闻啼鸟。
Sleeping in spring, I do not notice the dawn;
everywhere I hear birds singing.
白日依山尽，
黄河入海流。
The white sun sets behind the mountains;
the Yellow River flows into the sea.
明月几时有？
把酒问青天。
When did the bright moon first appear?
Cup in hand, I ask the blue sky.
日照香炉生紫烟，
遥看瀑布挂前川。
Sunlight on Incense Peak breeds purple mist;
from afar the waterfall hangs before the stream.
无边落木萧萧下，
不尽长江滚滚来。
Boundless trees shed their leaves, rustling down;
the endless Yangtze rolls on and on.
昨夜雨疏风骤，
浓睡不消残酒。
Last night the rain was light, the wind sudden;
deep sleep did not dispel the lingering wine.
离离原上草，
一岁一枯荣。
Lush grass upon the plain,
each year it withers and thrives.
Famous poets (1)
چراغ اور ہوا
Nadeem · Ghazal · Urdu with English translation
Tap a dotted word for its meaning
Recited by the poet · 2:48
چراغ جلتے رہیں گے ہوا کے باوجود
سفر رہے گا ہمارا سزا کے باوجود
Lamps will keep burning despite the wind;
our journey will go on despite the sentence.
دل کی بات زباں پر آتی ہے
خاموشی بھی داستاں سناتی ہے
What the heart holds finds its way to the tongue;
even silence tells a story.
ہر ایک لفظ میں اک کائنات رکھی ہے
قلم نے ہم سے یہی ایک بات رکھی ہے
Every word holds a universe within;
the pen has left me with this one truth.
Translator’s note. A short note on the choices made in the English version, shown only when the poet adds one.
Layout preview. Famous poems are public-domain classics; English translations are drafts to review before publishing. The poem page below uses sample couplets.
ہر ایک لفظ میں اک کائنات رکھی ہے
Every word holds a universe within.
Famous poems, with English translation
ہزاروں خواہشیں ایسی کہ ہر خواہش پہ دم نکلے
بہت نکلے مرے ارمان، لیکن پھر بھی کم نکلے
hazaaroN KHwahisheN aisi ke har KHwahish pe dam nikle
bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle
A thousand desires, each one worth dying for;
many of my longings were fulfilled, and still too few.
بلھیا کی جاناں میں کون
نہ میں مومن وچ مسیت آں، نہ میں وچ کفر دیاں ریتاں
Bulleya ki jaana maiN kaun
na maiN momin vich maseet aaN, na maiN vich kufar dian reetaaN
Bulleh, who knows who I am?
I am no believer inside the mosque, nor in the rites of unbelief.
بشنو از نی چون حکایت میکند
از جداییها شکایت میکند
bishnav az ney chon hekayat mikonad
az jodaa’i-ha shekayat mikonad
Listen to the reed, how it tells its tale,
complaining of separations.
عَلى قَدرِ أَهلِ العَزمِ تَأتي العَزائِمُ
وَتَأتي عَلى قَدرِ الكِرامِ المَكارِمُ
ʿalā qadri ahli l-ʿazmi taʾtī l-ʿazāʾimu
wa taʾtī ʿalā qadri l-kirāmi l-makārimu
Resolve comes in the measure of the resolute;
noble deeds come in the measure of the noble.
बुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोय।
जो दिल खोजा आपना, मुझसे बुरा न कोय॥
bura jo dekhan main chala, bura na miliya koy
jo dil khoja aapna, mujhse bura na koy
I set out to look for the wicked and found none;
when I searched my own heart, no one was worse than I.
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
ریت کے ایک ذرّے میں ایک دنیا دیکھنا،
اور جنگلی پھول میں ایک جنت؛
ہتھیلی پر لامحدود کو تھام لینا،
اور ایک گھڑی میں ابدیت کو۔
Urdu translation shown, since the original is already in English.
Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l’automne
Blessent mon cœur
D’une langueur
Monotone.
The long sobs of autumn’s violins
wound my heart
with a monotonous languor.
Podrá nublarse el sol eternamente;
podrá secarse en un instante el mar;
podrá romperse el eje de la tierra
como un débil cristal.
The sun may be clouded forever;
the sea may dry up in an instant;
the axis of the earth may break
like fragile crystal.
Я помню чудное мгновенье:
Передо мной явилась ты,
Как мимолетное виденье,
Как гений чистой красоты.
Ya pomnyu chudnoye mgnovenye: / Peredo mnoy yavilas’ ty, / Kak mimoletnoye videnye, / Kak geniy chistoy krasoty.
I remember a wondrous moment:
you appeared before me,
like a fleeting vision,
like the spirit of pure beauty.
床前明月光，疑是地上霜。
举头望明月，低头思故乡。
chuáng qián míng yuè guāng, yí shì dì shàng shuāng
jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè, dī tóu sī gù xiāng
Moonlight before my bed,
I took it for frost on the ground.
I raise my head to watch the moon,
lower it, and think of home.
ستاروں سے آگے جہاں اور بھی ہیں
ابھی عشق کے امتحاں اور بھی ہیں
Beyond the stars there are more worlds yet;
the trials of love are not over.
خودی کو کر بلند اتنا کہ ہر تقدیر سے پہلے
خدا بندے سے خود پوچھے بتا تیری رضا کیا ہے
Raise your selfhood so high that, before every decree,
God himself asks you: what is your wish?
پتا پتا بوٹا بوٹا حال ہمارا جانے ہے
جانے نہ جانے گل ہی نہ جانے باغ تو سارا جانے ہے
Every leaf and plant knows my condition;
the rose may not, but the whole garden does.
ابتدائے عشق ہے روتا ہے کیا
آگے آگے دیکھیے ہوتا ہے کیا
This is only the start of love, why weep already?
Wait and see what lies ahead.
عشق پر زور نہیں ہے یہ وہ آتش غالبؔ
کہ لگائے نہ لگے اور بجھائے نہ بنے
Love is beyond control, Ghalib; it is a fire
that cannot be lit at will nor put out at will.
ہم کو معلوم ہے جنت کی حقیقت لیکن
دل کے خوش رکھنے کو غالبؔ یہ خیال اچھا ہے
We know the reality of paradise, yet
to keep the heart happy, Ghalib, the thought is a good one.
اردو ہے جس کا نام ہمیں جانتے ہیں داغؔ
سارے جہاں میں دھوم ہماری زباں کی ہے
Urdu is its name, as we know well, Dagh;
the whole world resounds with the fame of our tongue.
تم مرے پاس ہوتے ہو گویا
جب کوئی دوسرا نہیں ہوتا
You are near me, as it were,
only when no one else is.
لگتا نہیں ہے دل مرا اجڑے دیار میں
کس کی بنی ہے عالم ناپائیدار میں
My heart finds no rest in this ruined land;
who has ever made a home in this fleeting world?
رانجھا رانجھا کردی نی میں آپے رانجھا ہوئی
سدو نی مینوں دھیدو رانجھا ہیر نہ آکھو کوئی
Calling “Ranjha, Ranjha”, I myself became Ranjha;
call me Dhido Ranjha, let none call me Heer.
علموں بس کریں او یار
اکو الف تیرے درکار
Enough of book-learning, friend;
one single Alif is all you need.
مسجد ڈھا دے مندر ڈھا دے ڈھا دے جو کجھ ڈھیندا
پر کسے دا دل نہ ڈھاویں رب دلاں وچ رہندا
Tear down the mosque, tear down the temple, tear down what you will;
but never break a human heart, for God lives in hearts.
اٹھ جاگ گھراڑے مار نہیں
اک روز جہانوں مرنا ای
Wake up, stop snoring;
one day you must leave this world.
بلھے نوں سمجھاون آئیاں بھیناں تے بھرجائیاں
Sisters and sisters-in-law came
to talk sense into Bulleh.
فریدا خاک نہ نندیے خاکو جیڈ نہ کوئے
جیوندیاں پیراں تلے مویاں اُپر ہوئے
Farid, do not scorn the dust; nothing equals dust:
beneath your feet while you live, above you when you die.
اوّل حمد خدا دا ورد کیجے
عشق کیتا سو جگ دا مول میاں
First, repeat the praise of God;
love is the root of the whole world.
الف اللہ چنبے دی بوٹی مرشد من وچ لائی ہو
The master planted in my heart
the jasmine plant of Alif, Allah.
ماۓ نی میں کنوں آکھاں
درد وچھوڑے دا حال نی
Mother, to whom shall I tell
the state of my separation’s pain?
اگر آن ترک شیرازی به دست آرد دل ما را
به خال هندویش بخشم سمرقند و بخارا را
If that Shirazi beauty would take my heart in hand,
for her dark mole I would give Samarkand and Bukhara.
یوسف گمگشته باز آید به کنعان غم مخور
کلبهٔ احزان شود روزی گلستان غم مخور
The lost Joseph will return to Canaan, do not grieve;
the house of sorrows will one day be a rose garden.
بنی آدم اعضای یکدیگرند
که در آفرینش ز یک گوهرند
Human beings are limbs of one body,
created from one essence.
تا مرد سخن نگفته باشد
عیب و هنرش نهفته باشد
Until a man has spoken,
his faults and his skills lie hidden.
توانا بود هر که دانا بود
ز دانش دل پیر برنا بود
Mighty is the one who is wise;
through knowledge an old heart grows young.
بسی رنج بردم در این سال سی
عجم زنده کردم بدین پارسی
I suffered much in these thirty years;
with this Persian I revived the Ajam.
در دایرهای که آمد و شد ماست
آن را نه بدایت نه نهایت پیداست
In this circle of our coming and going,
no beginning and no end can be seen.
از محبت تلخها شیرین شود
از محبت مسها زرین شود
Through love, bitter things turn sweet;
through love, copper turns to gold.
باز آ باز آ هر آنچه هستی باز آ
گر کافر و گبر و بتپرستی باز آ
Come, come again, whatever you may be;
even if an unbeliever or idolater, come.
قِفا نَبكِ مِن ذِكرى حَبيبٍ وَمَنزِلِ
بِسِقطِ اللِوى بَينَ الدَخولِ فَحَومَلِ
Halt, friends, let us weep for the memory of a beloved and her camp,
at the dune’s edge between Dakhul and Haumal.
الخيل والليل والبيداء تعرفني
والسيف والرمح والقرطاس والقلم
The horses, the night and the desert know me,
and the sword, the spear, the paper and the pen.
ما كل ما يتمنى المرء يدركه
تجري الرياح بما لا تشتهي السفن
Not all that a man wishes does he attain;
the winds blow as the ships do not desire.
إذا غامرت في شرف مروم
فلا تقنع بما دون النجوم
If you venture toward an honour you seek,
do not settle for anything less than the stars.
وما نيل المطالب بالتمني
ولكن تؤخذ الدنيا غلابا
Goals are not won by wishing,
but the world is taken by striving.
قم للمعلم وفه التبجيلا
كاد المعلم أن يكون رسولا
Rise for the teacher and give him full honour;
the teacher was almost a messenger.
دع عنك لومي فإن اللوم إغراء
وداوني بالتي كانت هي الداء
Stop blaming me, for blame only tempts;
cure me with that which was the disease.
غير مجد في ملتي واعتقادي
نوح باك ولا ترنم شاد
In my creed, nothing avails:
neither a mourner’s wail nor a singer’s trill.
هل غادر الشعراء من متردم
Have the poets left any patch
still to be mended?
पोथी पढ़ि पढ़ि जग मुआ, पंडित भया न कोय।
ढाई आखर प्रेम का, पढ़े सो पंडित होय॥
Reading book after book the world died, and none became wise;
whoever reads two and a half letters of love becomes wise.
दुख में सुमिरन सब करें, सुख में करे न कोय।
जो सुख में सुमिरन करे, दुख काहे को होय॥
In sorrow everyone remembers God; in joy no one does;
whoever remembers in joy, why would sorrow come?
माला फेरत जुग भया, फिरा न मन का फेर।
कर का मनका डार दे, मन का मनका फेर॥
Telling beads for ages, the mind’s restlessness never turned;
drop the beads in your hand and turn the beads of the mind.
बड़ा हुआ तो क्या हुआ, जैसे पेड़ खजूर।
पंथी को छाया नहीं, फल लागे अति दूर॥
What good is being tall, like a date palm?
It gives the traveller no shade, and its fruit hangs far away.
गुरु गोविंद दोऊ खड़े, काके लागूँ पाँय।
बलिहारी गुरु आपने, गोविंद दियो बताय॥
Guru and God both stand before me; whose feet should I touch?
I bow to my Guru, who showed me God.
रहिमन धागा प्रेम का, मत तोड़ो चटकाय।
टूटे से फिर ना जुड़े, जुड़े गाँठ परि जाय॥
The thread of love, Rahim says, do not snap it;
once broken it will not rejoin, or rejoins with a knot.
रहिमन पानी राखिए, बिन पानी सब सून।
पानी गए न ऊबरे, मोती मानुष चून॥
Keep your water (honour), Rahim says; without water all is barren;
without it, pearl, person and lime cannot be saved.
तुलसी मीठे वचन ते, सुख उपजत चहुँ ओर।
वशीकरण यह मंत्र है, तजिए वचन कठोर॥
Sweet words, Tulsi says, bring happiness on every side;
this is the charm that wins hearts: give up harsh speech.
पायो जी मैंने राम रतन धन पायो
I have found it, I have found
the jewel-wealth of Ram’s name.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Original in English.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
Original in English.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness;
Original in English.
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Original in English.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers —
That perches in the soul —
Original in English.
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
Original in English.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
Original in English.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Original in English.
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
Original in English.
Souvent, pour s’amuser, les hommes d’équipage
Prennent des albatros, vastes oiseaux des mers,
Often, for sport, the sailors
catch albatrosses, vast birds of the sea,
C’est un trou de verdure où chante une rivière
Accrochant follement aux herbes des haillons
It is a green hollow where a river sings,
wildly snagging shreds of silver on the grass.
Demain, dès l’aube, à l’heure où blanchit la campagne,
Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m’attends.
Tomorrow, at dawn, when the countryside grows pale,
I will set out. You see, I know you are waiting for me.
Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine
Et nos amours
Beneath the Mirabeau Bridge flows the Seine,
and our loves.
Ainsi, toujours poussés vers de nouveaux rivages,
Dans la nuit éternelle emportés sans retour,
So, ever driven toward new shores,
carried without return into eternal night,
Heureux qui, comme Ulysse, a fait un beau voyage,
Ou comme cestuy-là qui conquit la toison,
Happy he who, like Ulysses, made a fine voyage,
or like the one who won the fleece,
Il pleure dans mon cœur
Comme il pleut sur la ville;
Tears fall in my heart
as rain falls on the town;
La chair est triste, hélas ! et j’ai lu tous les livres.
The flesh is sad, alas, and I have read all the books.
Je m’en allais, les poings dans mes poches crevées;
Mon paletot aussi devenait idéal;
I went off, fists in my torn pockets;
my overcoat too was becoming ideal;
¿Qué es poesía?, dices mientras clavas
en mi pupila tu pupila azul.
“What is poetry?” you say, fixing
your blue eyes on mine.
Volverán las oscuras golondrinas
en tu balcón sus nidos a colgar,
The dark swallows will return
to hang their nests on your balcony,
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Traveller, there is no road;
the road is made by walking.
La princesa está triste... ¿Qué tendrá la princesa?
Los suspiros se escapan de su boca de fresa,
The princess is sad... what can be wrong with her?
Sighs escape from her strawberry mouth,
Verde que te quiero verde.
Verde viento. Verdes ramas.
Green, how I love you, green.
Green wind. Green branches.
Recuerde el alma dormida,
avive el seso y despierte
Let the sleeping soul remember,
let the mind awaken and stir,
Hombres necios que acusáis
a la mujer sin razón,
Foolish men who accuse
women without reason,
¿Qué es la vida? Un frenesí.
¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión,
What is life? A frenzy.
What is life? An illusion,
Con diez cañones por banda,
viento en popa a toda vela,
With ten cannons on each side,
wind astern, all sails set,
Я вас любил: любовь ещё, быть может,
В душе моей угасла не совсем;
I loved you; perhaps that love
has not quite died out in my soul;
Белеет парус одинокой
В тумане моря голубом!..
A lone sail gleams white
in the blue mist of the sea!..
Мороз и солнце; день чудесный!
Ещё ты дремлешь, друг прелестный —
Frost and sun; a wonderful day!
Are you still dozing, lovely friend?
Умом Россию не понять,
Аршином общим не измерить:
Russia cannot be understood with the mind,
nor measured with a common yardstick:
Выхожу один я на дорогу;
Сквозь туман кремнистый путь блестит;
I set out alone on the road;
the flinty path gleams through the mist;
Я памятник себе воздвиг нерукотворный,
К нему не зарастёт народная тропа,
I have raised a monument to myself not made by hands;
the people’s path to it will not grow over,
Ночь, улица, фонарь, аптека,
Бессмысленный и тусклый свет.
Night, street, lamp, chemist’s shop,
a meaningless and dim light.
Не жалею, не зову, не плачу,
Всё пройдёт, как с белых яблонь дым.
I do not regret, call or weep;
all will pass like smoke from white apple trees.
Шёпот, робкое дыханье,
Трели соловья,
A whisper, a timid breath,
the trilling of a nightingale,
国破山河在，
城春草木深。
The state is broken, yet mountains and rivers remain;
spring in the city, grass and trees grow deep.
空山不见人，
但闻人语响。
In the empty mountain no one is seen;
only the echo of voices is heard.
春眠不觉晓，
处处闻啼鸟。
Sleeping in spring, I do not notice the dawn;
everywhere I hear birds singing.
白日依山尽，
黄河入海流。
The white sun sets behind the mountains;
the Yellow River flows into the sea.
明月几时有？
把酒问青天。
When did the bright moon first appear?
Cup in hand, I ask the blue sky.
日照香炉生紫烟，
遥看瀑布挂前川。
Sunlight on Incense Peak breeds purple mist;
from afar the waterfall hangs before the stream.
无边落木萧萧下，
不尽长江滚滚来。
Boundless trees shed their leaves, rustling down;
the endless Yangtze rolls on and on.
昨夜雨疏风骤，
浓睡不消残酒。
Last night the rain was light, the wind sudden;
deep sleep did not dispel the lingering wine.
离离原上草，
一岁一枯荣。
Lush grass upon the plain,
each year it withers and thrives.
Famous poets (1)
چراغ اور ہوا
Nadeem · Ghazal · Urdu with English translation
Tap a dotted word for its meaning
Recited by the poet · 2:48
چراغ جلتے رہیں گے ہوا کے باوجود
سفر رہے گا ہمارا سزا کے باوجود
Lamps will keep burning despite the wind;
our journey will go on despite the sentence.
دل کی بات زباں پر آتی ہے
خاموشی بھی داستاں سناتی ہے
What the heart holds finds its way to the tongue;
even silence tells a story.
ہر ایک لفظ میں اک کائنات رکھی ہے
قلم نے ہم سے یہی ایک بات رکھی ہے
Every word holds a universe within;
the pen has left me with this one truth.
Translator’s note. A short note on the choices made in the English version, shown only when the poet adds one.