Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq
laai hayat aae qaza le chali chale
apni khushi na aae na apni khushi chale
I came as life had brought me, as death takes me I go
I came not of my own accord nor willingly I go
ho umr-e-khizr bhi to ho maalum vaqt-e-marg
ham kya rahe yahan abhi aae abhi chale
Had I lived as long as Khizr, then dying I would say
where did I stay long enough, I came and went away
ham se bhi is bisat pe kam honge bad-qimar
jo chaal ham chale so nihayat buri chale
on this chequered board would be few novices like me
all the moves that I have made were hopeless surely
behtar to hai yahi ki na duniya se dil lage
par kya karen jo kaam na be-dil-lagi chale
it’s better if the heart is not enmeshed in life, it’s true
what’s to be done if without being attached one cannot do?
laila ka naaqa dasht men tasir-e-ishq se
sun kar fughan-e-qais baja-e-hudi chale
in the desert Laila’s camel does its zeal display
Hearing Qais’s plaintive cry it ventures forth that way
nazan na ho khirad pe jo hona hai ho vahi
danish tiri na kuchh miri danish-vari chale
what’s got to happen, will, don’t pride in your intellect
your wisdom or my wisdom here, will be of no effect
duniya ne kis ka rah-e-fana men diya hai saath
tum bhi chale chalo yunhi jab tak chali chale
jaate hava-e-shauq men hain is chaman se ‘zauq’
apni bala se bad-e-saba ab kabhi chale
Leave a Reply