For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.

Recitation

راہِ یقیں نکلی ۔ جے کرشن چودھری حبیبؔ

تمہاری آرزو تم سے کہیں بڑھ کر حسیں نکلی

کہ دنیا کی ہر اک شے سے یہی دل کے قریں نکلی

میں سمجھا یاد بھی ترکِ تعلق پر تو آئے گی

مگر جب دل ٹٹولا ہے وہیں یہ جاگزیں نکلی

ابھی کچھ اور بھی کھیلو مرے چاہت بھرے دل سے

ابھی بھی زخم کم کم ہیں ابھی حسرت نہیں نکلی

سرِ محفل کیا رسوا مجھے تیری محبت نے

جھکی جو نام پر تیرے وہ میری ہی جبیں نکلی

نگاہوں نے تجھے ڈھونڈا تجھے دل سے پکارا ہے

نظر آئی نہ جو صورت وہ صورت دل نشیں نکلی

ہے دو ہی دن کی عمرِ گل مگر زندہ دلی دیکھو

تبسُّم لب پہ رقصاں ہے فضا ہرگز نہیں نکلی

جہاں پر سرحدیں دیر و حرم کی ختم ہوتی ہیں

وہیں پر نورِ ایماں ہے وہیں راہِ یقیں نکلی

ہماری زندگی دریا کی موجِ مضطرب سی ہے

کہیں ابھری کہیں مچلی کہیں ڈوبی کہیں نکلی

اٹھا کرتی ہیں موجوں کی طرح ہی حسرتیں دل میں

نئی کتنی ابھر آئیں جو اک حسرت کہیں نکلی

۱۰

شبِ فرقت حبیبؔ اپنا نہ کوئی کام کا نکلا

نہ آنسو با اثر نکلے نہ آہِ آتشیں نکلی

राह-ए यक़ीं निकली – जय क्रिष्ण चौधरी हबीब

१

तुम्हारी आर्ज़ू तुम से कहीं बढ़ कर हसीं निकली

के दुनिया की हर एक शय से यही दिल के क़रीं निकली

२

मैं समझा याद भी तर्क-ए ता’अल्लुक़ पर तो आएगी

मगर जब दिल टटोला है वहीं ये जागुज़ीँ निकली

३

अभी कुछ और भी खेलो मेरे चाहत भरे दिल से

अभी भी ज़ख़्म कम कम हैं अभी हसरत नहीं निकली

४

सर-ए महफ़िल किया रुस्वा मुझे तेरी मोहब्बत ने

झुकी जो नाम पर तेरे वो मेरी ही जबीं निकली

५

निगाहों ने तुझे ढूँडा तुझे दिल से पुकारा है

नज़र आई न जो सूरत वो सूरत दिल-नशीं निकली

६

है दो ही दिन की उम्र-ए गुल मगर ज़िंदा-दिली देखो

तबस्सुम लब पे रक़्साँ है फ़ज़ा हरगिज़ नहीं निकली

७

जहाँ पर सरहदें दैर-ओ-हरम की ख़त्म होती हैं

वहीं पर नूर-ए ईमाँ है वहीं राह-ए यक़ीं निकली

८

हमारी ज़िंदगी दरिया की मौज-ए मुज़्तरिब सी है

कहीं उभरी कहीं मचली कहीं डूबी कहीं निकली

९

उठा करती हैं मौजों की तरह ही हसरतें दिल में

नई कितनी उभर आईं जो एक हसरत कहीं निकली

१०

शब-ए फ़ुर्क़त हबीब अपना न कोई काम का निकला

न आँसू बा-असर निकले न आह-ए आतिशीं निकली

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. jaikrishn chaudhry habiib (1904-xxxx), born in Dera ismail KhaaN, in pakistan. Lived in jabalpur. He was a scholar of sanskrit, English, faarsi and urdu, and was an active participant in the independence struggle, most notably with Khaan abdul Ghaffaar KhaaN. MA from aligaRh and later LLB, law practice 1929. He migrated to India after partition in 1947. IAS – Collector and later Education Secretary. Early retirement in 1960, but recalled later to serve three more years in jabalpur and retired there. In 1969 he served on Ghalib shataabdhi naagarik samiti which organized four ‘tarahi’ mushaa’era over that year and published a book. He composed several Ghazal in the style of Ghalib.
1
tumhaari aarzu¹ tum se kahiN baRh kar hasiiN² nikli
keh duniya ki har ek shai³ se yahi dil ke qariiN⁴ nikli     1.desire 2.beautiful 3.thing 4.near
Desire for you turned out to be even more beautiful than you yourself because among everything else in the world, it turned out to be closest to my heart. You yourself may be far from me, but what I hold nearest my heart is desire for you. Hence it turns out to be even more beautiful than you. This may be another variation of the theme that the journey is more enjoyable than the destination.
2
maiN samjha yaad bhi tark¹-e ta’alluq² par to aa’egi
magar jab dil TaTola³ hai vahiiN ye jaaguziiN⁴ nikli     1.giving up, breaking off 2.relationship 3.searched 4.place selecting
Translating this into English is a bit awkward because ‘memories will come’ is not an elegant phrase in the language. Yet, in order for it to make sense in urdu this phrase has to be used. With apologies and your indulgence … I had thought that upon breaking of relations memories will come to my heart/mind, but when I searched my heart I found that they had made a place/home for themselves in it i.e., memories did not have to come from anywhere outside. They were esconsed in my heart forever.
3
abhi kuchh aur bhi khelo mere chaahat bhare dil se
abhi bhi zaKhm¹ kam kam haiiN abhi hasrat² nahiiN nikli 1.wounds 2.longing, desires
Play some more with my love filled heart. There still is room for more wounds, my intense longing is not yet fulfilled. Playing some more with the heart means hurting it some more. Also, following lovers’ convention the poet has a longing to be hurt even more at the hands of the beloved, because that is considered a badge of honour.
4
sar-e-mahfil¹ kiya rusva² mujhe teri mohabbat ne
jhuki jo naam par tere vo meri hi jabiiN³ nikli     1.front of the gathering, openly 2.embarrass, insult 3.forehead
There is a gathering of admirers/lovers around the beloved. Perhaps there is a sense of competition among the lovers to show their devotion to her. But the only forehead that touches the ground in prostration before the beloved is that of the poet. I am not sure why this is a cause of embarrassment to him, but it seems to be. He feels insulted in front of everyone. But perhaps the picture is slightly different. He is the only one with whom the beloved is displeased and orders him to ask for forgiveness. Putting his head to the ground may be sign of asking for such forgiveness. If he is the only one selected/targeted to do that, then surely it can be a cause of embarrassment.
5
nigaahoN¹ ne tujhe DhuNDa tujhe dil se pukaara hai
nazar² aa’ii na jo surat vo surat dil-nashiiN³ nikli     1.eyes 2.seen, visible 3.residing in the heart
I searched for you with my eyes, I called you from the depths of my heart. It turned out that the image that I could not see was resident in my heart. This is clearly addressed to the divine spirit.
6
hai do hi din ki umr¹-e gul² magar zinda-dili³ dekho
tabassum⁴ lab⁵ pe raqsaaN⁶ hai faza⁷ hargiz⁸ nahiiN nikli    1.life-span 2.rose 3.courage, defiance 4.smile 5.lips 6.dancing 7.air, atmosphere … but used here to mean fragrance which spreads through the air 8.under no circumstance
The life-span of the rose is but two days long but look at its defiance – a smile dancing on its lips and under no circumstance is it drained of fragrance. The word ‘nikli’ is used here to mean drained out, finished.
7
jahaaN¹ par sarhadeN² dair^...

raah-e yaqiiN nikli-jaikrishn chaudhry habiib