Khwaja Mir Dard: Life and Ghazals

Khwaja Mir Dard is one of the three major poets of the Delhi School - the other two being Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Sauda - who could be called the pillars of the classical Urdu ghazal. While Mir Taqi Mir, the greatest of them all, is remembered as a poet of love and pathos, and Sauda as a specialist in satire and panegyric, Dard is first and foremost a mystic, who regards the phenomenal world as a veil of the eternal Reality, and this life as a term of exile from our real home. Dard inherited his mystical temperament from his father, Khwaja Mohd. Nasir Andlib, who was a mystic saint and a poet. Dard received his education in an informal way at home, and in the company of the learned, acquiring, in due course, a command of Arabic and Persian, as also of the Sufi lore. He also developed a deep love of music, possibly, through his association with singers and qawaals who frequented his father's house. He renounced earthly pleasures at the young age of 28, and led a life of piety and humility.

....... the secret of Dard's sppeal as a poet lies not in his mysticism, but in his ability to transmute this mysticism into poetry, and to present transcendental love in terms of human and earthly love. Although he has written ghazals which are unambiguously mystical in their intent, his best couplets can be read at both the secular and spiritual levels, and are, for this reason, acceptable to all and sundry. In addition, Dard had also written ghazals which deal with a patently sensuous and earthly love, and deserve to be classed with the best poetry of this kind. Dard generally excels in short ghazals of about seven to nine verses, written in comparatively short measures. His style is simple, natural and musical; his content, thoughtful and thought-provoking. He is not a voluminous writer. His publications include a collection of Urdu ghazals, a divan in Persian, and some articles in Urdu and Persian prose.

Some of Dard's ghazals

· Duniya mein kaun kaun na yak baar ho gaya

· Tujhi ko jo yaan jalwa farma na dekha

· Chaman mein subah yeh kahti thi ho kar chashm-e-tar shabnam

· Apne taeen to har ghari gham hai, alam hai, daagh hai

· Mera ji hai jab tak teri justju hai

Duniya mein kaun kaun na yak baar ho gaya,
Par munh phir is tarf na kiya us ne jo gaya.

Phirti hai meri khaak saba dar-b-dar liye,
Ai chashm-e-ashkbaar yeh kya tujh ko ho gaya.

Aagah is jahaan mein nahin ghair be khudaan,
Jaaga wahi idhar se jo mund ankh so gaya.

Tufaan-e-Noah ne to dubai zamin faqt,
Main nang-e-khalq saari khudaai dabo gaya.

Barham kahin na ho gul-o-bulbul ki asshti,
Darta hun aaj baagh mein woh tund khu gaya.

Waiz kise darawe hai yom-ulhisab se,
Giriya mera to naama-e-aamal dho gaya.

Phulenge is zabaan mein bhi gulzar-e-maarfat,
Yaan main zamin-e-sheir mein yeh tukhm bo gaya.

Aya na aitdaal par hargiz mazaaj-e-dahar,
Main garche garm-o-sard-e-zamana samo gaya.

Ai Dard jis ki ankh khuli is jahan mein,
Shabnam ki tara jaan ko apni woh ro gaya.

Tujhi ko jo yaan jalwa farma na dekha,
Baraabar hai duniya ko dekha na dekha.

Mera ghuncha-e-dil hai woh dil-grifta,
Ke jis ko kaso ne kabhi wa na dekha.

Aziat, musibat, malaamat, balaaen,
Tere ishq mein ham ne kya kya na dekha.

Kiya mujh ko daghon ne sarv-e-chiraghan,
Kabho tu ne aakar tamaasha na dekha.

Taghaful ne tere yeh kuchh din dikhae,
Idhar tu ne lekin na dekha, na dekha.

Hijaab-e-rukh-e-yaar the aap hi ham,
Khuli aankh jab, koi parda na dekha.

Shab-o-roz ai Dard darpai hun uske,
Kaso ne jise yaan samjha na dekha.

Chaman mein subah yeh kahti thi ho kar chashm-e-tar shabnam,
Bahaar-e-baagh to yun hi rahi, lekin kidhar shabanam.

Arq ki bund us ki zulf se rukhsaar par tapki,
Taajjub ki hai jaage yeh pari khurshid par shabnam.

Hamen to baagh tujh bin khaana-e-maatam nazar aya,
Idhar gul phaarte the jeb, roti thi udhar shabnam.

Kare hai kuchh na kuchh taasir suhbat saaf tabon ki,
Hui aatish se gul ke baithte rashk-e-sharar shabnam.

Bhala tuk subah hone do ise bhi dekh levenge,
Kisi ashiq ke rone se nahin rakhti khabar shabnam.

Nahin asbaab kuchh laazim subak saaron ke uthne ko,
Gayi ur dekhte apne baghair az baal-o-par shabnam.

Na paaya jo gaya is baagh se hargiz suraagh uska,
Na palti phir saba idhar, na phir aai nazar shabnam.

Na samjha Dard ham ne bhed yaan ki shadi-o-gham ka,
Sahr khandaan hai kyon, roti hai kis ko yaak kar shabnam.

Apne taeen to har ghari gham hai, alam hai, daagh hai,
Yaad kare hamen kabhi kab yeh tujhe dimagh hai.

Ji ki khushi nahin giro sabzaa-o-gul ke haath kuchh,
Dil ho shagufta jis jagah woh hi chaman hai baagh hai.

Kis ki yeh chashm-e-mast ne bazm ko yun chhaka diya,
Masl-e-habaab sar nagun sharam se har ayaagh hai.

Jalte hi jalte subah tak guzri use tamaam shab,
Dil hai ke shola hai koi, shama hai ya chiragh hai.

Paiye kis jagah bata ai but-e-bewafa tujhe,
Umr-e-guzashta ki tara gum hi sada suraagh hai.

Sair-e-bahaar-o-baagh se ham ko maaf kijiye,
Us ke khayaal-e-zulf se Dard kise faraagh hai ?

Mera ji hai jab tak teri justju hai,
Zabaan jab talak hai yehi guftgoo hai.

Khuda jane kya hoga anjaam is ka,
Main besabar itna hun woh tund khu hai.

Tamanna hai teri agar hai tamanna,
Teri aarzoo hai, agar aarzoo hai.

Kiya sair ham ne gulzaar-e-duniya,
Gul-e-dosti mein ajab rang-o-boo hai.

Ghanimat hai yeh deed wa deed-e-yaarraan,
Jahan mund gayi aankh, mein hun na tu hai.

Nazar mere dil ki pari Dard kis par,
Jidhar dekhta hun wohi rubroo hai.